Appearance Characteristics of Bourbon Coffee Beans - One of the Oldest Arabica Coffee Varieties

FrontStreet Coffee - Bourbon Variety Introduction

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There are hundreds of coffee varieties, with Arabica accounting for approximately 70% of the world's coffee production. Although Arabica is more susceptible to pests and diseases compared to Robusta, its flavor and aroma appeal to most consumers.

Producers choose to grow certain crops for many reasons: yield, flavor presentation, local environmental conditions, and so on. Being able to identify coffee varieties is very important to avoid confusion between batches during harvesting and processing. If two or more batches of coffee beans are mixed together, it could lead to flavor confusion and lower-than-expected cupping scores.

What is Bourbon Coffee?

Simply put, Bourbon coffee was initially cultivated on Réunion Island, which was formerly known as Bourbon Island before 1789. The Bourbon variety is a sub-species that mutated from Typica and belongs to the oldest existing coffee varieties along with Typica.

The raw beans of the Bourbon family are relatively round and small. The currently well-known Bourbon varieties include Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. Bourbon coffee has many more rich variants, such as Caturra, Pacas, and Laurina.

Characteristics of Bourbon

Bourbon shares the same tall stature and conical shape as Typica, but it has more secondary branches, appearing denser. The main trunk and branches are thicker, making it more robust than Typica but relatively less flexible. The more densely packed branches mean Bourbon can produce approximately 30% more coffee cherries than Typica.

Bourbon leaves are wider than Typica's, with a rougher texture and wavy edges. Young leaves are typically green but sometimes have bronze tips. The coffee cherries are round and turn various colors when ripe, such as red, orange, or yellow (though the color is consistent on the same plant).

Knowledge Point

Bourbon has many variants, among which Laurina is nearly extinct and has only been reintroduced in recent years. It is a low-caffeine coffee bean of exceptional quality.

FrontStreet Coffee's Mission

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research workshop dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three low-discount coffee events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!

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