Natural Low-Caffeine Coffee Varieties - Is Laurina Bourbon Delicious with Mellow Aroma and Gentle Sweetness

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FrontStreet Coffee - Laurina Coffee Introduction

The Laurina variety was first discovered on the island of Réunion. Due to the plant's inherent fragility, it nearly became extinct over the years. Laurina is a naturally low-caffeine variety. In botany, caffeine enhances plants' resistance to pests and diseases. Natural low caffeine content means plants are more susceptible to illness, increasing cultivation difficulty. Laurina plants are small and conical in shape, with small, pointed beans, which is why Laurina is also known as "Bourbon Pointu" (Pointed Bourbon).

This bean originates from Réunion Island, a small island covering only 2,512 square kilometers, located between Madagascar and Mauritius. It was discovered by the Portuguese in 1513, occupied by France in 1643, and named Bourbon Island after the French royal Bourbon family. It became a French colony in 1767 until after the French Revolution of 1848, when the restored Bourbon dynasty fell, and it was renamed Réunion Island.

The first coffee trees on Réunion arrived in 1715 from the port of Mocha in Yemen, totaling only 40 trees. Unfortunately, only 2 survived. From 1719 to 1723, the government implemented strict measures, legislating that island residents must plant 200 Mocha coffee trees annually, and anyone who damaged coffee trees would be executed. At that time, it was still called Bourbon Island, so naturally the coffee produced there took this name.

Laurina is a variant that developed on Réunion Island. Normal Bourbon varieties have short, round beans, but in 1810, a Bourbon Island coffee farmer named Leroy discovered a dwarf coffee plant in his garden with smaller leaves resembling bay leaves and more pointed, slender coffee beans. Its yield was lower than typical Bourbon varieties. Botanists at the time confirmed it was a new variety and named it "Leroy" after its discoverer. Additionally, because both ends of the bean are very pointed, it also acquired the common name "Pointed Bourbon."

It is a naturally semi-decaffeinated coffee with caffeine content only half that of regular Arabica. Common Arabica varieties contain about 1.2% caffeine, while Pointed Bourbon contains only 0.6%, yet its aroma and richness remain uncompromised, featuring abundant fruity notes.

Knowledge point: Another characteristic of Pointed Bourbon is its low yield capacity, far below other coffee varieties. It is extremely susceptible to external environmental disturbances and diseases. For this reason, in 1950, Bourbon Island farmers abandoned coffee cultivation.

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