Scientists have identified a climate-resilient coffee hybrid that could become the brew of choice as rising temperatures threaten traditional Arabica and Robusta crops
While the world’s coffee drinkers favour Arabica or Robusta, a newly identified hybrid called Coffea x libex — or just Libex — could be their brew of choice in the future. The world drinks roughly 17,000 tonnes of Arabica and 10,000 tonnes of Robusta beans (pre-roasting) every day. Together, they account for more than 99.99% of global coffee production. However, they are susceptible to rising temperatures and erratic rainfall.
Libex on the other hand may be able to grow and crop in warmer temperatures and a wider range of rainfall patterns, according to new research by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the U.K. The study, recently published in Scientific Reports, builds on a 2025 study in Nature Plants that settled a longstanding botanical debate when it ‘proved’ that Liberica and Excelsa are distinct species rather than varieties of the same plant.
The Science Behind the Hybrid
The research team investigated coffee samples from Central America, Africa, and Asia to quantify hybridisation between Liberica and Excelsa and to assess the hybrid’s potential to be cultivated in the future. While hybrids between these two species had long been inferred from their physical characteristics, their existence had not been confirmed using genomic evidence.
The team analysed 113 individual plant samples and confirmed that Excelsa and Liberica had indeed been hybridised in cultivation. The team also reported that improved genotypes of these hybrids can be brought to production quickly using technologies like clonal propagation, micropropagation or by grafting to select rootstocks.
A Delicious Discovery
The Indian version of Libex is a “delicious coffee,” Akshay Dashrath of the South India Coffee Company (SICC) and a study co-author, said. Material from the Malleshwara Estate near Ballupet in Hassan district, taken from trees planted between 1980 and 1982, was confirmed by Kew to be an Excelsa-Liberica hybrid.
SICC’s research division, called SICC Labs, contributed Indian samples and field expertise to the international study. On the SICC site, Mr. Dashrath wrote that according to a leading coffee roaster in the U.K. with whom he works, “Early tastings of Libex reveal a balanced and approachable cup, blending tropical fruit notes from Liberica with chocolate and dried fruit depth from Excelsa.”
Benefits for Farmers and the Industry
Traditionally, farmers grew Excelsa as a boundary marker in Indian coffee estates. Its value in the time of climate change is only just gaining ground. While Liberica is a low-yielding coffee, the Libex hybrid has better yield and outturn, which is good news for farmers. Libex also has thinner pulp and parchment, which can make post-harvest processing more efficient and improve coffee quality relative to Liberica.
The study suggests Liberica can be farmed where Arabica and Robusta cannot. This is particularly significant as coffee-growing regions around the world face increasing pressure from climate change, with rising temperatures threatening the viability of traditional coffee crops. Libex offers a promising alternative that could help secure the future of coffee production.
