Coffea liberica (or Liberian coffee) is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family. It is a coffee that is found in Liberia, West Africa.
Liberian coffee is grown in many tropical countries but is not produced on a large scale due to its more bitter taste. Coffea liberica accounts for between 1 and 2% of commercially grown coffee.
Liberian coffee is one of over 250 species of the coffea plant with Arabica and Robusta beans are the two main species that are grown and sold commercially as coffee.
Coffea liberica has a detailed flavor profile which is particularly high in sugar for coffea. This fact makes this coffee plant more susceptible to fermentation. The high sugar content also attracts many insects which makes cultivating this coffea species problematic.
It is sold more in tropical climates, that are closer to where the plant was cultivated because of the cheaper production costs. It is particularly popular for cheaper coffee products such as instant coffee.
Due to the fact the Liberian coffee is mainly sold in cheaper countries and economies where speciality coffee doesn’t exist, roasters haven’t experimented with different Liberian coffee roasts in order to improve the flavor profile. It is for this reason that coffea liberica wouldn’t generally be considered a well balanced coffee.
The liberica plant is much larger than other coffea species, and can reach heights of almost 20 metres.