What Is Arabic Coffee in the Case of Laurina?
Laurina, also called Pointed Bourbon, is a rare variety from Reunion Island and one of the most primitive sub-varieties of the Bourbon family. Its caffeine content is roughly half that of regular Arabica, so when the question is what is arabic coffee in this case, the answer is a natural low-caffeine coffee with pointed, slender fruit and a low, compact tree.
The variety is considered the parent of the Mocha type and a source of coffee trees in Latin America, which links it to mocha coffee origin. In the 18th century it was prized by European royalty; hurricanes and disease in the 19th century nearly erased it. Local botanists relocated a wild mother tree in 1999 and rebuilt cultivation.
Laurina, also known as Pointed Bourbon, is a rare coffee variety originating from Reunion Island. It is not only one of the most primitive sub-varieties of the Bourbon family but is also considered the parent of the Mocha variety, making it the source of coffee trees in Latin America. The leaves and fruits of this coffee tree are smaller than those of ordinary Bourbon, with pointed and slender fruits and a low, Christmas-tree-like shape. Its caffeine content is only half that of regular Arabica, making it a natural low-caffeine coffee. In the 18th century, Pointed Bourbon was highly sought after by European royalty for its excellent flavor, with Louis XV praising it as the best coffee in the world; however, a series of hurricanes and diseases in the 19th century nearly caused it to disappear from history. It was not until 1999, after Japanese experts failed to find it, that local botanists, through years of effort, finally located the wild mother tree and gradually cultivated it, allowing this legendary variety to be reborn. Today, Front Street Coffee's Pointed Bourbon offers flavors of peach, honey pomelo, wild apple, and orchid, with a rich mouthfeel like hundred-flower honey.
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Bourbon Island became a French territory in 1664, named after the prominence of the French Bourbon dynasty at the time, intended to showcase royal power and hegemony. After the French Revolution in 1792, the island was renamed Reunion Island.
In the 18th century, the French introduced coffee to Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, then still called Bourbon Island, and the trees mutated as they adapted to the environment. Compared to common Bourbon varieties, Pointed Bourbon has smaller leaves, smaller and more pointed fruits, and a low tree shape resembling the faint outline of a Christmas tree, hence the name "Pointed Bourbon," with the scientific name Laurina. It belongs to the most primitive sub-variety of Bourbon, native to Reunion Island near Madagascar. The leaves and plants of this coffee tree are shorter than ordinary Bourbon, and the fruits are smaller and pointed. It is said to be the parent of the Mocha variety and the source species of coffee trees in Latin America today.
In the 18th century, Pointed Bourbon coffee was extremely precious, with very low yield but outstanding flavor and high price. It was favored by European royalty, especially Louis XV of the Bourbon dynasty, who declared it the best coffee in the world, and from then on, nobles and royalty vied for it, making it highly favored.
In the mid-19th century, several strong hurricanes and coffee tree diseases struck in succession, nearly destroying the local coffee planting industry. Pointed Bourbon quietly receded from the world coffee stage, becoming history and legend for a time.
It was not until 1999 that Japanese coffee experts, drawn by its fame, went to the island to search for remnants of this coffee but returned disappointed. Later, local botanists on the island, after years of searching, finally found this unique wild mother tree, allowing the species to be gradually cultivated and beginning its path to revival.
It was not until the 20th century that scientists discovered that Pointed Bourbon's caffeine content is only half that of regular Arabica.
The caffeine content of ordinary Arabica coffee is about 1.2%, Robusta coffee is about 2.2%, while Pointed Bourbon is only 0.6%, making it a natural low-caffeine coffee tree species.
[Front Street Coffee Pointed Bourbon] Flavor: Peach, Honey Pomelo, Wild Apple, Orchid
The mouthfeel is like hundred-flower honey on the palate, with a rich texture.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
