Types of Coffee Beans and How to Identify the Appearance Characteristics of Bourbon Coffee Beans

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FrontStreet Coffee - Bourbon Coffee

There are hundreds of coffee varieties in the world, and 70% of coffee is Arabica species. Although Arabica is more fragile compared to Robusta, its flavor and aroma are more favored by consumers, making it common in both specialty and commercial markets.

Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) is a coffee produced from Arabica coffee Bourbon cultivar trees. Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island, which was also called Bourbon Island (Île Bourbon) before 1789. It was later occupied by France to connect with the African continent and Latin America, and is now one of the two most popular Arabica coffee production areas in the world. Bourbon coffee is typically grown at elevations of 3,500 to 6,500 feet (1,062-1,972 meters).

Bourbon coffee trees are basically the same in height and shape as Typica coffee trees, but Bourbon is more lush and has more lateral branches. The trunk and branches are relatively thicker, making Bourbon trees sturdier and more flexible than Typica. The shorter distance between branches and nodes means greater density, resulting in Bourbon yields being 30% higher than Typica.

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

Many people might mistakenly think that Bourbon coffee comes from Bourbon Island. However, this is not the case. In 1711, people first discovered a native Arabica coffee tree at an elevation of 600m above St. Paul on Bourbon Island. The fruit skin was brown rather than red when ripe, and it was called brown fruit coffee at that time. However, after tasting, it was found to be too bitter and had no market. Therefore, in 1715, the French brought 60 Mocha round coffee plants from Yemen to replace the brown fruit coffee.

Furthermore, to distinguish it from the "Typica long bean" of the Dutch, who were extremely competitive in the coffee market at that time, it was named "Bourbon round bean" or "Green-top Bourbon" (because the tender leaves at the top are green, different from the brown of Typica). Later, it developed into the Bourbon of today.

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