Bourbon varietyCoffee Bean Intro:

Bourbon, alongside Typica, is an ancient and premium variety renowned for its cultivation at high altitudes and exceptional quality.

History of dissemination

After reviewing materials, Front Street learned that in the world of coffee, Typica and Bourbon, along with their derived descendants, form the two major varieties of the Arabica system globally. Among them, Bourbon is primarily popular in Central and South American countries and is also one of the main varieties in Brazil, a major coffee-producing nation.

The name Bourbon originates from Bourbon Island, now known as Réunion Island, located off the eastern coast of Africa. In the 17th century, as a French colony, it was named Bourbon Island and was not renamed until the late 18th century. Historical records indicate that the French made three attempts—in 1708, 1715, and 1718—to successfully introduce round-seeded coffee beans from Yemen to Bourbon Island, where they began to take root and grow. By 1860, Brazil brought round Bourbon back to the country for cultivation, subsequently spreading it to various nations in Africa and Central and South America, making it the oldest Latin American coffee parent variety.

Around 1860, Bourbon was introduced near Campinas in southern Brazil and quickly spread northward to countries in South and Central America. By the 19th century, French missionaries brought Bourbon seeds from Bourbon Island to missionary districts established in East Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and others. Although Bourbon is susceptible to coffee diseases and has been replaced by some derivative varieties (such as Caturra, Catuai, and Mundo Novo) or disease-resistant varieties, its exceptional quality has led to its continued widespread cultivation in countries like Brazil, Guatemala, and Colombia.

Characteristics of the Bourbon variety

Bourbon has distinct characteristics on the coffee tree: its leaves have nodes that are relatively close together, and its coffee cherries are rounder and shorter compared to Typica. The color of ripe cherries varies by variety, appearing yellow or orange (pink).

Compared to other varieties, Bourbon is almost entirely composed of round beans. Compared to Typica, Bourbon beans are slightly smaller, ripen later, but have higher yields. Bourbon grown at high altitudes has higher density, better sweetness, and brighter acidity. Although it is an ancient and premium variety like Typica, Bourbon has better resistance to leaf rust than Typica.

Common Bourbon varieties gradually change color from green to light yellow, red, and finally deep red when fully ripe. These changing coffee fruits are what we commonly refer to as Red Bourbon. Most Brazilian coffee has low acidity, paired with a rich aroma, and is extremely smooth on the palate, leaving a refreshing aftertaste. Front Street Coffee selected a semi-washed Red Bourbon coffee as a representative of Brazil. Its flavor features prominent nuts and chocolate, medium caramel sweetness, a smooth texture, and overall balance. Front Street has included it in its staple bean series, which represents the flagship offerings of each major producing region, showcasing the foundational flavors of the region. Beginner coffee enthusiasts can familiarize themselves with the basic flavors of the region and then explore different regional types based on their preferences.

Yellow Bourbon is a unique Bourbon variety exclusive to São Paulo State in Brazil. It is primarily characterized by its orange-yellow fruit color upon ripening, rather than red, hence the name "Yellow Bourbon." However, it has extremely low yields and is not resistant to wind and rain, so it has not been widely cultivated.

Front Street learned that Yellow Bourbon was discovered in 1930. Later research by the Campinas Agronomic Institute (IAC) revealed that plants with the dominant XcXc gene pair produce red berries, while those with the recessive xcxc gene pair produce yellow berries. In rare cases, plants with one dominant gene and another recessive Xcxc gene produce orange berries. Therefore, the "yellow" of Yellow Bourbon is primarily due to genetic selective coloration. Yellow Bourbon grown at high altitudes contains a large amount of fructose, resulting in a sweet and juicy coffee flavor. This variety once swept the Brazilian Cup of Excellence competition for two consecutive years, winning nearly all top three prizes, and became a sensation in the specialty coffee world.

Currently, Front Street Coffee also offers Bourbon variety coffee beans, among which the most representative is the Yellow Bourbon coffee beans from Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate) in Brazil. Front Street’s Yellow Bourbon coffee beans from Fazenda Rainha come from the Mogiana region and are processed using the semi-washed method. In terms of flavor, this Brazilian Queen Estate coffee offers sugarcane juice, black tea, and fruity sweetness, with prominent nut and chocolate notes, balanced acidity, a bright and smooth texture.

Front Street Coffee: Brazil · Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon Coffee Beans

Region: Mogiana region

Estate: Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate)

Elevation: 1400~1950m

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Processing method: Sun-dried process

Flavor: Nuts, chocolate, cream, peanuts, sugarcane

There is also a very rare new variety—Pink Bourbon. Pink Bourbon is a hybrid of Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. The pink color of the ripe fruit is due to recessive genes in the pollen grains after hybridization. This is extremely rare because the recessive genes in the pollen during hybridization may tend toward yellow or red, easily interfering with each other, making Pink Bourbon difficult to produce.

There is also a special Bourbon variety—Laurina. Its beans are mutated into pointed beans, hence called "Pointed Bourbon." This variety was first discovered on Réunion Island (Bourbon Island) in the Indian Ocean. Due to its ideal flavor profile and, notably, its very low caffeine content, it is quite popular in the coffee industry. Unfortunately, caffeine is a natural insect repellent, and this variety has very low caffeine content and grows much slower than other Arabica varieties. Cultivation requires a significant amount of time and effort, making large-scale cultivation of this variety very difficult.