What is the name of the third most popular species of coffee after Arabica and Robusta?

Coffee has a number of different species, the two that are most familiar to most people are Arabica (Coffea Arabica) and Robusta (Coffea Canephora).

Of the other, more obscure, species of coffee, Liberica (Coffea Liberica) comes third in line and makes up 2% of the world’s coffee consumption (Arabica ~75% and Robusta ~20%).

Liberica coffee is a species of coffee plant that was first discovered in Liberia which gives it its name. It’s a much larger plant/tree than other species, growing to 20m in height and producing coffee beans that are much larger than other varieties.

Liberica has spread to certain countries in Asia and South America, being notable for the sizable influence in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

These countries, that are all in South East Asia, suffered from an immense devastation of their coffee crops in the latter half of the 19th century as a result of ‘coffee rust’ disease. This parasitical fungus ruined the traditional Arabica crops that were popular among farmers in the region.

The solution was to introduce the alternative, and more hardy, Liberica coffee into the region. This has resulted in these countries making up the majority of the world’s Liberica consumption.

Liberica is much more similar to Robusta coffee than Arabica in terms of its general taste profile. That is to say, it is bold, emphasizes the darker, earthier flavors and has more of a ‘kick’ to it.