What is the Catuai coffee varietal?

Catuai is a high-yield Arabica cultivar developed by Brazil's Instituto Agronômico de Campinas in the 1950s and 1960s, from a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra. The name comes from the Guaraní word meaning "very good."

It's a compact, dwarf plant - the Caturra parent passing on that characteristic - which makes it easier to harvest and manage than taller varieties, and well-suited to mechanised harvesting at scale. Red Catuai and Yellow Catuai are the main colour variants.

Catuai is widely grown in Brazil and Central America and forms a large proportion of commercial production in both regions. Cup quality is capable rather than distinguished - balanced body, clean moderate acidity - and while it won't typically headline a specialty menu on varietal character alone, it's been the workhorse of Brazilian and Central American production for decades. Susceptibility to leaf rust limits its long-term viability in some regions.