Castillo is a Cenicafé composite of Caturra x Timor Hybrid progenies, released in 2005 and, per Cenicafé data, about 45 percent of Colombia's coffee by 2017.
Castillo is Cenicafé's rust-resistant Arabica, a composite variety made from many selected progenies of the Caturra x Timor Hybrid cross, the same cross behind the earlier Colombia variety. Cenicafé describes it as low in stature and built by mixing seed from the fifth and sixth generations. The Federación Nacional de Cafeteros released it with its regional composites by Resolution 03 of 13 May 2005, and a 2017 article cited Cenicafé data that 45 percent of Colombia's coffee was Castillo. The regional selections were El Rosario, Naranjal, Paraguaicito, La Trinidad, Pueblo Bello and Santa Bárbara.
History
Cenicafé's rust-resistance programme began in 1968 and produced the Colombia variety in 1982. Castillo, from the same Caturra x Timor Hybrid cross, was released by the Federation on 13 May 2005 as a main variety plus regional composites.
Field notes
- i
Castillo is named for Jaime Castillo Zapata (1928-2001), a Cenicafé researcher who helped design the strategy behind the first rust-resistant composite variety, Colombia.
- ii
Cenicafé bred six named regional selections of Castillo, each fitted to a specific growing zone, rather than releasing one nationwide variety.
- iii
A 2014-2015 Colombian sensory trial found Castillo and Caturra had similar cup scores, with some Castillo samples cupped at 90+ points.
Family tree
Castillo is a cross of Caturra and Timor Hybrid.
In the cup, according to guides
- BalanceOften notedIn a 2014-2015 trial Castillo scored similarly to Caturra, with flavour profiles that varied greatly and some lots above 90 points.
Grown in
- Colombiaorigin
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. Some details here are less settled than others.
- Coffee Varieties: Debunking The Myths Around Castillo · Perfect Daily Grind
- Coffee Variety Glossary · Cafe Imports
- Variedad Castillo, preguntas frecuentes (Avance Tecnico 426) · Cenicafe, Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros