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What is Yellow Bourbon in Coffee? Yellow Bourbon Coffee Flavor Profile Introduction

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange For more coffee bean information Please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style ) FrontStreet Coffee introduces - Brazilian Yellow Bourbon Yellow Bourbon (Bourbon Amarello/Yellow Bourbon): amarello (Latin for yellow) Yellow Bourbon is a yellow-skinned Bourbon variety native to São Paulo state, Brazil, where coffee cherries typically turn red when mature

For more professional coffee knowledge exchange and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

FrontStreet Coffee Introduction: Brazil Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon (Bourbon Amarello): "Amarello" is Latin for yellow. Yellow Bourbon is a yellow-skinned Bourbon variety unique to São Paulo state, Brazil. Generally, coffee cherries turn red when mature, but Yellow Bourbon remains orange-yellow when ripe, hence its name.

Among the many coffee varieties in Brazil, Yellow Bourbon is one of the most outstanding. Regular Bourbon cherries turn from green to yellow to red, but Yellow Bourbon maintains its yellow appearance. Yellow Bourbon grown at high altitudes and processed with natural drying methods yields exceptional flavor.

Bourbon originates from Bourbon Island in the Indian Ocean (now called Réunion Island). It is a sub-species resulting from a mutation of Typica. Together with Typica, it ranks among the oldest existing coffee varieties. Green fruits turn bright red when mature, while Yellow Bourbon resulted from hybridization between Bourbon and other varieties. Due to its relatively low yield and poor 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 mature fruits, was first discovered in Brazil and currently grows mainly there. It is generally believed to have resulted from a mutation following hybridization between red-fruited Bourbon and a yellow-fruited Typica variety called "Amerelo de Botocatu."

In the eyes of many coffee enthusiasts, although Brazil produces a massive quantity of coffee beans, the quality is generally considered average. However, in recent years, Brazil, as the world's largest coffee producer, has increasingly focused on cultivating specialty beans. Consequently, high-quality specialty Yellow Bourbon has emerged!