How to Distinguish Bourbon Coffee Trees: Brazilian Bourbon Coffee Isn't for Gulping in One Go

FrontStreet Coffee — The Bourbon Variety

Where Arabica Began

Arabica coffee first grew in Ethiopia. Between the 6th and 9th centuries AD the raw material for coffee as a beverage reached Yemen, but only seed was carried at that time. It was not until 1699 that the Dutch East India Company successfully cultivated seeds shipped to the Indonesian island of Java. In 1706 the trees grown from those seeds were moved to the botanical garden in Amsterdam, and in 1713 seedlings raised from them were given to Louis XIV of France. This is the origin of Central and South American coffee.

The Spread of Typica

Around 1720 AD a French officer named Kley transported coffee seedlings from the botanical garden in Paris to his post in Martinique and managed to cultivate the plants that had survived the sea voyage. From then on coffee trees spread widely through the Caribbean and on into Central and South America. The variety that travelled this route is Typica.

The Emergence of Bourbon

Arabica is said to have taken a second route as well. The French brought it from Java to Bourbon Island — now Réunion — in 1717, where it mutated locally. Those mutated seeds were then transplanted to Africa, which was a British colony at the time and is now Kenya and Tanzania, and later to Central and South America. The variety widely spread along that route is the ancient Bourbon bean.

What a Bourbon Tree Looks Like

Bourbon trees match Typica in height and shape but are more lush, with more lateral branches. The trunk and branches are comparatively thicker, making Bourbon sturdier and more flexible than Typica. Shorter distances between branches and nodes and greater density give Bourbon a yield 30% higher than Typica.

Bourbon leaves are wider than Typica leaves, with uneven surfaces and wavy edges. New growth is usually green but sometimes has copper-colored tips. The fruit is round, and when ripe can be red, orange or yellow — but different colors do not appear on the same tree.

Central and South American Flavor

Overall the profile is relatively balanced. Brazilian coffee is rich and full-bodied, while Costa Rican coffee is mild and smooth, with acidity, sweetness and chocolate notes blended in perfect balance. Tasting a coffee means experiencing the dry aroma, the wet aroma, the sensation in the mouth, the persistence of the aftertaste and the sweet finish.

Key Knowledge

Typica and Bourbon are two ancient varieties that have bred for three hundred years in the different soils and water conditions of the New World, producing thousands of variants and hybrids along the way.

About FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research center that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge. The unreserved sharing is aimed at helping more people fall in love with coffee. Every month the shop holds three low-discount coffee events so that more drinkers can enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices — a mission it has kept for six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Brazil is where Bourbon and its mutations found a home, and FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian lots are a good place to taste the family tree.

FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon — a classic Brazilian single origin and an easy introduction to the region. Cerrado is a well-known growing area prized for high-quality beans, and this lot is the red Bourbon variety so common in South America. Roasted medium, it shows rich cream, peanut, toasted bread, caramel and hazelnut aromas with a rounded mouthfeel, low acidity and a light bitterness. It works as pour-over but is equally at home in a moka pot, as an espresso SOE, in a siphon or in a French press.

FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate Yellow Bourbon — from Mogiana, close to South Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil lets the fruit absorb ample nutrients and develop full aroma. Part of the area keeps to traditional farm management while another part has adopted modern, standardized operations, and quality has improved substantially as a result. Queen's Estate grows the rare yellow Bourbon, a mutation of red Bourbon with a cleaner fruit character. Brewed as pour-over, in a moka pot or on a home espresso machine, it delivers the sugarcane sweetness found in no other region, alongside fruit and chocolate notes.

FrontStreet Espresso Blend Range — Brazil's low acidity, balance and accessible price make it the base of many espresso recipes. The crema-rich Classic Blend, the nutty Signature Blend, the well-rounded Black Cocoa Blend and FrontStreet Coffee's Commercial Blend built for cafés all contain Brazilian coffee. Brazil contributes chocolate and cream aromas, a soft sweet-sour-bitter balance and the stable character that makes extraction predictable.