Bourbon coffee

This article is about the type of coffee. For the coffeehouse chain, see Bourbon Coffee.

Bourbon is a subspecies of Coffea arabica. All modern coffee cultivars are descendants of two base populations; Typica and Bourbon,[1] both of which were early accessions from Yemen.[2]

Bourbon coffee was first produced in Réunion, which was known as Île Bourbon before 1789. It was later taken by the French to mainland Africa and to Latin America.

Bourbon grows best at heights between 1,100 and 2,000 and gives a 20-30% higher yield than Typica, but produces a similar quality of coffee. Bourbon has a commercially viable level of yield potential and growth habit but is generally susceptible to disease and pests. Bourbon quality is generally accepted to be standard to good.[3]

Description

Young leaves may be green or bronze in color and mature leaves are generally larger than Typica leaves. Plagiotropic (secondary) branches grow at a slight angle, roughly 60° from the main (orthotropic) stem. Bourbon cherries are generally more round than Typica cherries. Bourbon accessions from Yemen tend to have a single main stem (monocauly) whereas accessions from Ethiopia tend to form multiple stems.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Jain, Shri Mohan; Priyadarshan, P.M., eds. (2009). Breeding Plantation Tree Crops: Tropical Species. Springer. p. 525. ISBN 978-0387711997.
  2. ↑ Wintgens, Jean Nicolas (2012). Coffee: Growing, Processing, Sustainable Production (Second ed.). Wiley-VCH VerlangGmbH & Co. KGaA. p. 42. ISBN 978-3-527-33253-3.
  3. ↑ Oberthür, Thomas; Läderach, Pete; Pohlan, H.A. Jürgen (2012). Specialty Coffee: Managing Quality (1st ed.). International Plant Nutrition Institute. p. 97. ISBN 978-9834450311.

Category:Coffee varieties