Coffee (Coffea sp.) is a perennial plant widely cultivated in many tropical countries. It is a cash crop for millions of small farmers in these areas.

The coffee beverage treasured by millions of people around the world results from roasted seeds of trees belonging to the botanical family Rubiaceae, genus Coffea. Coffee plants were discovered in Africa and eventually disseminated to countries throughout the world. Along this journey, several new cultivars have been created from selected varieties to fulfil the need for plants with higher productivity, resistance to diseases and superior cup quality, and over time, new wild varieties have been discovered as well. Currently, over 100 species within the genus Coffea are catalogued. Despite this diversity, only two species are actually of great importance in the world market, C. arabica L. and C. canephora Pierre. Knowing the genetic origin of coffee varieties and cultivars within these two species is important to understand the main differences and similarities in their chemical composition and flavor.

Since its discovery, coffee has attracted the attention of explorers and botanists from all over the world, especially in the second half of the 19th century, when many new species were discovered. Because of the great variation in the types of coffee plants and seeds, botanists have failed to agree on a precise, single system to classify them or even to designate some plants as true members of the Coffee genus.

Coffee (Coffea sp.) is a perennial plant widely cultivated in many tropical countries. It is a cash crop for millions of small farmers in these areas.

The coffee beverage treasured by millions of people around the world results from roasted seeds of trees belonging to the botanical family Rubiaceae, genus Coffea. Coffee plants were discovered in Africa and eventually disseminated to countries throughout the world. Along this journey, several new cultivars have been created from selected varieties to fulfil the need for plants with higher productivity, resistance to diseases and superior cup quality, and over time, new wild varieties have been discovered as well. Currently, over 100 species within the genus Coffea are catalogued. Despite this diversity, only two species are actually of great importance in the world market, C. arabica L. and C. canephora Pierre. Knowing the genetic origin of coffee varieties and cultivars within these two species is important to understand the main differences and similarities in their chemical composition and flavor.

Since its discovery, coffee has attracted the attention of explorers and botanists from all over the world, especially in the second half of the 19th century, when many new species were discovered. Because of the great variation in the types of coffee plants and seeds, botanists have failed to agree on a precise, single system to classify them or even to designate some plants as true members of the Coffee genus.