Why processing is helping push liberica into the spotlight

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Key takeaways

• Liberica tolerates heat, drought, and lower elevations better than arabica.
• Anaerobic and natural processing transform liberica’s flavour and market value.
• Libex combines liberica’s resilience with excelsa’s yields and processing efficiency.
• Small supply and inconsistent quality remain the biggest barriers to growth.

Over 120 species have been identified in the Coffea genus. Arabica and robusta account for over 99% of global production, while the remaining 0.01% comes from historically underinvested species such as excelsa and liberica.

Producers have largely cultivated these varieties out of mainstream view. But this is starting to change, and processing is a big part of the reason why. 

Liberica has long carried a reputation for woody, rubbery cup profiles, but producers in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and India are now applying techniques refined on arabica, including anaerobic and controlled fermentation, to draw out sweeter, more complex flavours. 

The results are repositioning liberica from a curiosity into a commercial prospect, and some in the industry believe improved post-harvest handling could do for liberica what it has already done for fine robusta.

You may also like our article on why the push for novel varieties is bringing renewed attention to overlooked coffees.

Renewed attention on liberica

Liberica is now drawing serious attention from producers, roasters, and consumers, and its commercial case is becoming harder to ignore.

The species originated in Liberia in West Africa, yet today grows primarily across Southeast Asia. It became the species of choice in this region because the hardy skin of its cherries made it more resistant to disease and pests, including coffee leaf rust and nematodes. 

Distinction matters when discussing liberica. Contrary to historical findings, recent research by Dr Aaron Davis, Head of Coffee Research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, confirms that liberica is its own distinct species, separate from excelsa.

Davis’ work also points to why the species is attracting attention as climate challenges worsen. Liberica tolerates longer dry seasons, lower elevations, and warmer climates than arabica. Its parchment is thick, averaging 0.36 to 0.77 mm, while the seeds are large, measuring 9.5 to 18.3 mm in length and 6.5 to 12 mm in width. 

Liberica trees are also tall and hardy, fruiting five years after planting, with leaves that can exceed 30cm in width. The cherries are larger and contain more pulp, which lengthens processing times but yields complex, sweet flavours.

Investing in quality

India offers a case study in how attitudes toward liberica are shifting. South India Coffee Company (SICC), founded in Karnataka by Komal Sable and Akshay Dashrath in 2017 to bring high-quality Indian coffee to international markets, has worked closely with Kew Gardens on research into underutilised coffee species, including liberica.

“We are seeing a shift from incidental cultivation towards deliberate crop development,” Komal says. “Historically, tree coffee in India was often planted along farm boundaries as windbreaks, shade components, or hardy secondary crops. Trees were allowed to grow very tall, cherries were harvested when convenient, and the coffee was usually processed and sold without separation or accurate identification.”

For decades, most liberica ended up blended with robusta for instant coffee, with little regard for quality or taste. But investment in production, research into the species’ properties, and its potential role in climate adaptation are repositioning liberica in the market, while roasters worldwide are demonstrating the species’ cup potential.

“Producers and researchers are identifying the material genetically, selecting promising trees, propagating them more deliberately, managing tree architecture, and processing the coffee as distinct lots,” Komal adds. “At SICC, our fieldwork across Coorg and Hassan suggests that the Indian tree-coffee population is predominantly Excelsa, with both pure Excelsa and Excelsa-dominant Libex present.”

Liberica’s flavour profile is distinctive, and processing often determines its direction. Naturally processed liberica carries a jackfruit-like sweetness, while fully washed lots lean towards a floral citrus profile. The likely explanation is that the beans are more porous, so they absorb more of the sugars in the cherry’s fruit.

Processing is changing flavour

Picking at peak ripeness, careful sorting, and precise drying are the foundations of quality, and as more producers plant liberica, more experimentation is going into how the species is processed.

“Quality is improving, but primarily because the whole production system is improving,” Komal says. “Better identification tells us what we are actually working with. Selective picking, lot separation, controlled processing, even drying, stable storage, and species-appropriate roasting then allow the coffee’s inherent character to become visible.”

