What is the Mundo Novo coffee varietal?

Mundo Novo is a Brazilian cultivar that arose as a natural hybrid between Typica (locally called Sumatra) and Red Bourbon. First identified in the Mundo Novo municipality of São Paulo state in the 1940s, it's since become one of the most widely planted varieties in Brazil.

Vigorous, tall, and productive, Mundo Novo is well-suited to Brazil's lower-altitude commercial growing conditions. Cup quality is reliable rather than distinctive - clean, moderate acidity, full body - making it well-suited to the large-volume commercial blending that underpins Brazil's position as the world's largest coffee producer.

Its significance extends beyond what it directly produces: Mundo Novo is one of the two parents of Catuai, itself one of Brazil's most planted varieties. Much of what grows in Brazil today carries Mundo Novo genetics, even when the variety isn't named on the specification.