According to historical records, in 1727, coffee of the Typica variety was introduced to northern Brazil. Although Typica is one of the most important Arabica coffee varieties in coffee culture and genetics, its yield and disease resistance are relatively low, and the economic benefits of cultivating it are not high, so it did not win the favor of many farmers.

So in the 1860s, Brazil introduced the Bourbon variety. Although Bourbon is likewise susceptible to disease and pest infestation, its yield is about 30% higher than that of Typica. From then on, Bourbon gradually began to replace Typica coffee trees in cultivation. The first place to grow Bourbon was Campinas in southern Brazil. Bourbon quickly adapted to Brazil's soil and climate, so it soon spread to other regions of Brazil and gradually to other coffee-producing countries in South America and Central America.

Later, Brazil also established the Campinas Agronomic Institute (IAC), aimed at supporting research on the coffee crop and seeking coffee varieties suitable for cultivation under Brazil's environmental and climatic conditions. During this period, IAC developed quite a few coffee varieties, such as Caturra, Catuai, Mondo Novo and Maragogipe, among others. However, not all varieties are suitable for cultivation in Brazil, so red Bourbon, yellow Bourbon, Catuai and Mondo Novo remain Brazil's main varieties.

Currently, the Brazil coffee beans in the Front Street Entry Selection series are made from Red Bourbon coffee beans, the country's main planted variety, using the semi-washed (pulped natural) processing method. Because Brazilian coffee has the characteristics of low acidity with nutty and chocolate flavors, it is roasted to a medium-dark level; after brewing it has nutty, peanut and cocoa chocolate flavors, with low acidity and medium body.

After flowering, an ordinary Bourbon coffee tree produces green cherries, which gradually turn yellow and orange as they slowly ripen, and finally turn red when fully ripe. Therefore, to distinguish it from Yellow Bourbon, it is specifically called Red Bourbon. However, in Brazil there is a special Bourbon variety, namely Yellow Bourbon.

According to records, Yellow Bourbon was first discovered in 1930 in Pederneiras, in the northeast of Sao Paulo State, Brazil, because its final fruit does not turn red but keeps a yellow appearance. At the time, some people believed it was a natural mutation of Red Bourbon, while others said it was a natural reproduction of Red Bourbon and "Amerelo de Botocatu (a yellow-fruited Typica mutant discovered in Sao Paulo State in 1871)".

Why does it turn yellow? In 1942, a professor named Krug discovered the genetic origin of this color and named it "Xanthocarpa"; in Greek, "Xanthus" means yellow, and "carpus" means fruit.

The coffee fruit is a plant that contains "luteolin," a flavonoid with a yellow crystalline appearance. What determines the color of the coffee fruit is "anthocyanin," which is widely found in grapes, cherries and other berries, but "anthocyanin" is divided into dominant and recessive genes.Coffee plants with the dominant XcXc gene produce red berries, but some fruits carry the recessive XCXC gene; in that case, the original color of luteolin shows through, and the fruit appears yellow.

At first, Yellow Bourbon was found to have the characteristics of high yield and excellent quality, so it quickly became popular and widely planted in Brazil, but in the following years the yield declined and its disease resistance also worsened, requiring special care. It is now better suited to being grown at 1000 m or higher altitudes, and is currently planted only in some sub-regions of Sao Paulo State, Brazil, such as Mogiana. Because of the higher altitude and the large temperature difference between day and night, the fruit has more time to develop richer flavors.

Cupping revealed that compared with Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon has a softer acidity, a crisp sweetness and a creamy texture, making it easier to drink. Best Coffee also picked up a Yellow Bourbon coffee bean from the Mogiana region, produced by Fazenda Rainha, processed using the natural method, and likewise roasted at a medium-dark level; when brewed by pour-over it delivers fruity sweetness, with sugarcane, chocolate and peanut notes, a faint clean bitterness, and a smooth, delicate mouthfeel.

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