Stenophylla Coffee, a Rediscovered Jewel

Published 2021년 5월 19일

In April 2021, scientists from Sierra Leone and other renowned institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, and CIRAD (the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development), published promising findings on the recently rediscovered stenophylla coffee variety. The variety has been shown to have a high heat tolerance and rich flavor profile. As a result, it is regarded to have high commercial potential rivaling Arabica. Given that stenophylla was rediscovered in Sierra Leone, it is expected to revive the country’s suffering coffee industry, crippled by 11 years of civil war.

Potential impact on Sierra Leone’s coffee industry

The stenophylla coffee variety was rediscovered in 2018 in Sierra Leone after decades of non-existence. The country is one of the poorest nations globally, with more than 50% living below the poverty line. It is expected that the successful cultivation and trade of stenophylla could revive the country’s agricultural sector, which employs 75% of the population. Until 1991, Sierra Leone was exporting approximately 25K tons of coffee annually before the country engaged in an 11-year civil war that destroyed the industry. By the time the war ended in 2002, Sierra Leone’s annual coffee exports had dropped to 2000 tons.

Stenophylla set for promising future

Global coffee production has been brought to question due to global warming, as coffee-growing regions continue to suffer from unfavorably high temperatures. While Arabica and Robusta varieties make up most (99%) of the worldwide coffee production, with Arabica considered a “specialty coffee,” Arabica requires an average growing temperature of 19°C (66°F), and Robusta grows under climates of around 23°C (73°F). Stenophylla can be grown in temperatures as high as 24.9°C (77°F), making it the most suitable variety to grow during the current global warming climate.

Another merit of stenophylla is its unique taste and rich profile. According to London’s Union Hand-Roasted Coffee, stenophylla coffee has a score of 80.25, which would grant it specialty status. According to CIRAD, stenophylla’s taste profile contains natural sweetness, medium-high acidity, and fruitiness, with notes of peach, blackcurrant, mandarin, honey, light black tea, jasmine, spice, floral, chocolate, caramel, nuts, and elderflower syrup. It could also be used as a breeding source to help grow new high-quality, heat-resistant hybrids that can be more resilient than current varieties such as Arabica.