Coffee Tasting | Bourbon Varieties with Different Flavors

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In the early days (pre-coffee history), Typica was transplanted to Yemen and its beans changed from slender and pointed to round. In 1715, France transplanted the round beans from Yemen's Mocha to Bourbon Island (renamed Reunion Island after the French Revolution) on the east coast of Africa, which was then named Bourbon. The round Bourbon beans were passed to Brazil and Central and South America in 1727. In 1732, Britain transplanted Yemen's Mocha to St. Helena Island (where Napoleon was later imprisoned), which also produced round Bourbon beans.

To put it simply, Bourbon is a coffee variety belonging to a branch of the Arabica species. It generally produces red fruits, known as Red Bourbon. In addition, there are Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon has relatively lower yields but better quality.

Bourbon is a sub-species that mutated from Typica. Together with Typica, it belongs to the oldest existing coffee varieties. When the green fruits mature, they turn bright red.

Compared to Typica, Bourbon has broader leaves and grows more densely. Although its yield is higher than Typica, the harvest period is also 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 evenly colored with luster. For convenient harvesting, farmers prune coffee trees to not exceed 150 centimeters.

The Spread of Bourbon Varieties

Due to the low yield and susceptibility to diseases of Typica introduced to Brazil in 1727, Bourbon was introduced to Brazil around 1860 through Campinas in the south and quickly spread northward to other regions in South and Central America. Today in Latin America, although most Bourbon has been replaced by its variants (especially Caturra, Catuai, and Mundo Novo), it is still cultivated in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Peru.

Red Bourbon

After Red Bourbon coffee trees flower and bear fruit, the color of the coffee cherries changes from: green > light yellow > light orange > mature red > darker red when fully ripe. Therefore, it is also called "Red Bourbon variety." In fact, Red Bourbon is just the Bourbon variety we generally refer to. Bourbon grown at high altitudes typically has better aroma, brighter acidity, and may even exhibit wine-like flavors when tasted.

Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon is a hybrid of Bourbon with other varieties. Due to its lower yield and less resistance to wind and rain, it has not been widely cultivated. However, when grown at high altitudes, it exhibits excellent flavor characteristics and has become more common in recent years.

Yellow Bourbon, with yellow fruits when ripe, was first discovered in Brazil and currently grows mainly in Brazil. It is generally believed to be a mutation resulting from crossbreeding between red-fruited Bourbon and a yellow-fruited Typica variant called "Amerelo de Botocatu."

French Mission Bourbon

In Africa, French missionaries known as Spiritans (from the Holy Ghost congregation) played an important role in spreading Bourbon varieties. In 1841, the first mission was established in Réunion, and a branch was founded in Zanzibar in 1859. From Zanzibar, branches were established in 1862 in Bagamoyo (Tanzania coast, then called Tanganyika) and St. Augustine (Kikuyu, Kenya), with another branch established in 1893 in Bura (Taita Hills, Kenya). Each mission establishment 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). In 1900, they were introduced to the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, and seeds were distributed to local residents willing to grow coffee. This marks the origin of what is called "Missionary Bourbon." Later, the Kent variety was also introduced in 1920. Therefore, coffee in Tanzania is still primarily composed of Bourbon and Kent varieties to this day.

The following all belong to Bourbon varieties:

FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Washed Red Bourbon

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, with rich topography, distinct wet and dry seasons, large day-night temperature differences, and abundant microclimates, making them suitable for cultivating elegant Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. These areas have naturally become the main production regions 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: Low acidity, heavy nutty notes, excellent chocolate sweetness and body

FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Fazenda Rainha Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon

From Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate), which covers 280 acres and is located in the ancient volcanic valley of Vale da Grama in Brazil. Fazenda Rainha is owned by 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 Cup of Excellence competition in 1999, with more than 12 awards in 7 years. In 2004, they even swept the championship, 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: Slight fruit acidity, nuts, creamy peanuts, chocolate sweetness, high body

FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Chania Natural French Mission Bourbon

In Kenya, what's commonly heard are the K72 processing method and the SL28 and 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 Chania Estate's French Mission Bourbon.

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: Caramel, vanilla, mixed fruits can be tasted when sipping, solid juice feeling, aftertaste with berries, thick jackfruit, coffee flower fragrance, overall performance has the wild regional characteristics of Africa.

Conclusion

Overall, Bourbon variety beans like [FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Washed Red Bourbon], [FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Fazenda Rainha Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon], and [FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Chania Natural French Mission Bourbon] have similar flavor profiles, all featuring distinct dark chocolate, cocoa, nuts, and caramel flavors, with smooth acidity and lower bitterness.

Coffee bean origins are mainly divided into: Africa, Central and South America, Asia

Coffee trees are only suitable for growing in tropical or subtropical regions, so the zone between 25 degrees north and south latitude is most suitable for coffee cultivation. This coffee production zone is generally called the "coffee belt" or "coffee zone." The ideal growing conditions for coffee trees are: a warm climate with temperatures between 15°C-25°C, and annual rainfall must reach 1500mm-2000mm. Additionally, the timing of rainfall must coordinate with the flowering cycle of coffee trees.

Of course, in addition to the coordination of seasons and rainfall, fertile soil is also necessary. The most suitable soil for coffee cultivation should be well-drained and contain fertile volcanic ash soil.

As for the ideal altitude, it is 1000m-2000m. From this, we can see that the conditions for cultivating high-quality coffee are quite strict: sunlight, rainfall, soil, temperature, as well as the harvesting methods and processing procedures of coffee beans, all affect the quality of coffee itself.

Bourbon planted in different regions, due to factors such as microclimate, soil quality, and growing environment (terroir), will produce slight differences in flavor direction. Kenya's volcanic ash soil contains higher phosphate components, giving [FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Chania French Mission] tropical fruit acidity while continuing the Bourbon flavor characteristics, making this FrontStreet Coffee Kenya bean more complex in flavor. That's all for sharing today, hope this helps everyone~

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