What is Bourbon Coffee? An Introduction to the Flavor and Profile of Bourbon Coffee Beans

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FrontStreet Coffee Introduces: Bourbon Coffee

Bourbon is a variety of coffee tree, belonging to a branch of the Arabica species. It is named according to the color of the coffee fruit when ripe, such as red, yellow, orange, and pink bourbon. Among these, orange bourbon has relatively low production, while pink bourbon production is extremely rare.

The name "Bourbon" originates from "Réunion Island." The French made three attempts in 1708, 1715, and 1718 to introduce coffee from Yemen to Bourbon Island (now Réunion Island). However, it was the coffee from the second and third transplantations that survived and proliferated.

In 1841, a French missionary established a church in the French territory of Réunion Island. Later, after leaving Réunion Island, he established new churches in several African countries including Zanzibar, Bagamoyo, St. Augustine, and Bula. In each church, he planted coffee from Réunion Island, and从此 the African continent also had "Bourbon coffee."

Red Bourbon

After the Red Bourbon coffee tree flowers and fruits, the color changes of the coffee cherries follow this pattern: green > light yellow > light orange > mature red > darker red when fully ripe. This is what we generally refer to as the Bourbon variety. Bourbon grown at high altitudes typically has superior aroma and bright acidity, with flavors that can even resemble red wine.

Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon is a unique bourbon variety found exclusively in São Paulo state, Brazil. The coffee cherries do not turn red when ripe but instead display an orange-yellow color, hence the name "Yellow Bourbon." Yellow Bourbon grown in high-altitude regions shows excellent flavor characteristics and once swept Brazil's "Cup of Excellence" competition for two consecutive years, almost taking all top three prizes and causing a sensation in the specialty coffee industry!

Pink Bourbon

Pink Bourbon is a hybrid of Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. As its name suggests, its coffee cherries ripen to a romantic pink color, making it an extremely rare variety. Since the color of coffee cherries is determined by recessive genes in pollen grains, the fruit color of coffee trees is unstable. The yellow genes leaning toward Yellow Bourbon and the red genes leaning toward Red Bourbon interfere with each other, making it difficult to maintain this beautiful pink color, sometimes resulting in harvested orange bourbon. However, it must be mentioned that Pink Bourbon has excellent disease resistance and unique flavor characteristics.

In fact, Red Bourbon is what we generally refer to as the Bourbon variety. Bourbon grown at high altitudes typically has superior aroma, bright acidity, and can even display flavors reminiscent of red wine when tasted.

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