Bourbon Coffee Variety Introduction What are the Varieties of Bourbon Coffee Beans

When discussing coffee varieties, two of the earliest varieties are inevitably mentioned: Typica and the Bourbon variety that FrontStreet Coffee is sharing today. While other varieties are known for their flavor, yield, and price, Bourbon is often remembered for its different color characteristics, such as Yellow Bourbon, Pink Bourbon, Orange Bourbon, and others. So what exactly allows them to have different appearances, and what flavor characteristics do different colors have? Let FrontStreet Coffee explain in detail.

The Origin of Bourbon Variety

In the 18th century, the French introduced round coffee beans from Yemen to Réunion Island. At that time, Réunion Island was still known as Bourbon Island, which is how the variety got its name. Subsequently, the Bourbon variety took root in Réunion Island and gradually adapted to the local growing environment. Although it was introduced very early, the Bourbon variety did not spread beyond the island until the mid-19th century. In 1860, the Bourbon variety was introduced to Brazil and from there rapidly spread to various countries in Central and South America. These countries still cultivate and produce Bourbon variety coffee beans to this day.

The Color Variations of Bourbon

When it comes to Bourbon varieties, many people have heard about the color distinctions, such as Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, and Pink Bourbon. Red Bourbon is perhaps the most common type because, under normal circumstances, coffee cherries gradually mature from unripe green to light yellow, then to orange, with the optimal harvesting time when the cherries呈现红色, and finally to overripe dark purple.

Trained harvesters know when to pick coffee cherries—by observing the color of the cherries to select the highest quality coffee of the day. Unripe coffee cherries means the coffee beans haven't accumulated enough nutrients, naturally unable to develop refined flavors, while overripe coffee cherries are also prone to produce over-fermented flavors. FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe comes from the Red Cherry Project, which involves purchasing fully red-ripe coffee cherries at higher prices to increase farmers' income and coffee bean quality, achieving a win-win situation.

Getting back to the main topic, Red Bourbon is so named because its cherries呈现红色. The same principle applies to Yellow Bourbon and Pink Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon is generally considered to be a hybrid of Red Bourbon and other varieties. Yellow Bourbon cherries呈现黄色 when ripe, initially discovered in Brazil, which remains the main country cultivating Yellow Bourbon. Besides having yellow cherries, Yellow Bourbon also has relatively low yield and is not resistant to wind and rain, so it hasn't been widely cultivated.

Pink Bourbon is even rarer. Pink Bourbon is a hybrid of Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon, and the reason for its rarity is that the pink color of the cherries is determined by recessive genes, which are easily disrupted, making it difficult to maintain the pink cherry appearance.

How Does Bourbon Coffee Taste?

To find the taste of Bourbon coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes one should start with Brazil. Although Bourbon spread to many coffee-producing countries in Central and South America, the disadvantages of Bourbon注定其被取代的命运. Both Bourbon and Typica, the two oldest Arabica varieties, have very low resistance to diseases and pests, and their yields are not high. The only redeeming quality might be their excellent cup quality. Therefore, many Central and South American countries prefer to cultivate natural mutations of Bourbon—Caturra—as well as other more disease-resistant and higher-yielding varieties.

Brazil Yellow Bourbon coffee comes from Queen Estate in the Mogiana region, processed using the natural method. We can taste distinct nutty notes, cream, and more. Besides the Yellow Bourbon from Queen Estate, FrontStreet Coffee also has a Red Bourbon coffee bean from the South Minas region, processed using the pulped natural method. This coffee has nutty and chocolate notes with a caramel aftertaste. Comparing these two Brazilian Bourbon coffees, it's not difficult to find that the base notes of Bourbon variety are mainly nutty, with obvious sweetness that is very pleasant.

FrontStreet Coffee's Queen Estate Hand Brew Reference

FrontStreet Coffee hopes to highlight the classic regional flavor of Queen Estate, which is the rich chocolate aroma. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roast. Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee tasted that this Queen Estate has very obvious sweetness, so in brewing, a three-stage pouring method is used to present more layers of the coffee.

Dripper: Medium-dark roasted coffee beans mainly present a rich and smooth taste. Targeting this characteristic, FrontStreet Coffee will choose the slower-flowing KONO dripper for extraction. The upper part of KONO is a smooth curved surface, while the lower part has diversion ribs that are one-third of the length. This allows the filter paper to fit more closely with the dripper, restricting upward airflow. Hot water can only flow downward, forming a siphon-like extraction effect, allowing the aromatic substances in the coffee grounds to be released more fully.

Grind Size: Considering the increased roast level, the texture of coffee beans becomes more porous. After grinding into powder, they easily absorb more water and release more soluble substances, which can bring out unpleasant woody bitter tastes. FrontStreet Coffee's barista will adjust the grind to be coarser, making the coffee particles larger to reduce over-extraction. Here, medium grind (Chinese standard 20 mesh screen pass rate 70-75%) is used.

Water Temperature: When brewing medium-light roasted coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee will use higher water temperature to release the aromatic substances from high-density coffee beans. However, medium-dark roasted Brazilian coffee has undergone longer caramelization reactions. If the same high-temperature hot water is used, the coffee easily presents strong, burnt bitterness. Appropriately lowering the water temperature can help reduce certain bitterness. FrontStreet Coffee will use 87-88°C water temperature.

Coffee grounds will absorb about twice their weight in water. FrontStreet Coffee generally uses 15g of coffee grounds, extracted at a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, finally obtaining close to 200ml of coffee liquid, which is 1-2 servings.

• Dripper: KONO dripper
• Water Temperature: 87-88°C
• Coffee Amount: 15g
• Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
• Grind Size: Medium grind (Chinese standard 20 mesh screen pass rate 70%)

Use twice the weight of coffee grounds in water to wet the coffee bed, forming a dome and bloom for 30s. Then use a small water stream to pour from inside to outside in circles until reaching 125g, then segment. Wait until the coffee bed drops to half the height of the dripper, then continue with the same fine stream to pour the third stage to 225g. Until all the coffee liquid has filtered through, remove the dripper. The time is about 2 minutes.

Hand-poured Brazil Queen Estate coffee smells of lemon, nuts, and peanuts. On entry, it's very aromatic with nutty, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors, with obvious sweetness. The mouthfeel is as smooth as cream, overall very rounded.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473