Timor Hybrid descends from a spontaneous Arabica x Robusta cross found on Timor in the 1920s, and carries leaf rust resistance.
Timor Hybrid is a naturally occurring Arabica x Robusta (C. canephora) hybrid that arose on the island of Timor in the 1920s. It is an Arabica plant carrying Robusta genetic material that lets it resist coffee leaf rust. Researchers selected many different lines of it and crossed them with high-yielding dwarf Arabicas, most commonly Caturra and Villa Sarchi, which created the Catimor and Sarchimor groups. Portugal's Coffee Rust Research Center (CIFC) received Timor Hybrid seed in 1958 and selected two plants, CIFC 832/1 and 832/2, for their rust resistance. World Coffee Research says most introgressed Arabica varieties in its catalog got their rust resistance from a Timor Hybrid parent.
History
A spontaneous Arabica x Robusta cross found on Timor in the 1920s (1927 is often cited). Portugal's CIFC received seed in 1958 and selected lines 832/1 and 832/2, which were later crossed onto Caturra and Villa Sarchi to create the Catimor and Sarchimor groups.
Field notes
- i
One Timor specialty-coffee article says it was discovered in 1927 among a plot of Typica Arabica.
- ii
Portugal's rust centre received Timor Hybrid seed in 1958 and picked two plants for their rust resistance, called CIFC 832/1 and 832/2.
- iii
WCR lineage entries still cite individual Timor Hybrid accessions such as 832/1, 832/2 and 1343.
- iv
Because most introgressed varieties share this single parent for rust resistance, WCR reports that most experts expect most of them to lose resistance in the near-to-medium term.
Family tree
Offspring
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 2026-11-11.
- Arabica Varieties — A global catalog of Arabica coffee varieties from around the world (PDF, rev. Sept 4, 2025) · World Coffee Research
- Timor Coffee (NTT): The Island That Gave the World Rust-Resistant Arabica · specialtycoffee.id
- Catimor Coffee: The story of a rust-resistant coffee variety · Ozone Coffee