Is Bourbon an Arabica Coffee Bean? Is Bourbon Coffee Bitter? How to Brew Pour-Over and What Are Its Characteristics

Is Bourbon an Arabica Coffee Bean? Is Bourbon Coffee Bitter? How to Make It Taste Good Through Pour-Over and What Are Its Characteristics?

Overall, at this roast level (judging by the color, appears to be at second crack or密集下豆, medium-dark roast), both FrontStreet Coffee's Yellow Bourbon and Yellow Sweet exhibit quite pronounced sweetness, with low acidity. They possess that moderate flavor characteristic of Brazilian beans, with a deep bass tone that lacks the light and clean quality of African beans, yet offers a more lingering finish. Between the two, Yellow Sweet's flavor is more centered, with higher body and thickness compared to Yellow Bourbon.

Although many say that despite Brazil's massive coffee production, the quality is quite average, suitable only for canned beans and as a base for commercial blends, in recent years Brazilians have increasingly focused on cultivating specialty beans. High-quality Yellow Bourbon has emerged as a result, achieving impressive results in cupping competitions in recent years.

In summary, if you're a coffee enthusiast with a preference for bold-flavored coffee, Yellow Bourbon will be an excellent choice for you.

The joy and curiosity of tasting the Yellow Bourbon and Yellow Sweet from Guangzhou's FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) was irresistible, so despite it being past 8 PM, I conducted what seemed like a rather "serious" cupping session. With water at 80°C, 15 grams of coffee ground to French press fineness, and 150ml of water, the flavor is known for its sweetness, making it very suitable for use in espresso blends to enhance the coffee's sweetness and aftertaste.

Riding this "yellow" trend, I decided to join in and obtained some green beans from Guangzhou's FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) to try something new. On the final evening of the National Day holiday, the long-awaited "yellow" trend finally arrived in Beijing as early autumn began. The morning and evening coolness was already palpable, while simultaneously, a "yellow" wind from Brazil was quietly blowing. Recently, several places have been selling Yellow Bourbon coffee from Brazil.

Understanding Bourbon Coffee

Bourbon is actually a coffee variety, one of the Arabica coffee bean types. The name "Bourbon" comes from a place name—a French overseas department, an island in the Indian Ocean—hence the name Bourbon coffee. Today, this island is no longer called "Bourbon" but has been renamed Réunion Island, yet the coffee name continues to be used.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon coffee, as its name suggests, has golden-yellow coffee cherries that look very appealing, making it an important branch of Brazilian specialty coffee.

Coffee Information

Country: Brazil
Grade: COE
Region: Mogiana (Fazenda Rainha)
Roast Level: Medium roast
Processing Method: Natural
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Estate: Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate)
Flavor: Lemon, sugarcane, black tea, smooth and delicate

The Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon acquired by FrontStreet Coffee features full, mature sweetness, rich fruit notes, and a persistent aftertaste that leaves people full of praise. Whether brewed in an American coffee maker or used as the main sweet component in espresso blends, it satisfies professionals and is considered a must-purchase bean!

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon has a sweet, clean character. Using the pulped natural method (or semi-washed) makes its acidity slightly bright yet complements the sweetness beautifully, with some batches even exhibiting tropical fruit aromas. The overflowing aroma during brewing is particularly delightful.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Bourbon Estate Introduction

Queen Estate (Fazenda Rainha) belongs to the renowned and respected Carvalho Dias family. The family's four major estates have won awards every year since the first Brazil Cup of Excellence competition in 1999, with more than 12 awards over 7 years. In 2004, they even swept the championship, 9th place, 11th place, and more. While many Brazilian estates, large and small, have long hoped to qualify for awards but found it difficult, this family's estates have consistently won multiple awards. Even the Queen Estate purchased by this time has a glorious record: 2nd place in 2000, 3rd place in 2001, 29th place in 2005. To date, Queen Estate has won awards 3 times.

