Liberica Coffee: The Third Coffee Species Explained

The third coffee species almost nobody talks about

Almost everything you have ever drunk was Arabica or Robusta. These two species split the world market between them almost entirely. But there is a third one that hardly anyone knows: Liberica. And its close relative Excelsa. Together they make up a tiny fraction of the global harvest today, and yet researchers and roasters are suddenly talking about them again. Why? It is a story about a fungus, a few Spanish monks and a changing climate.

Arabica, Robusta, and then?

Arabica (Coffea arabica) is the diva: aromatic, bright, demanding to grow, and it accounts for roughly 60 to 70 percent of global production. Robusta (Coffea canephora) is the sturdy workhorse: more caffeine, higher yields, less fussy, and most of the rest of the market. Liberica (Coffea liberica) is the outsider. Online you will often read that it makes up one to two percent of the world market. That is not true. That figure comes from the late nineteenth century. In 2025 a study by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew estimated that Liberica and Excelsa together probably amount to under 1000 tonnes a year today, around 0.01 percent of global coffee exports. A drop in the ocean.

Where Liberica comes from

The name gives it away: Liberica originates in West and Central Africa, named after Liberia. But it became famous elsewhere. Spanish monks brought the plant to the Philippine city of Lipa in the 1740s. Then came the stroke of luck that was really a disaster. From the 1860s, coffee leaf rust, a fungus, swept through the world's Arabica plantations and wiped out entire growing regions. Liberica was considered more resistant, and suddenly it was in demand. In the 1880s the Philippines were among the largest coffee producers in the world. Then in 1889 the rust reached the islands too, and the boom collapsed. Most farmers switched to other crops.

Kapeng Barako, the pride of Batangas

In the Philippines, Liberica is still called Kapeng Barako. Barako means something like wild or macho, and that suits the taste: bold, with an aroma many people compare to aniseed. It is grown mainly in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite, mostly for the local market. For many Filipinos, Barako is not a niche coffee but a piece of identity.

What Liberica tastes like

The bean catches your eye first. Liberica beans are large, irregular and often hook-shaped, unlike anything you see on a supermarket shelf. In the cup it has real character: full body, often smoky, woody and nutty, sometimes with an almost fruity note towards jackfruit and a floral touch. You either love it or you wrestle with it, there is little in between. Excelsa, the relative, tends to taste fruitier, more tart and more complex. On caffeine, both sit somewhere between gentle Arabica and punchy Robusta.

Excelsa and the 2025 surprise

For a long time Excelsa was treated as a mere variety of Liberica, listed botanically as Coffea liberica var. dewevrei. In August 2025 a team at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, led by botanist Aaron Davis, published a genetic study in the journal Nature Plants. The finding: what we call Liberica is actually three separate species. Coffea liberica (classic Liberica), Coffea dewevrei (Excelsa) and a third, newly recognised species called Coffea klainei, which is barely studied and grows in countries like Cameroon, Gabon and Angola. The wild ranges of Liberica and Excelsa do not overlap, and their climate preferences are clearly different. It sounds like botanical hair-splitting, but it matters for the future.

Why Liberica is suddenly interesting again

Climate change is redrawing the map of coffee. The altitudes and temperatures Arabica needs are becoming rarer, and Robusta has its limits too. Liberica and Excelsa cope with heat, heavy rain and low elevations, exactly where the other two struggle. Researchers see them as a possible backup crop for a warmer world. Excelsa is now gaining a foothold in Uganda, South Sudan and Guinea, because it still yields reliably under higher temperatures and longer dry spells. In Malaysia, Indonesia and Fiji, Liberica is enjoying a small renaissance, and more of it is being planted in India and Vietnam too. A forgotten coffee species is becoming a source of hope.

You will rarely find Liberica on a Swiss shelf, and that is perfectly fine. The bigger point is more interesting: coffee is far more diverse than the two names on most bags suggest. If you want to dig deeper into the differences between the species, read our piece on Arabica and Robusta. And if you simply fancy really good, freshly roasted coffee from small Swiss roasteries, have a look at our marketplace.