The Amazing Story of Green Bourbon Coffee: Uncovering Its Past and Present

FrontStreet Coffee - Bourbon Variety Introduction

The name Bourbon coffee originates from the island where it was first cultivated. In 1715, France transplanted round-shaped coffee beans from Mocha, Yemen to Bourbon Island on the east coast of Africa (renamed Reunion Island after the French Revolution), hence the name Bourbon. Later in 1717, the French brought another batch of round-shaped Bourbon seedlings from Yemen, which became the predecessor of Bourbon coffee.

In 1732, the British East India Company brought Bourbon coffee seedlings from Yemen to Saint Helena Island for cultivation. Between 1860 and 1870, Brazil in South and Central America first introduced the Bourbon variety, gradually replacing Typica. Bourbon then rapidly expanded northward to other regions in South and Central America.

After 1900, French missionaries introduced Bourbon coffee from Bourbon Island to Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and other places. Today, Bourbon coffee has become a major force in high-quality coffee worldwide.

Bourbon coffee is not actually a single variety. Compared to Typica coffee, Bourbon coffee has many more rich varieties, such as Caturra, Pacas, and Pointed Bourbon, all of which are outstanding among them. Additionally, the reason it's called "colorful coffee" is because Bourbon varieties are divided into Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, and Pink Bourbon. Below, we will introduce several of the most classic varieties.

Red Bourbon

After the Red Bourbon coffee tree flowers and fruits, the color change of coffee cherries follows: green > light yellow > light orange > mature red > darker red when fully ripe, which is what we generally call the Bourbon variety. Bourbon varieties grown at high altitudes typically have better aroma and bright acidity, with flavors even reminiscent of red wine when tasted.

Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon is a unique Bourbon variety native to São Paulo state, Brazil. The coffee cherries do not turn red when mature but instead present an orange-yellow color, hence the name "Yellow Bourbon." Yellow Bourbon grown at high altitudes shows excellent flavor performance and once swept the Brazil "Cup of Excellence" competition for two consecutive years, almost taking all top three awards and becoming popular in the specialty coffee industry!

Pink Bourbon

Pink Bourbon is a hybrid cultivar of red and yellow Bourbon and is extremely rare. Pink Bourbon has very strong disease resistance but is genetically very difficult to obtain. Once there are red or yellow Bourbon varieties nearby, the original pink Bourbon will turn red or yellow, so careful separation and control are needed to preserve the variety's unique color and characteristics.

Knowledge Point: The two ancient varieties, Typica and Bourbon, have bred for three hundred years in different soils and waters of the New World, creating thousands of varieties and hybrid cultivars.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three coffee discount events every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's principle for 6 years!

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