The Carvalho Dias family are also founding members of the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association, and their commitment to coffee quality and environmental protection is evident to all. On their farms, they utilize natural waterfalls to develop pollution-free hydroelectric power, becoming self-sufficient in electricity needs (another of the family's award-winning estates is named after this waterfall - Waterfall Estate). They have built churches, classrooms, nurseries, medical stations, and insist on maintaining original forests with native flora and fauna while continuing reforestation efforts... Taking Queen Estate as an example, environmental protection is quite thorough. Due to its higher altitude and non-plain terrain, machines cannot be used for harvesting—all fruit is picked by hand. They cultivate low-yield, high-quality Bourbon varieties, making it a representative estate of premium Brazilian coffee!

Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate) belongs to the Carvalho Dias family and has been in operation for over 116 years. Located in the mountainous region of São Paulo state near the Minas border, at altitudes ranging from 1200 to 1400 meters, it receives abundant rainfall of over 1800mm annually without suffering from disastrous downpours. The average annual temperature is only 19°C, causing the coffee cherries to grow slightly slower but with sufficient density. Although production is smaller, its aroma and flavor are unmatched by ordinary Brazilian highland beans. This estate primarily grows Bourbon varieties, even with some Bourbon trees over 110 years old... Besides cultivating Bourbon varieties, Queen Estate's meticulous and thoughtful processing methods are another key to its exceptional quality:

Queen Estate's Coffee Processing System

Ripe coffee cherries are hand-picked into cloth bags to avoid contact with the ground. Coffee cherries harvested on any given day are always sent to the estate's processing facility on the same day for pulped natural processing. Using hand-picking with cloth bags during harvesting avoids earthy flavors and any improper fermentation. When these harvested coffee cherries arrive at the processing facility, they immediately undergo "washing": the coffee cherries are cleaned thoroughly, and unqualified or dried fruits (bóia beans) are screened out based on bean size. Qualified beans continue through the depulping process (using a pulper machine).

After depulping, the coffee beans still have some mucilage attached to the parchment. At this stage, these coffee beans with mucilage are placed on patios to dry until the moisture content drops to about 20%. This stage allows the coffee beans to absorb their own starch components without the drawbacks of full natural processing, where the drying process flavor cannot be controlled. These residual starchy components provide a special sweetness without becoming uncontrolled off-fruit flavors or developing moldy tastes.

Afterward, they are sent to drying machines for the final drying stage, where moisture content is reduced to 11%, then transported to storage for resting. Before export, they are hulled and graded. This segmented pulped natural method is one of the main reasons for Queen Estate's consistent flavor quality, and of course, insisting on using Bourbon varieties is another reason for its highly renowned flavor!

FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen Estate Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon

Country: Brazil
Region: Mogiana (Fazenda Rainha)
Estate Name: Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate)
Owner: Regina Helena Mello de Carvalho Dias of the Carvalho Dias family
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing: Hand-picked, then pulped natural processing
Harvest Period: Latest harvest arriving May 2006

Mogiana (Fazenda Rainha) Bourbon Coffee Bean Detailed Analysis

Origin: Brazil Queen Estate (Mogiana) region
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Altitude: 1400 - 1950m
Processing Method: Pulped natural
Flavor: Sweet, clean character. Using pulped natural processing makes its acidity slightly bright yet beautifully balanced with sweetness. Some batches even exhibit tropical fruit aromas. The overflowing aroma during brewing is particularly delightful. Delicate lemon acidity, fresh sweetness of sugarcane juice, black tea notes, smooth and delicate texture

Bourbon Related Knowledge

The Cup of Excellence (COE) program and its trademark are currently owned and managed by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), a non-profit organization based in the United States. Each year, ACE collaborates with COE competition host countries to complete cupping selection and online auctions of specialty coffees, while also recommending and promoting anything related to coffee quality improvement. The aim is to select exemplars of specialty coffee in host countries and exchange experiences for industry learning.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473