Anecdote: I recently bought a single origin medium-roasted Indian arabica. Having dialled it in and pulling the first shot, I couldn't believe my eyes, nor my taste buds: this coffee was thick, oozed from the portafilter like honey, and tasted very rounded and smooth, with a heavy body and a pleasant, muted acidity. I'd never seen a 100% arabica do this.

Curious, I googled the variety, "Chandragiri". Apparently, it is a cross between Villa Sarchi and HDT, or Híbrido de Timor, the latter a (natural?) hybrid of C. arabica and C. canephora.

So here's an interesting, relatively complex but smooth and full-bodied coffee with a robusta grandparent - which I suppose explains some of its sensory and flow characteristics - but without any of those "burnt rubber tires" qualities.

Have you come across such hybrids? How do you like them?

Interesting. I never found the Timor hybrid or Catimor (another arabica-robusta cross) particularly appealing for shots. They are usually not sold as specialty coffees, but for mass market use. But since well prepped robustas can be tasty, maybe the crosses, done right, can be good for espresso.

Now to the big question -- how do I get my hands on some?

Timor Hybrid

Timor Hybrid x Caturra = Catimor.

SCA Coffee Plants of the World lists like 30 crossings, so it might be a mixed bag of uses and quality. Paraiso is one I'm particularly interested in.

another_jim wrote:Interesting. I never found the Timor hybrid or Catimor (another arabica-robusta cross) particularly appealing for shots.

I readily admit to not having the most sophisticated palate, which may be why I tend to lean towards what get called "comfort blends". What surprises me about this coffee, though, is that a single bean can embody so many characteristics of classical espresso which I had thought one could only achieve through careful blending of many origins.

Chert wrote:SCA Coffee Plants of the World lists like 30 crossings

That's very interesting information - thanks for the link!

henri wrote:... Have you come across such hybrids? How do you like them?

I was fortunate enough to sample the winning coffee/roast specification in the "Leaf rust-resistant hybrid" category of the the last Nordic Roaster Forum (details of the various coffees and characteristics: https://nordicroasterforum.com/ just scroll down a bit)

To be honest, the coffee was good - I'd guess mid-80's cupping score - but not spectacular. There was a mouth-drying note that one wouldn't expect in a high-grown micro-lot that was carefully groomed and prepped and processed for competition. Unfortunately, that varietal - IHCAFE 90, a catimor - is no longer rust-resistant: https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.o ... /ihcafe-90 As an aside, this is great site for learning about the characteristics of the different varieties of coffee from more of an agricultural perspective.

However, hybrids are the future. Columbia is producing about 50% hybrids now.