A West African wild species that grows in much warmer climates than arabica. A 2021 study of its cup reported arabica-like flavor.
*Coffea stenophylla* is a wild species native to Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. Sierra Leone exported it from the mid-1800s until about 1920, when it was displaced by the more productive robusta. It had not been recorded in Sierra Leone since 1954 until researchers found a wild plant in 2018 and, about 140 km away, a healthy wild population. In a 2021 Nature Plants study led by Aaron Davis of Kew, 18 tasting experts reported natural sweetness, medium-high acidity, fruitiness and good body, and Reuters reported that the species grows at about 24.9 °C annual mean temperature, roughly 6.8 °C warmer than arabica.
That combination of arabica-like flavor and heat tolerance has made stenophylla a focus of climate-adaptation interest. It is still pre-commercial, since its low yield and small berries have kept it from commercial cultivation, and it is classified as Vulnerable because of deforestation in its Upper Guinea forest habitat.
History
Described by George Don in 1834. Sierra Leone exported it from the mid-1800s until about 1920, after which robusta displaced it. Wild plants were located again in Sierra Leone in 2018, and the 2021 Nature Plants paper by Davis and colleagues evaluated its cup quality and heat tolerance.
Field notes
- i
Stenophylla was not recorded in Sierra Leone between 1954 and its rediscovery there in 2018.
- ii
The 2021 Nature Plants paper was titled 'Arabica-like flavour in a heat-tolerant wild coffee species', and Reuters reported it grows about 6.8 °C warmer than arabica does.
- iii
Sierra Leone exported stenophylla from the mid-1800s until about 1920, before robusta displaced it. Its ripe berries are dark purple.
In the cup, according to guides
- AcidityMorean 18-person expert tasting reported medium-high acidity with fruitiness and natural sweetness
Sources · 4 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 stenophylla · Wikipedia
- A rediscovered forgotten species brews promise for coffee's future (Reuters, via Interaksyon) · Reuters / Interaksyon
- Unearthing the 'lost' coffee of Sierra Leone · Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich