Benchmark arabica coffee futures finished a choppy session about 3 percent weaker on Thursday, with producer selling and arbitrage activity checking a two-week bull run, traders said.
"It's very difficult to read the market. Everybody is a bit scared of the volatility we've been facing," one trader said.
On the New York Board of Trade, the most-active December coffee contract settled at 81.05 cents a lb, down 2.50 cents, after trading in a wide range from 80.50 cents to 84.80 cents.
March 2005 tumbled 2.45 cents to 83.95 cents, while longer-dated contracts slid 1.60 cents to 2.35 cents.
Brazil and Colombia, the world's top two coffee growers were seen selling in the market today, said one trader.
"We finally found out the Brazil was willing to sell and they did that today. Colombia was a little seller," he said.
"The heavy pressure from short covering is over so Brazil is willing to sell. At the end of the day people were bailing out and taking profits not knowing if this is the end of the rally or not," he said.
The December delivery soared 19 percent from the lowest trade on September 8 to the highest trade on Wednesday.