KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 24 -- Sometimes, a cup of coffee tastes like home. Not because it is perfect, but because it is familiar - earthy, floral, a little wild. For Malaysians, that coffee has a name: Liberica.

This week, when Jason Loo stood on the World Barista Championship stage in Milan, he showcased MY LIBERICA beans from Johor - a gesture both daring and deeply personal.

In that moment, Malaysia's own coffee species reached the world's highest stage, and perhaps for the first time, the world tasted something unmistakably ours.

For most of us, coffee means Arabica or Robusta - the familiar twin pillars of global trade. Arabica is celebrated for its brightness and elegance; Robusta, for its strength and reliability.

But Liberica stand...