Rethinking the “third species”: Coffea Liberica and its place in specialty coffee

Rethinking the “third species”: Coffea Liberica and its place in specialty coffee

It began with a conversation. When Jose (our head of operations) returned from World of Coffee Dubai 2026, he brought a simple observation: Liberica was showing up more often than expected, and not just as a curiosity, but as a deliberate offering from specialty roasters.

That observation resonated with us, not because it revealed something entirely new, but because it connected with an experience we had already shared a few months prior. At Capilla del Rosario, we had cupped one of our own Liberica lots, an extended fermentation honey process and what stood out immediately was not its “wildness,” as often described in literature, but rather a striking, almost stevia-like sweetness. It was a cup that challenged our internal references.

At the time, we treated it as an outlier. Now, it feels more like an early signal.

Today, we have just 22 Liberica trees on the farm. That number is small enough to remain experimental, but large enough to demand attention. The question is no longer whether Liberica is “interesting,” but whether it is beginning to occupy a meaningful place within the specialty coffee landscape.

Beyond the arabica paradigm

For most of its modern history, specialty coffee has been defined by a relatively narrow biological focus. Within the Coffea genus, which contains over 100 species, only a few have achieved commercial relevance. Chief among them is Coffea arabica, whose sensory complexity and acidity have become synonymous with quality.

Alongside it sits Coffea canephora, valued for its resilience and productivity but historically excluded from the highest tiers of specialty due to its more aggressive flavor profile.

Coffea liberica has long existed outside this binary. Its reputation, often described as “pungent,” “woody,” or “unrefined,” has less to do with inherent genetic limitations and more to do with how it has been cultivated, processed, and evaluated.

What is changing now is not the species itself, but the framework through which it is understood.

A global reappraisal

While Dubai served as a useful starting point, the renewed interest in Liberica is not confined to a single market. In Malaysia, particularly in regions like Sarawak, Liberica has never disappeared; instead, it has evolved within local coffee cultures, now increasingly refined through improved post-harvest techniques. In Europe, countries like Germany have contributed to a more scientific understanding of the species, with contributions from technically oriented roasting communities and research institutions.

Work led by researchers such as Steffen Schwarz has helped reframe Liberica, not as an inferior alternative, but as a species with distinct physiological and chemical attributes that demand tailored approaches.

What we are witnessing is not a localized trend, but a convergence: producers refining processes, scientists generating data, and roasters exploring new sensory spaces.


Why Liberica tastes different

To understand Liberica’s sensory potential, it is necessary to examine its biological structure.

Unlike Arabica, which is a self-fertile tetraploid species, Liberica is diploid and obligately cross-pollinated. This results in significant genetic variability and, consequently, a wide spectrum of cup profiles.

Morphologically, Liberica is distinct:

  • Trees can reach heights of 15 to 20 meters

  • Leaves are large and adapted to tropical conditions

  • Cherries have a high pulp-to-seed ratio

  • Beans are large, asymmetrical, and structurally porous

This porosity affects both roasting and extraction. Heat transfer is less uniform, and water interacts more aggressively with the bean’s internal structure. Liberica is not simply a different flavor; it is a different physical system that requires a different technical approach.


The chemistry of sweetness

One of the most compelling aspects of Liberica is its sugar composition.

Its extended ripening cycle, often up to 11 months, allows for significant accumulation of complex carbohydrates. In some cases, sucrose concentrations can exceed those typically found in Arabica.

This has direct sensory implications:

  • Elevated perceived sweetness

  • Syrupy body and viscosity

  • Pronounced tropical and fruit-forward aromatics

Our own experience at Capilla del Rosario reflects this. The stevia-like sweetness we encountered is consistent with broader observations emerging from both scientific research and specialty practice.

The challenge of processing

High sugar content accelerates microbial activity almost immediately after harvest. According to findings discussed by Steffen Schwarz, fermentation in Liberica can begin within minutes, leaving a narrow window for controlled intervention.

If mishandled, this results in undesirable flavors. If managed precisely, it unlocks a highly expressive sensory profile.

Modern fermentation techniques, particularly the use of targeted microbial cultures, allow producers to guide these transformations with increasing precision, converting a fragile system into a controlled one.

