What Makes Yellow Bourbon Coffee Different From Red Bourbon?
Yellow Bourbon coffee is a Bourbon family variant whose cherries stay yellow instead of turning red at maturity. The Bourbon species originated on Île Bourbon, now Réunion, as a Typica mutation, and Yellow Bourbon was likely produced by crossing red-fruited Bourbon with a yellow-fruited Typica variant called Amerelo de Botocatu. It is grown mainly in Brazil at 3,500 to 6,500 feet.
Grown at high altitude and processed by the natural method, Yellow Bourbon develops a sweet, smooth fruit sweetness with nutty and chocolate notes. Its lower yield and weaker resistance to wind and rain kept plantings limited for years, but this arabica variant has become more common as high-altitude lots show strong flavor performance in the cup.
Yellow Bourbon is a unique variant within the Bourbon family, whose fruit stays yellow rather than turning red when ripe. It is widely cultivated in Brazil, and under high-altitude natural processing it often presents a sweet, smooth fruit sweetness with nutty and chocolate notes. This article begins with the origin of the Bourbon species, sorts out the genetic relationships between Yellow Bourbon, Typica, and Red Bourbon, and introduces the taste characteristics of Front Street Yellow Bourbon coffee, giving you a comprehensive understanding of this outstanding-quality coffee variety.
Front Street Yellow Bourbon Characteristics and Flavor Description
Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) refers to coffee produced by the Arabica Bourbon cultivar coffee tree. Bourbon coffee was first planted on Réunion, which was also called Île Bourbon (le Bourbon) before 1789. After France occupied the island, it became connected with the African continent and Latin America. Today, Bourbon is also one of the most widespread Arabica coffee origins in the world, and Bourbon coffee is usually grown at altitudes between 3,500 and 6,500 feet (1,062–1,972 meters).
The Bourbon species originated on Île Bourbon (now Réunion) in the Indian Ocean. It is a sub-variety produced by a mutation of Typica, and together with Typica it is one of the oldest extant coffee varieties. Its green fruit turns bright red when ripe, while Yellow Bourbon was produced by crossing Bourbon with other varieties. Because of its lower yield and relatively poor resistance to wind and rain, it has not been widely planted. However, when grown at high altitudes, it can deliver excellent flavor performance, and in recent years it has become more commonly seen.
Yellow Bourbon, huang bo bang, has yellow fruit when ripe. It was first discovered in Brazil and is currently mainly grown in Brazil. It is generally believed that it may have originated from a mutation after crossing a red-fruited Bourbon with a yellow-fruited Typica variant called "Amerelo de Botocatu."
Among the many coffee varieties in Brazil, Yellow Bourbon is one of the quite outstanding variants in quality. Ordinary Bourbon turns from green to yellow and then red, but Yellow Bourbon only remains yellow in appearance. Grown at high altitude and processed by the natural method, Yellow Bourbon has excellent flavor.
[Front Street Yellow Bourbon Coffee] Taste characteristics: sweet and smooth fruit sweetness, obvious nutty flavor, balanced and smooth acidity, weak and clean bitterness, rich chocolate aroma and nutty flavor, with a bright and refreshing mouthfeel.
Related recommendation: How to hand-brew Front Street Brazil Yellow Bourbon coffee beans and an introduction to the difference from Red Bourbon
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