Liberica typically contains more sugar than arabica, so fermentation produces a pronounced shift in flavour. A 120-hour anaerobic fermentation yields a bright acidity, while extending it to between 360 and 720 hours pushes the cup towards winey, grape-like characteristics. Producers maintain a temperature of 25°C to prevent the development of acetic acid, which would otherwise make the coffee taste like vinegar.

Anaerobic naturals are only one technique. Some producers are applying carbonic maceration, honey processes, and other methods that draw out more intensity. 

The commercial logic is clear. Liberica has long been treated as a low-income crop, and producers who apply these methods well can reposition it as a premium product and increase their earnings.

Producers are already proving the model. My Liberica has been developing the species in Malaysia since 2011, with roughly 20 hectares planted in Kulai, Johor. Jason Liew and his team supply several roasters, including Australia’s ONA Coffee, which recognised the species’ potential several years ago and continues to explore its range of flavour profiles.

The specialty market has also taken notice more widely. The Global Coffee Awards now include a category dedicated to liberica, recognition of how far the species has come.

What’s next for liberica?

Origins like Malaysia and the Philippines rarely feature in conversations about high-quality coffee, but liberica is changing this. Roasters worldwide are eager to taste and sell the species, and while production remains small, interest continues to grow. Other origins could follow, with research suggesting producers in West Africa may eventually earn more from the species.

High-quality liberica is still in its early stages, and production isn’t yet consistent enough to generate meaningful data. “Planting material remains heterogeneous, supply is limited, and quality varies substantially,” Komal says. “We are at the beginning of moving from scattered legacy trees to selected, managed specialty production.”

But the momentum is visible. The first Liberica International Roasting Competition took place in 2019 and attracted 22 competitors. Baristas have also used liberica at the World Barista Championship, sometimes blended with Gesha, and Malaysian Barista Champion Jason Loo recently hosted a liberica omakase.

Discovering libex

Despite its hardiness, the species isn’t an easy option for producers. The trees are tall, the cherry pulp is thick, and processing can be more challenging than for arabica or robusta.

The stronger opportunity may lie with libex, the interspecies hybrid of liberica and excelsa, recently genetically identified by Aaron Davis and his team. Found by the SICC Labs team on trees planted in 1980, it carries intermediate characteristics.

“It could combine Liberica’s lowland heat tolerance and disease resistance with Excelsa’s productivity, thinner parchment, better outturn, and wider climate flexibility,” Komal says. “Because Libex plants are fertile and promising material already exists in cultivation, selected trees can potentially be multiplied through cuttings or grafting without waiting for an entirely new breeding programme.”

Neither liberica nor libex will soon replace arabica or robusta. But for producers in climate-threatened regions, they offer resilience and, with careful processing, the potential for higher earnings.

Liberica is moving from an overlooked commodity to a credible speciality product. Improved identification, controlled processing, and hybrids such as libex give producers in hot, lowland regions a viable path to higher incomes as the climate shifts.

Supply remains small and inconsistent, but with roasters, researchers, and competitions backing the species, liberica’s role in the future of coffee production is steadily expanding.

If you’re interested in increasing your sales & acquiring more leads, check out PDG Media, our sister marketing agency dedicated to specialty coffee.

Liberica FAQs

What does liberica taste like?
Processing shapes flavour profile. Naturally processed lots have a jackfruit-like sweetness, while fully washed coffees lean towards floral citrus. Anaerobic fermentation draws out tropical fruit, honey, berries, and red grape notes, with a full, syrupy body from the species’ high sugar and mucilage content.

Why is liberica gaining attention now?
Climate pressure is the main driver. Liberica tolerates warmer temperatures, longer dry seasons, and lower elevations than arabica. Combined with improved processing and research from institutions such as Kew Gardens and South India Coffee Company, the species now offers producers both resilience and premium prices.

What is Libex?
Libex is an interspecies hybrid of liberica and excelsa, genetically identified by Dr Aaron Davis and his team through fieldwork with South India Coffee Company. It combines liberica’s heat tolerance and disease resistance with excelsa’s higher yields and thinner parchment.

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