Hop comparison
Marco Polo vs Southern Aroma
Marco Polo is a dual-purpose hop from China; Southern Aroma is an aroma hop from South Africa. Alpha acids: 13–14.5% for Marco Polo versus 3.6–7.3% for Southern Aroma, so Marco Polo brings noticeably more bitterness per gram. Total oil: 1.1 versus 0.6–0.8 mL/100 g. Marco Polo has a clearly higher share of myrcene, the oil behind resinous, citrus and fruity notes. Shared aroma notes: gooseberry. Marco Polo adds herbal, fruity notes, lemon; Southern Aroma, floral, fields of flowers, woody. Both stand out for elderflower notes, an uncommon descriptor in the catalogue.
| Marco Polo | Southern Aroma | |
|---|---|---|
| Use | Dual-purpose hop | Aroma hop |
| Origin | China | South Africa |
| Year | – | – |
| Breeder | – | – |
| Alpha acids (% w/w) | 13–14.5 | 3.6–7.3 |
| Beta acids (% w/w) | 4.5–5.5 | 5.4–6 |
| Co-humulone (% of alpha) | 30–35 | 19–25 |
| Total oil (mL/100 g) | 1.1 | 0.6–0.8 |
| Myrcene (% of oil) | 40–50 | 17–28 |
| Humulene (% of oil) | 15–25 | 22–23 |
| Caryophyllene (% of oil) | 8–12 | 13–15 |
| Farnesene (% of oil) | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Aroma families | citrus, other fruit, floral, herbal | citrus, tropical fruit, berries and red fruit, other fruit, floral, herbal, spicy, earthy and woody |
| Descriptors | herbal, fruity notes, lemon, gooseberry, oregano, elder flower (per western sources) | floral, fields of flowers, woody, spicy, fruity, noble hop character, mango and other subtle fruit characters, bold fruity and floral notes |
| Sources | 2 | 3 |
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Marco Polo