Where Did Yellow Bourbon Coffee Come From?

Yellow Bourbon is a natural mutation that produces yellow cherries and is known for sweetness, citrus acidity, and nutty-chocolate notes. It appeared in Brazil in the late 19th century, with a documented sighting in Botucatu in 1871, and a form recognized today emerged around 1930 on a farm near Pederneiras in Sao Paulo.

Its parent line traces to Red Bourbon, which reached Brazil from Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean and spread across plantations by the 1870s. Because Typica yields were limited, growers took interest in alternatives. Questions about coffee originated from which country often lead back to this route, which carried Bourbon into Brazil and then into specialty coffee.

Yellow Bourbon is a unique and precious presence in the Brazilian coffee landscape—its ripe cherries are a bright yellow, and its flavor is renowned for sweetness, citrus acidity, and nutty-chocolate tones. It originated from a natural mutation of Red Bourbon and, over nearly a century, has evolved from a novelty variety to a star of the specialty coffee stage. This article provides a complete overview of Yellow Bourbon's origins, genetic principles, and flavor characteristics, compares it with Red Bourbon, and introduces Queen Farm's Yellow Bourbon along with Front Street Coffee's roasting and flavor profile.

The cherries of most coffee varieties turn red when ripe, but Yellow Bourbon stands out for producing yellow fruit at maturity and is regarded as a precious variety in Brazil. In recent years, this variety has been widely praised by coffee buyers and roasters, partly because of its unique, high-quality flavor and its appearance, which sets it apart from other varieties. In fact, Yellow Bourbon has a fairly long cultivation history; it is simply in the Brazilian market that it truly came into its own.

As a coffee variety, Yellow Bourbon has been cultivated for nearly 90 years. To trace its origins, we need to start with its parent varieties. In the 1850s, Brazil had already become the world's foremost coffee producer, relying mainly on the Typica variety, which had been planted in Brazil since the 1720s. Because Typica's yields were limited, export volumes declined accordingly. At this point, a Brazilian 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 on many Brazilian coffee plantations.

In 1871, something unusual happened. A mutation appeared in the city of Botucatu, producing yellow fruit—something never seen before in Brazil and with no recorded precedent. At the time, this yellow Typica mutation was called Yello Botucatu, though its yields were not high. Nevertheless, many farmers began planting it because they were curious about the color of the fruit. Notably, some researchers believe Yellow Bourbon originated as a natural mutation of Red Bourbon.

The Yellow Bourbon as we know it today is believed to have first appeared in 1930 on a farm near Pederneiras (SP) that grew Red Bourbon. Many believe it resulted from natural crossbreeding between Red Bourbon and Yellow Botucatu. Apart from its yellow fruit, this variety is very similar to Red Bourbon in every other respect—and it is more productive.

Its appearance drew 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. Over the following three years, 30 varieties were planted and the variety was studied in the IAC's research fields in Jaú (SP).

In the 1950s, the most promising Yellow Bourbon lines from the breeding program were given the code "IAC J," and the research results were made available to farmers. In 1951, Professor Mendes from the same institute studied the yields of the varieties being grown at the time: Typica, Yellow Botucatu, Sumatra, Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, and Maragogype. Yellow Bourbon proved to be the most productive variety.

Despite these promising results, Yellow Bourbon never became a dominant variety in Brazil over the following decades. Although it was still grown commercially, adoption by farmers was not widespread. Because its ripe fruit is an unusual yellow, it was often still regarded as a novelty variety.

In the past, during the era of research by Krug, Mendes, and several professors, cup quality was not a core part of plant research. The focus was usually on productivity, plant health, and resistance to pests and diseases. Around the same time Yellow Bourbon appeared in Brazil, other popular varieties also emerged, such as Caturra (1937), Mundo Novo (1943), and Catuai (1949).

However, in the context of specialty coffee and the third wave, Yellow Bourbon remains a variety capable of delivering a refreshingly different experience.

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

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

The Yellow Bourbon tree can reach a height of 2.8 meters and matures relatively quickly. Of the 30 Yellow Bourbon varieties studied in 1945, only seven are still grown commercially in Brazil today.

Because Yellow Bourbon has lower yields and weaker resistance to leaf rust, growing it may require more effort than other varieties. Yellow Bourbon is usually planted at elevations above 1,000 meters, and its harvesting and processing require careful attention to bring out the variety's potential.

The flavor characteristics of Yellow Bourbon are very clear, including its sweetness, pronounced aroma, and very distinct citrus acidity. It often has flavors of ripe fruit and raisins. Researchers have recently found a relationship between sucrose content, fats, and organic acids, which is linked to Yellow Bourbon's quality. However, so far there is no strong connection between luteolin (the substance responsible for the yellow color) and flavor quality.

In 2005, the IAC restarted research on this variety, but shifted its attention to the flavor experience in the cup. The 30 varieties studied in 1945 were collected again, and 16 of the plants scored above 85 in cupping; these were selected to trace ideal lineages. Research led by Professor Gerson Giomo is still ongoing at the IAC, as the team is looking for robust varieties with potential for high productivity and excellent flavor.

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

Queen Farm's Yellow Bourbon coffee beans

On Front Street's bean list, there is also a very delicious Yellow Bourbon coffee, and it comes from the legendary Queen Farm.

Queen Farm (Fazenda Rainha) is located in the Alta Mogiana region of São Paulo state, north of the city of São Paulo. The farm is highly renowned in Brazil and is owned by the Carvalho Dias family. Carvalho Dias owns four major farms. Since the first Brazilian COE competition in 1999, they have won awards every year, with more than 12 awards over seven years; in 2004, they even took first place, ninth place, and eleventh place.

In Brazil, a country dominated by yield-focused mechanized farming, there are few specialty coffee farms like Queen Farm that use manual picking. Queen Farm is very small, covering only 280 mu, and 200 mu of that is entirely planted with Yellow Bourbon.

One of the most important reasons Brazil uses semi-washed processing instead of traditional natural processing is that traditional natural processing cannot guarantee the quality of large batches of coffee beans. Queen Farm, by contrast, uses small-scale, refined natural processing, employing African-style raised beds for drying, with dedicated workers turning the beans during the drying process and checking their moisture content to improve bean quality.

Front Street's Yellow Bourbon coffee, meanwhile, uses refined natural processing. It has a rich nutty and chocolate aroma, a smooth body, and low acidity, making it ideal for those who don't like acidity. You can purchase it at Front Street's Tmall flagship store or Front Street's Taobao store.

Front Street Coffee roasting analysis

When Front Street Coffee received this Yellow Bourbon from Brazil's Queen Farm, it roasted four batches and ultimately decided to drop the beans two minutes after first crack. At this roast level, the Brazilian Queen Farm coffee has obvious sweetness, but it is not a dull sweetness; there is a faint lemon aroma in the background, which is even more prominent during the wet aroma stage, and a distinct dark chocolate note in the finish. The overall impression is fairly rounded, showcasing Brazil's overall characteristics while retaining a lively quality.

Flavor description

The taste has obvious sweetness, with rich nutty and peanut butter flavors, and a distinct dark chocolate note in the finish. The overall impression is fairly rounded. It is a coffee bean that represents the overall characteristics of Brazilian coffee while also expressing its own unique liveliness.

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