Say hello to Libex, a bold new coffee hybrid built to beat the heat

Coffee beans ready for harvest are seen at a plantation in Meppady, Wayanad, Kerala. | Photo credit: File photo

While the world’s coffee drinkers prefer Arabica or Robusta, a newly identified hybrid called Coffea x libex (the X denotes its hybrid status) – or just Libex – could be their choice in the future.

The world drinks roughly 17,000 tons of Arabica and 10,000 tons of Robusta beans (pre-roasted) every day. Together they account for more than 99.99% of global coffee production. However, they are susceptible to rising temperatures and irregular rainfall.

Libex, on the other hand, may be able to grow and harvest in warmer temperatures and a wider range of rainfall patterns, according to new research from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.

It was recently published in Scientific reports.

This work follows on from the 2025 study Natural plants which settled a long-standing botanical debate by “proving” that Liberica and Excelsa were distinct species rather than varieties of the same plant.

If the Arabica harvest is delayed, the cherries either overripe or wither and fall to the ground where they are damaged and unusable. | Photo credit: File photo

The research team examined coffee samples from Central America, Africa and Asia to quantify hybridization between Liberica and Excelsa and assess the hybrid’s potential for future cultivation.

While hybrids between the two species have long been inferred from their physical characteristics, their existence has not been confirmed using genomic evidence.

Better yield, result

The team analyzed 113 individual plant samples and confirmed that Excelsa and Liberica were indeed hybridized in cultivation. The team also reported that improved genotypes (sets of all genes) of these hybrids can be quickly brought into production using technologies such as clonal propagation, micropropagation or grafting to select rootstocks such as Liberica or Excelsa.

The Indian version of Libex is a “delicious coffee,” said Akshay Dashrath of South India Coffee Company (SICC) and co-author of the study. Material from Malleshwara Estate near Ballupet in Hassan District, obtained from trees planted between 1980 and 1982, was confirmed by Kew as 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 UK coffee roaster he works with, “First tastings of Libex reveal a balanced and approachable cup blending tropical fruit notes from Liberica with chocolate and dried fruit depth from Excels.”

Farmers have traditionally grown Excelsa as a boundary marker in Indian coffee plantations. This tree coffee is also seen in some estates. Its value is only gaining strength in times of climate change.

Further, while Liberica is a low-yielding coffee, Mr. Dashrath said the Libex hybrid has better yield and result (fresh fruit to coffee bean conversion ratio), which is good news for farmers. Libex also has a thinner pulp and parchment, which may make post-harvest processing more efficient and improve coffee quality compared to Liberica.

Finally, the study suggests that Liberica can be grown where Arabica and Robusta cannot.

Meena Menon is a freelance journalist. He has a PhD from the University of Leeds.

Published – 24 Jun 2026 08:00 IST