Historically, Liberica occupied a peripheral role. It was often planted as a windbreak or used as a “sacrifice tree” to attract pests away from more valuable crops. Its low output and labor demands made it economically unattractive under commodity conditions.

Today, those same characteristics are being re-evaluated. Its deep root system, adaptability to diverse soils, and resilience under environmental stress make it increasingly relevant in a changing climate. At the same time, its unique sensory profile offers differentiation in a market that is actively seeking it.

A quiet breakthrough

At the World Barista Championship 2021, Hugh Kelly used Liberica in competition—blended with Eugenioides, to achieve a third-place finish.

The Liberica used in that routine was sourced from My Liberica, produced by Jason Liew in Johor, Malaysia, one of the country’s key regions for Liberica cultivation. The coffee itself was the result of a 2020 collaboration between Liew and Sasa Sestic of the ONA Coffee team, reflecting an intersection of production, processing, and competition-level intent.

Kelly used this Liberica specifically in his milk course, blending it 50/50 with Coffea eugenioides. The decision was not aesthetic; it was functional. Eugenioides contributed a refined, clean sweetness, while Liberica provided structure, intensity, and a syrupy body capable of carrying flavor through milk.

The resulting cup profile was both expressive and controlled:

  • Banana

  • Caramel

  • Fruity chocolate

  • High sweetness with a defined body

What made this moment significant was not novelty, but precision. Liberica was not presented as an exotic outlier, but as a calibrated component within a broader sensory design.

The economics of rarity

If Liberica shows so much promise, the natural question is: why has it remained on the margins for so long?

The answer lies in its production realities.

  • Low out-turn: approximately 10% yield from cherry to green

  • Labor-intensive harvesting due to tree size

  • High sensitivity during processing

  • Limited market familiarity

These constraints have historically limited scalability. However, recent pricing data from specialty roasters suggests a meaningful shift in perception.


At Julith Coffee in Dubai, high-grade Liberica offerings such as natural or honey-processed lots are priced around AED 70–75 (≈ $19–21 USD / 75,000–80,000 COP) for 250g. This places them directly in line with high-end specialty arabicas, including standard Geisha offerings.

Similarly, at O’Cafe Roastery, honey-processed liberica is priced at approximately AED 80 (≈ $21–22 USD/ 80,000–85,000 COP), comparable to experimental arabica lots and significantly above standard specialty coffees.

Looking closer to origin, coffees sourced from My Liberica, including anaerobic natural and experimental lots, range from $21 to $26 USD/ 80,000–95,000 COP, again aligning with upper-tier specialty arabica pricing.

In this context, what once appeared as limitations are being reframed as value propositions. Scarcity becomes differentiation, narrative becomes positioning, and complexity becomes desirability.

A small lot in Medellín

For us, the relevance of Liberica is not abstract. It is part of a small group of 22 trees on our farm.

At this stage, it is not a production model but a line of inquiry. Yet it is an inquiry informed by a broader movement within the coffee industry, one that is beginning to value diversity not only in origin, but in species.

The idea that Medellín could produce a distinctive Liberica offering would have seemed unlikely not long ago. Today, it feels increasingly plausible. The re-emergence of Coffea liberica reflects a broader shift in how specialty coffee defines quality.

Rather than adhering strictly to Arabica-based expectations, the industry is opening itself to a wider range of sensory expressions, provided they are supported by technical rigor and intentional processing.

Liberica does not replace Arabica. It expands the framework. What began as a conversation has evolved into a structured exploration.

We are still early in this process. The role of Liberica at Capilla del Rosario and within Colombia more broadly remains to be fully understood. But the direction is clear: better questions, more controlled experiments, and a deeper engagement with both science and practice.

If Liberica has been misunderstood in the past, it is not because of what it is, but because of how it has been approached. That, more than anything, is what is now beginning to change.


Resources:

  • Tang, C. W. (2024, June 9). MY LIBERICA coffee. MY LIBERICA Coffee. https://myliberica.com.my/brewing-dreams/?srsltid=AfmBOoqGwL1dSKkP94A7x9JT8O3rAon2qtboFVpm4gA_YvA_DxiBU_Mf 

  • Yoong, K. (2022, April 6). Exploring the growth of Malaysia’s specialty liberica coffee. MTPak Coffee. https://mtpak.coffee/2022/04/exploring-the-growth-of-malaysias-specialty-liberica/ 

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