Oil and caffeine contents were determined for seed samples obtained from cherries of sixteen varieties of Coffea arabica which were submitted to three types of treatments pulped, non pulped and left to dry with pericarp in the sun, or naturally dried on the tree. Cherry processing seems not to have influence on the oil content in the seeds (table I), but significant differences were noted among the varieties with respect to this characteristic. Mucronata revealed to have high oil content while the laurina is a low oil producing variety. Coffee cherries left to dry on the trees gave lower caffeine content. Seven of the sixteen varieties presented a lower caffeine content than the standard 'Sumatra'. The laurinis variety had an exceptional lower caffeine content of about half the amount found in the control. Laurina characteristics are controlled by a recessive allele lr with strong pleiotropic effects. It is not yet known how the laurina allele affects the chemical reactions which lead to a so low caffeine content in the coffee bean. The value of the lr allele was stressed in reducing the caffeine content in the coffee selected cultivars.