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FrontStreet Coffee - Laurina Variety Introduction

Many people have never heard of Laurina, but today we'll tell you that it is actually the most expensive coffee variety in the world.

Laurina is a variety that originated on Réunion Island. We know that normal Bourbon varieties have short, round beans, but in 1810, a coffee farmer named Leroy on Bourbon Island found a dwarf coffee plant in his garden with smaller leaves resembling bay laurel leaves, and the coffee beans were also more pointed and slender. Its yield was lower than regular Bourbon. Confirmed by botanists of the time as a new variety, it was named after its discoverer, "Leroy." In addition, because both ends of the bean are very pointed, it is commonly known as Laurina (Pointed Bourbon).

It is a naturally low-caffeine coffee bean, with only half the caffeine content of Arabica. Yet it doesn't suffer in flavor for the lack of caffeine. Because its yield is extremely scarce, even if you are willing to spend a lot of money, you might not always be able to buy good Laurina coffee.

This bean originates from Réunion Island, an area of only 2512 square kilometers located between Madagascar and Mauritius. It was discovered by the Portuguese in 1513, occupied by France in 1643, and named Bourbon Island after the French royal Bourbon family. In 1767, it became a French colony. It wasn't until after the French Revolution of 1848, when the restored Bourbon dynasty fell, that it was renamed Réunion Island.

The first coffee trees on Réunion were shipped from Mocha Port in Yemen in 1715, totaling only 40 trees. Unfortunately, only 2 survived. From 1719 to 1723, the government implemented strict measures, legislating that island residents must plant 200 Mocha coffee trees annually, and anyone who damaged coffee trees would be executed. At that time, the island was still called Bourbon Island, so naturally the coffee produced here used that name.

Laurina is a variety that originated on Réunion Island. Normal Bourbon varieties have short, round beans, but in 1810 coffee farmer Leroy on Bourbon Island found a dwarf coffee plant in his garden with smaller leaves resembling bay laurel leaves, and the coffee beans were also more pointed and slender. Its yield was lower than regular Bourbon. Confirmed by botanists of the time as a new variety, it was named after its discoverer, "Leroy." In addition, because both ends of the bean are very pointed, it also has the common name "Laurina."

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Rare, low-yield varieties like Laurina are what give coffee its collector's appeal, and the same is true of a handful of standout Arabicas today. FrontStreet Panama Red Label Gesha comes from Esmeralda, the most famous farm in Panama, located in the town of Boquete in Chiriquí province. The estate has fertile volcanic soil, ancient forest, year-round mist, and abundant rainfall, which together create excellent growing conditions and let the Gesha show remarkable layers. In the cup it delivers lush, elegant florals, citrus, peach, and full compound-fruit acidity, a creamy, silky texture, and a finish that carries the sweet aroma of oolong tea, so refined it feels less like coffee than a fragrant fruit tea.

For another distinctive, hard-to-find variety, FrontStreet Colombia Sidra is worth seeking out. Sidra originally came from Pichincha province in Ecuador, where it is called Sydra, and genetic comparison found it shares similarities with Ethiopian landraces, so some scholars believe it arose from a cross between an Ethiopian experimental variety and local Ecuadorian Bourbon. When champion barista Anthony Douglas used a Sidra from Finca El Diviso at the 2022 World Barista Championship, the variety caught the world's attention. Roasted medium-light, FrontStreet's Sidra shows florals, tropical fruit, grape, dried fruit, and passionfruit, with a juicy, fruit-like mouthfeel that rare-variety hunters will appreciate.