Marshell is a rare Arabica variety from northern Peru, found in the Cajamarca region around San Ignacio and Jaén. It wasn’t bred in a research programme. It showed up as a spontaneous variation in a farmer’s field, and producers then selected and propagated it. Most sources describe it as a natural Bourbon mutation, though its genetics haven’t been formally confirmed, and some roasters link it to Catimor instead. Marshell came to wider attention in 2019, when a Marshell lot took first place at Cup of Excellence Peru. Producers also value it in the field, where it’s reported to tolerate coffee leaf rust. That’s an unusual combination for a variety that cups this well. In the cup, Marshell tends towards clarity and sweetness, with notes ranging from citrus and stone fruit to cola, caramel and florals depending on process. It’s still grown almost entirely in Peru, which makes it one of the more distinctive varieties to come out of South America in recent years.