A lower-caffeine East and Central African wild diploid, and the maternal parent of Coffea arabica.
*Coffea eugenioides* is a diploid (2n=22) wild species of highland forests in East and Central Africa. Checklists list DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and one roaster write-up places it at about 1,000 to 2,000 m. It is one of the two ancestors of *Coffea arabica* (with *C. canephora*): arabica's plastid genome derives from eugenioides, making it the maternal parent, and eugenioides supplies arabica's EE subgenome.
Its beans contain considerably less caffeine than arabica, reported at roughly 0.4 to 0.6 percent. Availability is limited, but specialty write-ups describe its cup as naturally sweet and smooth, with minimal bitterness, gentle acidity and a light to medium body.
History
Described by the botanist Spencer Le Marchant Moore. Genomic studies later showed it to be the maternal ancestor of arabica, and small experimental lots are now offered by specialty roasters.
Field notes
- i
Eugenioides is one of the two wild diploid species (with canephora) whose natural hybridization produced Coffea arabica.
- ii
Arabica's plastid genome derives from eugenioides, which makes it the maternal parent of arabica.
- iii
Roaster write-ups describe its lots as sweet and smooth with minimal bitterness, but commercial availability is limited.
In the cup, according to guides
- SweetnessMoreroaster write-ups describe it as naturally sweet and smooth with minimal bitterness
Related species
- Coffea arabicaparent-of
Sources · 3 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-10.
- GBIF species distributions from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (Coffea arabica, canephora, liberica, eugenioides, stenophylla, racemosa, congensis, charrieriana) · GBIF / Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (WCVP)
- Coffea eugenioides: the story of Arabica's mysterious ancestor · XLIII Coffee
- The genome and population genomics of allopolyploid Coffea arabica reveal the diversification history of modern coffee cultivars · Nature Genetics / PubMed Central