Bourbon Coffee Beans: The Color Experts of the Coffee World

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In fact, coffee varieties and coffee species are two entirely different concepts. Coffee types such as Sidamo and Mandheling are generally named after places where uniquely flavored coffee beans are grown, while coffee varieties refer to the concept of "species" in biology - the varieties of coffee trees.

Arabica accounts for 75% of the world's coffee production. Its cultivation conditions are quite demanding, requiring higher altitudes and offering broad and varied potential flavors. High-quality Arabica is typically sold as specialty coffee. Like Typica, Bourbon is also native to Yemen, with its name derived from its initial planting location, Bourbon Island. Bourbon coffee has higher yields than Typica, with high sweetness and bright acidity. Most are red beans, though orange and yellow varieties have also emerged.

Bourbon is a variety of coffee tree and 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 yields, while pink Bourbon has extremely minimal production.

The name Bourbon originates from Réunion Island. The French attempted three times to introduce coffee from Yemen to Bourbon Island (now Réunion Island) in 1708, 1715, and 1718; however, it was the coffee from the second and third transplants that survived and propagated.

In 1841, a French missionary established a church on the French island of Réunion. Afterward, he left Réunion for Zanzibar, Bagamoyo, St. Augustine, and other African countries to establish new churches, planting coffee from Réunion Island at each location. Since then, "Bourbon coffee" has also been available on the African continent.

Red Bourbon

Red Bourbon coffee is what we generally refer to as Bourbon variety. Bourbon grown at high altitudes typically has better aroma and bright acidity, sometimes even offering wine-like flavors similar to red wine.

Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon is a unique Bourbon variety exclusive to São Paulo state, Brazil. When the coffee fruit ripens, it doesn't turn red but instead presents an orange-yellow color, hence its name "Yellow Bourbon." Yellow Bourbon grown in high-altitude regions exhibits excellent flavor characteristics and has dominated Brazil's "Cup of Excellence" competition for two consecutive years, sweeping almost all top three awards and creating a sensation in the specialty coffee world!

Pink Bourbon

Pink Bourbon is a hybrid of Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. As its name suggests, its coffee cherries turn a romantic pink when ripe, making it an extremely rare variety. Since the color of coffee fruit is determined by recessive genes in pollen grains, this leads to unstable coloring of coffee tree fruits. 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 orange Bourbon harvests. However, it must be mentioned that Pink Bourbon actually has excellent disease resistance and unique flavor characteristics.

In Brief

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