Bourbon variety

Let’s briefly discuss what Bourbon coffee is. The Bourbon variety was first planted on Réunion Island, which was also called Île Bourbon (le Bourbon) before 1789. The Bourbon variety is a mutation of Typica and, along with Typica, belongs to the oldest existing coffee varieties. Its green cherries turn bright red when ripe.

      Red Bourbon generally flowers and fruits, and the color of the coffee cherries changes from: green > to light yellow > to light orange > to mature red > and then to darker red. Hence, it is also called [Red Bourbon]. In fact, Red Bourbon is what we commonly refer to as the Bourbon variety. Bourbon grown at high altitudes usually has better aroma, brighter acidity, and can even have wine-like flavors.

        To put it simply The Bourbon variety is a branch of the Arabica coffee species. It typically produces red cherries and is called Red Bourbon. In addition, there are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon has relatively lower yields but better quality.

The spread of the Bourbon variety

Because the Typica variety introduced to Brazil in 1727 had low yields and was susceptible to diseases, the Bourbon variety was introduced to Brazil around 1860 via Campinas in the south and quickly spread north to other parts of South and Central America. Today, in Latin America, the Bourbon variety has largely been replaced by its variants (especially Caturra, Catuai, and Mundo Novo), but it is still grown in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Peru.

In Africa, French missionaries known as Spiritans (from the Holy Ghost congregation) played a significant role in spreading the Bourbon variety. In 1841, the first mission was established on Réunion, followed by a branch in Zanzibar in 1859. From Zanzibar, branches were established in Bagamoyo (Tanganyika, Tanzania coast) in 1862 and in Saint Augustine (Kikuyu, Kenya) in 1893, with another branch founded in Bura (Taita Hills, Kenya) in 1893. Each mission was accompanied by the planting of coffee seeds brought from Réunion.

In 1899, seedlings from Bura were taken to another French mission in Santa Cruz (near Nairobi), and in 1900 they were introduced to the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. The seeds were distributed to local residents willing to grow coffee, marking the origin of what is called “Mission Bourbon.” This was followed by the introduction of the Kent variety in 1920. Therefore, to this day, coffee in Tanzania is primarily Bourbon and Kent.

 —— French colony Bourbon Island

—— 1860, Lavado Bourbon to New Caledonia and Yemen

—— 1732, Round Bourbon to British colony Saint Helena Island.

—— 1860, Round Bourbon to Brazil.

      —— 1900, Round Bourbon to Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania

—— After 2000, Lavado Bourbon to Colombia.

Bourbon varieties

During propagation, due to various factors such as natural mutations, intra-species crosses, and artificial breeding, many new varieties have emerged, such as Caturra, Catuai, Pacas, Yellow Bourbon, Lavado Bourbon, SL28, SL34, and many others.

[Genetic mutation variety —— Bourbon varieties]

Bourbon coffee    Yellow Bourbon

      Yellow Bourbon is a hybrid of the Bourbon variety with other cultivars. Due to its lower yields and lower tolerance to wind and rain, it is not widely planted. However, when grown at high altitudes, it can exhibit excellent flavor profiles and has become more common in recent years. Yellow Bourbon, as the name suggests, has yellow cherries when ripe. It was first discovered in Brazil and is currently mainly grown there.   It is generally believed to be a mutation resulting from a cross between a red-fruited Bourbon variety and a yellow-fruited Typica variant called “Amerelo de Botocatu.”

      I once tried Yellow Bourbon from Queen Estate. With a medium-dark roast, it delivered a clean and balanced walnut flavor, creamy and smooth texture, paired with a sweet orange note, and a rich mocha chocolate aftertaste lingering in the mouth.

       Flavor profile: sweet and smooth fruitiness , distinct nutty notes, balanced and gentle acidity, very mild and clean bitterness, with intense chocolate and nut aromas, bright and refreshing mouthfeel.

Bourbon coffee    Pink Bourbon

      Pink Bourbon, as the name implies, produces romantic pink coffee cherries when ripe. It is an extremely rare new variety, bred from a cross between Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. The reason Pink Bourbon is considered rare is that maintaining this beautiful pink color is very, very difficult. Sometimes orange-hued Bourbons are harvested instead, because the final color of the coffee cherries is determined by recessive genes in the pollen. Among the selected pollen grains used for crossing, there are both yellow genes (inclined toward Yellow Bourbon) and red genes (inclined toward Red Bourbon), and these are recessive genes that easily interfere with each other.