What Sets the Bourbon Coffee Tree Apart From Typica?

Bourbon is a classic coffee tree variety with the same tall, conical shape as Typica, but its branches are denser and its trunk and branches thicker. That density raises cherry yield by about 30 percent compared with Typica. Cherries are round, and ripe color varies by variety, though all fruit on one tree stays consistent.

The family includes Red, Yellow, Orange, and Pink Bourbon. Pink Bourbon is a cross of Red and Yellow Bourbon with strong disease resistance, high bean density, and excellent flavor, yet recessive genes interfere with each other and yield is extremely low. It usually grows between 1,500 and 2,000 meters, with Orange Bourbon also producing relatively little.

Bourbon is a classic variety that coffee lovers cannot avoid. Along with Typica, it belongs to the tall, conical tree shape, but it is widely planted because of its denser branches and higher yield. The Bourbon family is rich in colors—red, yellow, orange, and pink each have their own character. Among them, Pink Bourbon is a cross between Red and Yellow Bourbon, with strong disease resistance, high density, and excellent flavor, yet due to recessive genes interfering with each other, its yield is extremely low, and both cultivation and harvesting require careful attention. This article will guide you through Bourbon's origins and the characteristics of its different color variants, and focus on the origin information and processing methods of Colombia Isabela Pink Bourbon, as well as the cupping performance of Front Street Coffee Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon, so you can understand the flavor lineage of the Bourbon family at a glance.

Introduction to Front Street Bourbon Variety and Colombia · Isabela Coffee

Like Typica, Bourbon has a tall tree shape and conical outline, but Bourbon has more secondary branches and looks denser overall. Its trunk and branches are also thicker, so it is more resistant to wind and pressure than Typica, though slightly less flexible. The branches are more densely distributed, and this density advantage allows Bourbon's coffee cherry yield to be about 30% higher than Typica's.

Bourbon's leaves are broader than Typica's, with a rougher surface texture and wavy leaf edges. The newly grown young leaves are mostly green, occasionally with bronze-colored tips. The coffee cherries are round, and when ripe, their color varies by variety—red, orange, or yellow—but the fruit color on the same tree is consistent.

Among Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, Orange Bourbon, and Pink Bourbon, Orange Bourbon has a relatively low yield, while Pink Bourbon's yield is extremely rare. Because Pink Bourbon is so rare, it was not well known for a long time.

Pink Bourbon is a hybrid formed by crossing Yellow Bourbon and Red Bourbon. It has particularly strong disease resistance and excellent flavor. Compared with other varieties, its beans are denser, but its yield is very low, and it is mostly grown at altitudes between 1,500 and 2,000 meters. Cultivating Pink Bourbon is not easy; the entire growth cycle requires careful manual attention, and it has higher requirements for the growing environment. Another difficulty lies in harvesting: workers find it hard to tell whether the fruit is ripe, because the yellow gene of Yellow Bourbon and the red gene of Red Bourbon are both recessive genes that easily interfere with each other, making Pink Bourbon difficult to produce consistently. In addition, Pink Bourbon looks very similar to unripe Red Bourbon and is hard to distinguish, often getting mixed together, which is one of the reasons for its rarity.

Two Common Types of Bourbon (Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon)

Red Bourbon

Around 1850, Brazil had become a major global coffee producer, and at that time it relied heavily on the Typica variety introduced in 1720. Because Typica's yield was low, in order to protect profits, Brazil introduced the Bourbon variety, namely Red Bourbon, from Réunion and began planting it on a large scale.

After the Red Bourbon coffee tree flowers and bears fruit, the fruit color goes through: green > slightly yellow > slightly orange > ripe red > riper dark red. This is what is usually called the Bourbon variety. Bourbon grown at high altitudes often has better aroma and bright acidity, and can even taste somewhat like red wine.

Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon is a Bourbon variant unique to São Paulo State, Brazil. Its fruit does not turn red when ripe, but instead appears orange-yellow, hence the name "Yellow Bourbon." Because its yield is relatively low and it is less resistant to wind and rain, it has not been widely planted. Yellow Bourbon grown at high altitudes can show very outstanding flavor.

[Front Street Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon] Taste characteristics: sweet and smooth fruit sweetness, obvious nutty flavor, balanced and gentle acidity, weak and clean bitterness, rich chocolate aroma and nutty flavor, with a bright and refreshing mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee Colombia · Isabela

Origin. San Adolfo , Acevedo , Huila , Colombia

Processing plant. a group of small producers

Altitude. 1,700 - 1,800 Meters

Bean variety. Pink Bourbon / Pink Bourbon variety

Processing method. Fully Washed / Washed

Harvest and processing time. 2018 / 2019

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.