Bourbon Coffee Beans

Coffea Arabica var. Bourbon (or just Bourbon coffee beans) are a sub-species of the Arabica varietal, which is a fancy way of saying they’re a type of high quality Arabica coffee. Bourbon is one of 3 primary siblings that also include Arabica Heirloom and Arabica Typica coffees. The Bourbon sub-species of Arabica can actually be broken down into sub-sub-species, major strains of which are:

• N39
• SL 28
• SL 34
• Acaia
• Caturra
• Jackson
• Moka / Mocha / Mokka
• Mibirizi
• Tekisik (or Tekisic)
• Villa Sarchi (Costa Rica)
• Pacas (El Salvador)
• Pointu Bourbon / Laurina

In addition to these, a number of cultivars (strains or hybrids developed by farmers) include a mixture of these and other sub-species. They’re chosen by farmers based on specific characteristics that make them ideal for growing in certain climates, sometimes specific to certain countries.

Ultimately, choosing your coffee based on the varietal is a mistake – your choice in coffee should reflect your taste preferences and not some classification based on genetics.

While a varietal will share certain common characteristics, the flavor is ultimately affected by altitude, soil conditions, nutrients and fertilizers and other growing practices. As a consumer, these are interesting to note but ultimately aren’t important in deciding what coffee you should be buying – there are good Bourbon coffee crops and bad Bourbon coffee crops.

The Bourbon Coffee Plant Varietal

The Bourbon coffee varietal is a gourmet Arabica coffee plant, and are descendants of those brought to the island of Reunion (formerly Bourbon), which is located in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Africa. It is not one of the four main coffee species (Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, Excelsa).

The Bourbon varietal originated after the French first planted the parent stock in 1708 in Bourbon, and the plants underwent a slight mutation creating the Bourbon varietal.

Bourbon coffee plants were subsequently planted throughout Brazil in the late 1800s, and then eventually planted throughout Latin America. Also see Brazil Cerrado Coffee; Brazil Coffee.

Bourbon Coffee Growing Countries

Bourbon coffee can be found across the world, but is most common in South American countries, which most closely mirrors the Reunion Island (formerly “Bourbon”) climate.

• Brazil
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Guatemala
• Tanzania
• Dominican Republic
• Haiti
• Rwanda
• Burundi
• El Salvador
• Malawi
• Nicaragua
• Mexico
• Sumatra
• Puerto Rico
• Papua New guinea
• Peru
• Australia

It grows best on mountains above 1,100 meters – meaning most Bourbon coffees qualify as either High Grown or Strictly High Grown (SHG) – and up to 2,000 meters above sea level. The trees don’t produce a huge quantity of cherries and beans, but are adequate for commercial growing, and typically good to highly rated.