The Origin Story of Brazil Yellow Bourbon Coffee Beans Flavor Profile Description of Rainha Estate Yellow Bourbon

While most coffee varieties produce red cherries when ripe, the Yellow Bourbon variety is renowned for its distinctive yellow ripe cherries and is considered a precious variety in Brazil.

This variety has received significant acclaim from coffee buyers and roasters in recent years, largely due to its unique and high-quality flavor characteristics, as well as its distinct appearance compared to other varieties. Yellow Bourbon actually has a long cultivation history, though it was developed and popularized in the Brazilian market.

Origin of Brazilian Yellow Bourbon

As a coffee variety, Yellow Bourbon has been cultivated for nearly 90 years, but let's examine its origins from its parent varieties.

In the 1850s, Brazil became the world's leading coffee producer, relying heavily on the Typica variety, which had been planted in Brazil since the 1720s. Due to Typica's limited yield, exports decreased. A Brazilian then traveled to Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar to obtain seeds of the Red Bourbon variety. By the 1870s, Red Bourbon had become the most common variety among Brazil's numerous coffee farms.

Then in 1871, something unusual occurred. A variant emerged in the city of Botucatu that produced yellow cherries, something never before seen in Brazil with no previous records. This Yellow Typica variant was called "Yellow Botucatu," but its yield was not high. However, many farmers began planting this variety out of curiosity about its yellow cherries. Notably, some researchers believe Yellow Bourbon originated from a natural mutation of Red Bourbon.

The Yellow Bourbon we know today is believed to have first appeared in 1930 on a farm growing Red Bourbon near Pederneiras (SP), with many considering it the result of natural cross-pollination between Red Bourbon and Yellow Botucatu. This variety was very similar to Red Bourbon in all aspects except for its yellow cherries, and it had higher productivity.

Its appearance caught the attention of researchers at the Campinas Agronomic Institute (IAC), including Carlos Arnaldo Krug, who conducted the first formal study of Yellow Bourbon in 1942. In the following three years, 30 varieties were planted and studied in IAC's research fields in Jaú (SP).

In the 1950s, the most promising Yellow Bourbon variety was given the code "IAC J" and research results were provided to farmers. In 1951, Professor Mendes from the same institute studied the yields of varieties planted at that time: Typica, Yellow Botucatu, Sumatra, Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, and Maragogipe. The Yellow Bourbon variety proved to be the most productive.

Despite these promising results, Yellow Bourbon never became a dominant variety in Brazil in the following decades. Although still commercially cultivated, it was not widely adopted by farmers. Due to its distinctive yellow ripe cherries, it was often regarded as a novelty variety.

In the past, during the period studied by Krug, Mendes, and several professors, coffee flavor quality was not a core part of plant research. Focus was typically placed on productivity, plant health, and resistance to pests and diseases. Around the same time Yellow Bourbon appeared in Brazil, popular varieties such as Caturra (1937), Mundo Novo (1943), and Catuai (1949) also emerged.

However, in the specialty coffee and third-wave coffee movement, Yellow Bourbon continues to offer a refreshing experience.

Why is this variety yellow?

In 1942, Professor Krug had already discovered the genetic origin of this color. It is a gene pair called "Xanthocarpa," a word derived from the Greek xanthus (yellow) and carpus (fruit).

Here's how it works: Plants with a pair of dominant XcXc genes produce red cherries; plants with a pair of recessive xcxc genes produce yellow cherries; in rare cases, plants with one dominant gene and one recessive Xcxc gene produce orange cherries. In the case of yellow cherries, the substance expressed by these genes is luteolin, a flavonoid also found in aromatic plants such as basil and broccoli.

Characteristics of Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon trees can reach heights of 2.8 meters and mature relatively quickly. According to studies of 30 Yellow Bourbon varieties from 1945, only seven are still commercially cultivated in Brazil today.

Due to its lower yield and weaker resistance to leaf rust, Yellow Bourbon cultivation may require more effort than other varieties. Yellow Bourbon is typically grown at altitudes above 1,000 meters, and its harvesting and processing require careful attention to fully realize this variety's potential.

Yellow Bourbon's flavor profile is quite distinct, with notable sweetness, prominent aromatics, and very clear citrus acidity. It often presents flavors of ripe fruit and raisins. Researchers recently discovered a relationship between sucrose content, fats, and organic acids that relates to Yellow Bourbon quality. However, to date, no significant connection has been found between luteolin (the substance responsible for the yellow color) and flavor quality.

New Highlights for Yellow Bourbon

In 2005, the IAC resumed research on this variety, but with attention turned to cup flavor. The 30 varieties from the 1945 study were collected again, and 16 plants scored above 85 in cupping and were selected to trace ideal lineages. Research led by Professor Gerson Giomo continues at the IAC, as the team seeks potent varieties with high productivity and excellent flavor potential.

In 2017, in a Cup of Excellence competition, Brazilian Yellow Bourbon scored 92.33 points in the natural process category. This lot sold at auction for $126 per pound, 100 times the futures price at the time.

Yellow Bourbon Coffee Beans from Queen Farm

FrontStreet Coffee also offers a very delicious Yellow Bourbon coffee bean from the legendary Queen Farm (Fazenda Rainha).

Queen Farm is located in the Alta Mogiana region of São Paulo state, north of São Paulo city. This farm has high recognition in Brazil, owned by the Carvalho Dias family. The Carvalho Dias family owns four major farms that have won awards every year since the first Brazil Cup of Excellence competition in 1999, winning more than 12 times in 7 years, and even sweeping the championship, 9th, and 11th places in 2004.

In Brazil, a mechanized production country focused on quantity, few specialty coffee farms like Queen Farm employ manual harvesting. Queen Farm is quite small, covering only 280 acres, with 200 acres entirely planted with Yellow Bourbon varieties.

The most important reason Brazil uses pulped natural processing instead of traditional natural processing is that traditional natural processing cannot guarantee the quality of large quantities of coffee beans. Queen Farm uses small-scale, refined natural processing, employing African raised beds for drying, with dedicated staff turning and checking moisture content during the drying process, thereby improving coffee bean quality.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Analysis

When FrontStreet Coffee received this Yellow Bourbon coffee from Queen Farm Brazil, we roasted four batches before deciding to drop the beans two minutes after first crack. At this roast level, Queen Farm Brazil exhibits noticeable sweetness without being monotonously sweet, with subtle lemon aroma in the background that's more prominent in the wet aroma, followed by distinct dark chocolate flavors in the finish. The overall experience is quite rounded, embodying the characteristics of Brazilian coffee while maintaining liveliness.

Flavor Description

The flavor profile features noticeable sweetness with rich nutty and peanut butter notes, followed by distinct dark chocolate flavors in the finish. The overall experience is quite rounded, making it a coffee bean that represents the overall characteristics of Brazilian coffee while showcasing its unique liveliness.

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