Colombia - Washed Pink Bourbon

Sourcing

We’ve sourced an incredible washed Pink Bourbon microlot from the high-altitude Huila area of Colombia known for their great soil and geography for producing excellent coffee. Pink Bourbon is a rare cultivar hybrid between the Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon plants.

The washed raw green beans appear relatively large, similar to many Central and South American country’s beans, however, with a bit more narrowness and pointedness.

Roasting

We love our Central and South American beans for our Medium Blend and thought the Pink Bourbon would fit right in. Below I’ve compared this roast to our typical Washed Medium Roast spec:

Beans starting to yellow in the Maillard Phase.

Roast Duration: 9:05 minutes (Spec: 8:30-9:00 minutes).
Time of First Crack: Minute 7:29 (Spec: 7:00-7:30)

Development Phase Duration: 1:36 minutes (Spec: 1:15-1:45)

Drop Temperature: 406°F (Spec: 405-410°F)

This roast went pretty much as I hoped, except a tad bit slow. The beans appeared uniform in color and size throughout the roast, especially surprisingly at transitions from Dry to Maillard and from Maillard to Development.

The beans really expanded volumetrically in the Development Phase.

CUPPING

Appearance: Uniform color and size. Small amount of chaff remaining. No surface oil. Little evidence of tipping, scorching, or other objective defects.

Aroma: Light, hay

Flavors: Honey, Rose, Grapefruit

Body: Between medium and thin

Balance: A well balanced, drinkable cup.

Aftertaste: Short, fruity and floral aftertaste.