Why You Should Know About Liberica Coffee

If you’re a coffee drinker, chances are your brew is made from either arabica or robusta beans, or a combination of both, as these two make up more than 99% of the world’s coffee supply. 

But did you know there is a long-lost coffee bean cousin that once accounted for half of global coffee production after leaf rust decimated arabica plants in the late 19th century? Forgotten for over a century, this rare variety, called liberica, is slowly making a comeback thanks to its distinct flavor and resilience to climate change.

History of liberica coffee

Liberica comes from the coffea liberica plant and is indigenous to Liberia — hence the name. At the time it was introduced to South and Southeast Asia, notably Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and the Philippines, a leaf fungal disease called coffee rust, or roya, was destroying arabica plantations. The widespread cultivation of liberica filled the supply gap, and in the late 1880s, the Philippines briefly became one of the world’s largest coffee producers. 

Its popularity was short-lived, however, and it shared the limelight with arabica for only about two decades. Difficulties in harvesting and processing the large cherries resulted in inferior-quality beans, and its unusual flavor notes, which consumers found undesirable, were the main reasons it quickly fell out of favor. When liberica eventually succumbed to rust, combined with the introduction of high-yielding and extremely disease-resistant robusta and the expansion of arabica plantations in Brazil, its decline became inevitable. 

Today, it represents only a minuscule portion of the worldwide coffee supply. It is mainly grown in a few Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines — the first country to commercially cultivate it — where it’s locally known as kapeng barako, meaning “stud coffee” in reference to its strong and full-bodied flavor. 

Flavor profile of liberica coffee

This misunderstood bean’s reputation for tasting vegetal and off-putting is rapidly fading. When processed and roasted carefully, liberica produces an impressively flavorful cup that can rival crowd-favorite arabica. 

“Liberica offers a bold and complex flavor profile unlike any other coffee species. Its aroma is intensely fruity, often surprising first-time drinkers,” says Michael Harris Conlin, Filipino master roaster, award-winning barista, and founder and CEO of Henry & Sons. “On the palate, it is high in sweetness and high in umami, and when roasted properly, it has low bitterness.” 

The coffee world is gradually taking note, and liberica has started to feature at the World Barista Championship. In 2021, Malaysia’s My Liberica beans debuted, helping Australia’s Hugh Kelly win third place. And in 2025, Malaysia’s Jason Loo secured fourth place with the beans.

Low acidity and the rich, unusual flavor profile of this rare bean variety have attracted coffee experts and enthusiasts alike. “You’ll typically find notes of tropical fruits such as banana, jackfruit, ripe pineapple, and rose florals,” says Conlin. “Depending on the roast level and fermentation technique, liberica can also express boozy, honey, and dried-fruit characteristics. Its mouthfeel is rounder and heavier than Arabica — sometimes almost syrupy — with a long and lingering finish.”

Liberica is best consumed black and brewed. “Methods like pour-over or siphon highlight its delicate aromatics and subtle fruit notes,” says Conlin. It can also be consumed with muscovado sugar, as it is traditionally done in the Philippines, or with milk. 

Renewed interest in liberica coffee

Given that liberica is not as productive as arabica or robusta (it yields only about a third as many green beans as arabica), will the coffee industry give it the recognition it deserves? It should, and here’s why. 

Climate change, for one. A 2022 study published in Nature Food showed that a 35.6°F increase in global temperatures will affect 25% of the world’s coffee supply; at 36.5°F, this rises to 75%. Because liberica grows in low-lying tropical areas, it is considered an attractive alternative to arabica and robusta. 

Liberica’s potential role in future-proofing the industry was further highlighted at the International Coffee Convention in 2023. According to Filipina researcher and scientist Dr. Lagman, liberica has bigger front-facing leaves, deeper roots, and larger beans for water storage. Furthermore, it is more adapted to greater variation in climatic conditions, temperature stress, and drought. 

But climate change is not the only reason. There’s also an increasing market demand for rare coffee beans, particularly liberica, and the true expression of the variety has just become rarer. The geographical range where true liberica is found was further restricted to just five Upper West African countries: Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria. 

Based on recent scientific findings published in Nature Plants, what was collectively called liberica is actually composed of three distinct species: liberica (coffea liberica), excelsa (coffea dewevrei), and klainei (coffea klainei). This means that what were previously considered coffee siblings are, in fact, cousins.

This underutilized species also thrives in soils considered unsuitable for coffee production, such as clay and peat, and is less susceptible to coffee berry borer and root-damaging nematodes — further reasons why it is an attractive alternative to arabica and robusta.

The future of liberica coffee

Liberica is, no doubt, getting a worthy second look. Several Southeast Asian and African countries have focused on reviving liberica cultivation as well as raising awareness. 

Liberia, for example, has designated its indigenous coffea liberica species as its flagship export under the UN FAO “One Country One Priority Product” program. Borneo has the Borneo Coffee Symposium — an event dedicated to liberica — which is now entering its third year. 

In the Philippines, the Philippine Coffee Board has been providing farmers with high-quality, authentic liberica planting materials and is planning to implement liberica farm certification programs. But in a country that grows mostly robusta, farmers are unwilling to convert existing farms to liberica, even though the local selling price of liberica beans is almost triple that of robusta, likely because of the loss of income for about 2-3 years. 

“The Philippines cannot meet local demand, and we need to locate more suitable areas for liberica coffee cultivation,” says Dr. Andro Mojica, director of the Philippine Coffee Board, leading barako coffee researcher, and co-author of the book Barako: The Big Bean.

Though it’s still an under-the-radar coffee variety, it’s clear the coffee industry is taking notice. Much like the coffee rust epidemic, climate change may be the major push it needs to finally recognize this long-overlooked species and its value in securing the future of global coffee production.