What Are the Flavor Characteristics of Bourbon Coffee from Different Growing Regions_How Much Does a Bag of Bourbon Coffee Beans Cost

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Bourbon Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations: Which Region's Bourbon Coffee Tastes Best? How Much Do Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon Coffee Beans Cost?

In early times (pre-coffee history), after Typica was transplanted to Yemen, it mutated from slender-pointed beans to round beans. In 1715, France transplanted Yemen Mocha's round beans to Bourbon Island on the east coast of Africa (renamed Réunion Island after the French Revolution), which is how it got its name. The round Bourbon beans spread to Brazil and Central and South America in 1727, and in 1732, Britain transplanted Yemen Mocha to St. Helena Island (where Napoleon was later imprisoned), which was also round Bourbon beans. Bourbon is the perennial champion in American specialty coffee cupping competitions.

Bourbon is a sub-species resulting from Typica mutation, belonging to the oldest existing coffee varieties alongside Typica. When green cherries mature, they display bright red color. Compared to Typica, Bourbon plants have broader leaves and grow more densely. Although the yield is higher than Typica, the harvest period is still 2 years, making it a low-yield variety. However, it offers excellent flavor with wine-like acidity and sweet aftertaste. The coffee beans are relatively large, uniform in size, and have consistent, glossy color. For harvesting convenience, farmers prune coffee trees to not exceed 150 centimeters in height.

Red Bourbon

After general Bourbon coffee trees flower and fruit, the color change of coffee cherries follows: green → light yellow → light orange → mature red → darker red when fully ripe. Therefore, some people call it "Red Bourbon variety." In fact, Red Bourbon is just what we generally call Bourbon variety. Bourbon grown at high altitudes typically has better aroma, brighter acidity, and even wine-like flavors when tasted.

Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon variety is a hybrid of Bourbon with other varieties. Due to its lower yield and less resistance to wind and rain, it hasn't been widely cultivated. However, when grown at high altitudes, it exhibits excellent flavor performance and has become more common in recent years. Yellow Bourbon, with yellow mature cherries, was first discovered in Brazil and currently grows mainly in Brazil. It's generally believed to have mutated from a cross between red-fruited Bourbon and a yellow-fruited Typica variety called "Amerelo de Botocatu."

French Mission Bourbon

In Africa, French missionaries known as Spiritan (from the Holy Spirit congregation) played an important role in spreading Bourbon variety. In 1841, the first mission was established in Réunion, and a branch was established in Zanzibar in 1859. From Zanzibar, branches were established in 1862 in Bagamoyo (Tanzania coast, then called Tanganyika) and St. Augustine (Kikuyu, Kenya), and another branch was established in 1893 in Bura (Taita Hills, Kenya). The establishment of each branch was accompanied by the planting of coffee seeds brought from Réunion.

In 1899, seedlings cultivated in Bura were taken to another French mission in Santa Cruz (near Nairobi), and in 1900 introduced to the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, distributing seeds to local residents willing to grow coffee. This is the origin of what's called "Missionary Bourbon." Later, Kent variety was also introduced in 1920. Therefore, to this day, coffee in Tanzania is still mainly Bourbon and Kent.

The Following All Belong to Bourbon Variety:

Brazil Red Fruit

Ancient Bourbon coffee is cultivated in some estates in the Cerrado region of Minas Gerais state in southeastern Brazil. The Cerrado plateau in western Minas and southern Minas mostly have altitudes above 1,100 meters, rich topography, distinct wet and dry seasons, large day-night temperature differences, and abundant microclimates, making it suitable for cultivating elegant-flavored Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. It naturally became the main production area for Brazilian specialty coffee.

Roast Level: Medium roast

Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-over

Grind Size: 4 (Fuji R440)

Water Temperature: 88°C

Dripper: V60/KONO

Dry Aroma: Nuts, cocoa

Flavor Profile: Low acidity, strong nutty flavor, excellent chocolate sweetness and body

Brazil Queen

From Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate), which covers 280 acres and is located in an ancient volcanic valley in Brazil called Vale da Grama. Fazenda Rainha belongs to the renowned and respected coffee family Carvalho Dias family. The four major estates under Carvalho Dias have won awards every year since the first Brazil COE competition in 1999, winning more than 12 awards in 7 years. In 2004, they even swept champion, 9th place, 11th place, etc., among many large and small estates in Brazil.

Roast Level: Medium roast

Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-over

Grind Size: 4 (Fuji R440)

Water Temperature: 88°C

Dripper: V60/KONO

Dry Aroma: Roasted hazelnut, spices

Flavor Profile: Slight fruit acidity, nuts, creamy peanut, chocolate sweetness, high body

Kenya Chania

In Kenya, what's commonly heard are the K72 processing method and the SL28, SL34 varieties. Therefore, natural-processed French Mission Bourbon is quite rare. The unique red volcanic soil of Chania Estate, combined with suitable coffee growing temperatures and rainfall, plus an excellent natural environment, creates the unique flavor of French Mission Bourbon from Chania Estate.

Roast Level: Medium roast

Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-over

Grind Size: 3.5 (Fuji R440)

Water Temperature: 90°C

Dripper: V60

Dry Aroma: Fermentation, dried fruit, vanilla

Flavor Profile: Slurping reveals caramel, vanilla, mixed fruits, solid juice sensation, aftertaste has berries, thick jackfruit, coffee floral notes, overall performance shows wild African regional characteristics.

Overall, Bourbon variety beans [Red Bourbon] [Yellow Bourbon] [French Mission] have similar flavors, all with distinct dark chocolate, cocoa, nuts, and caramel flavors, smooth acidity, and lower bitterness.

Bourbon grown in different regions, due to terroir factors such as microclimate, soil quality, and growing environment, will produce slight differences in flavor direction. Kenya's volcanic ash soil contains higher phosphate components, creating [French Mission] with tropical fruit acidity while maintaining Bourbon's flavor characteristics, making this bean even more complex in flavor. Today's sharing ends here, hope this helps everyone~

Bourbon Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Brazilian natural Yellow Bourbon coffee beans have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value-for-money. A half-pound (227g) bag costs only about 85 RMB. Calculated at 15g of coffee powder per cup, one bag can make 15 cups, costing less than 6 RMB per cup. Compared to coffee shops selling cups for dozens of RMB, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

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