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The Coffee Atlas
Starmaya
Starmaya, the first F1 Arabica hybrid propagated by seed, pairs Marsellesa rust resistance with high yield and a bright, sweet cup, sourced and cited.
Flavor profile
avg. of 1 published reviewScale: 1-10, Coffee Review / SCA-classic-form convention. Illustrative editorial composite, not an average of Coffee Review lots: no Coffee Review score for a 100% Starmaya lot was found (the Coffee Review result that turns up for 'Starmaya' is a Geisha grown at a Guatemalan farm of that name, and is not used). The only quantitative anchor is one peer-reviewed multi-site trial (n=1 study) in which Starmaya scored 79.2-83.1 on the SCA protocol, higher than Caturra, with higher body and sweetness than the controls. Per-attribute numbers here are the editor's rounded, deliberately modest reading of that trial and of roaster tasting notes, not measurements. Individual lots, altitudes, and processing methods will differ widely.
What it tastes like
Starmaya is a breeding milestone more than a flavor legend: it was the first Arabica F1 hybrid that could be multiplied from seed rather than expensive lab cloning, by crossing a male-sterile plant found at a Costa Rican germplasm bank with the rust-resistant Marsellesa. That matters at the farm gate, where the Frontiers trial reported about 30% more green coffee than Marsellesa.
In the cup, the evidence is thinner than the agronomy. The same trial scored Starmaya 79.2-83.1 on the SCA protocol, ahead of Caturra, with more body and sweetness, and World Coffee Research notes a notably high acidity at altitude. Roasters list apple, caramel, and marmalade-like fruit on natural and honey lots, which fits that sweet-leaning, bright profile.
Treat the scores on this page as a modest editorial sketch, not a lot average: we found no Coffee Review score for a 100% Starmaya lot. Because seed-grown hybrids segregate, CIRAD itself says around 10% of plants will not be true to type, so a bag labeled Starmaya is a less tidy promise than a clonal variety.
How to brew it
Method fit for this origin · editorial guidance from roaster convention
Filtered clarity suits the sweet, fruit-forward natural and honey lots roasters publish, and keeps the bright acidity readable.
Higher body and sweetness than older rust-resistant varieties help in a shot, though the acidity needs careful dialling in.
Immersion plays to the body and sweetness but softens the acidity and fruit detail that set the variety apart.
⚠ Fit tiers are editorial guidance drawn from roaster convention; no industry standard scores brew fit, so we show tiers, never invented numbers. Reflects general roaster convention for fruit-forward Central American and Brazilian lots, not an SCA-defined standard and not specific guidance for Starmaya.
Altitude & region
Growing elevation, meters above sea level · this entry vs comparison bands
Starmaya's 1,200-1,600 m band is sourced directly from World Coffee Research's variety profile (see Sources & data). Kenya AA and Brazil Cerrado are shown for scale using commonly published origin altitude bands, not lot-specific measurements. Starmaya is a variety, not a place, so real lots are grown across a wider span.
Caffeine content
Caffeine by dry weight · each gold dot = 0.1%
Caffeine content tracks species, not variety, origin, altitude, or processing: roughly 1.2% for Arabica versus roughly 2.2% for Robusta, close to double (see Sources & data). Starmaya is classed and sold as Arabica; one grandparent line, the Timor Hybrid behind Marsellesa, carries Robusta ancestry, but no credible per-variety caffeine figure exists, so none is given here.
Where to buy it
Transparency: some links on this site are affiliate links; if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Roasters are picked for genuine, current sourcing of this coffee, never for who pays us.
Australian roaster that has listed a Brazilian Santuario Sul Starmaya natural (red apple, star fruit, pear, caramel); stock rotates, so check the shop.
View lot→Kansas City direct-trade roaster that has listed a Costa Rica Villa Triunfo Starmaya red honey (marmalade, sage, semi-sweet chocolate); stock rotates.
View lot→Starmaya is usually sold under a farm or lot name; check the listing for the variety, roast date, 100%-origin labeling, and seller reviews before buying.
View lot→Sources & data
- Crozier et al.: Espresso coffees, caffeine and chlorogenic acid intake (Food & Function, 2012)Peer-reviewed (Univ. of Glasgow): states robusta coffee beans contain almost twice as much caffeine as arabica, by species
- Development of a fast and simple method to identify pure Arabica coffee and blended coffee by Infrared Spectroscopy (J. Food Sci. Technol., 2021, PMC8292507)Peer-reviewed: "Arabica beans usually presents 1.0 to 1.5% w.w-1 of caffeine and Robusta beans presents 2.0 to 2.5% w.w-1" (source's own wording), basis for the 1.2% / 2.2% species figures
- Frontiers in Plant Science: Starmaya F1 hybrid seed production trial (2019)Parentage (CIR-SM01 x Marsellesa), 30% higher green bean yield than Marsellesa in multi-site trials, SCA scores of 79.2-83.1 vs 72.5-78.9 for Caturra across seven Nicaraguan sites at 710-1,250 m, and higher body and sweetness than the controls
- CIRAD press release: Starmaya, a hybrid variety available in seed form for the first timeFirst Arabica F1 hybrid produced from seed at commercial scale, Marsellesa chosen for leaf rust resistance, productivity gain reported as +20 to +40%, and the caveat that around 10% of plants will not be true to type
- World Coffee Research: Starmaya variety profileBreeder CIRAD-ECOM, 1,200-1,600 m optimal altitude, dwarf/compact habit, high yield potential, large beans, rated highly resistant to leaf rust, nematode susceptibility unknown
- World Coffee Research: Starmaya, the future of coffee?2001 discovery of a male-sterile Arabica plant at CATIE's germplasm bank, crossed with Marsellesa; the first F1 hybrid Arabica propagated by seed
- ONA Coffee: Brazil Santuario Sul Starmaya NaturalRoaster tasting notes: red apple, star fruit, pear, caramel (natural process)
- PT's Coffee: Villa Triunfo / Starmaya Red HoneyRoaster tasting notes: marmalade, sage, semi-sweet chocolate; red honey process, Naranjo, Costa Rica, about 4,593 ft