Classico
A classic Brazilian cup showcasing a smooth balance of milk chocolate,
roasted nut, sweet raisin nougat and a touch of citrus.
About this coffee
Cultivar: Yellow Bourbon
Flavour notes: Milk chocolate, roasted nut, sweet raisin nougat and citrus
Producer: Various small producer
Country: Brazil
Region: Minas Gerais
Process: Natural
Roast profile: Light roast for espresso
More About The Cultivar
The Yellow Bourbon cultivar is one of the most celebrated and historic natural mutations of Arabica coffee found in Brazil. While traditional Bourbon cherries mature into a deep red color, Yellow Bourbon is unique because its cherries turn a brilliant, striking yellow when fully ripe. This rare visual trait is caused by a recessive gene pairing inherited from a natural cross-pollination between Red Bourbon and Amarelo de Botucatu in the early 1930s. Yellow Bourbon is highly revered in the specialty coffee industry for its distinct structural sweetness. The yellow-skin mutation naturally allows the plant to develop high sucrose concentrations within the mucilage while ripening under the intense Brazilian sun. When grown in ideal conditions, this heirloom cultivar delivers a beautifully complex and comforting cup profile. It acts as the perfect daily driver, providing a rich, syrupy foundation of creamy milk chocolate and toasted roasted nuts, layered cleanly with the dense sweetness of raisin nougat and a gentle touch of balanced citrus acidity.
How The Coffee Was Produced
Picking and sorting The Yellow Bourbon cherries are harvested selectively, focusing strictly on the peak yellow-ripening window when sugar content is highest. The hand-picked and mechanically harvested lots are immediately sorted using water flotation channels to separate lower-density floaters, followed by meticulous optical sorting to isolate uniformly ripe yellow cherries. Depulping & Pulped Natural Processing The cherries are passed through a mechanical depulper that strips away the outer yellow skin while leaving a clean, precise layer of sticky, sugar-rich mucilage intact on the bean. By bypassing the traditional fermentation tanks used in fully washed processing, this classic Brazilian pulped-natural method locks in deep body and natural sweetness. Drying The mucilage-covered parchment is immediately spread out in thin layers across large concrete drying patios under full sun. The coffee is raked continuously every hour to ensure uniform drying and prevent clumped fermentation. After the initial patio phase, the coffee is transferred to raised drying beds for a slow, gentle finish over 10 to 14 days. Once the moisture content stabilizes cleanly at 11%, the parchment is transferred to wooden conditioning bins to rest before final dry milling and export.
Roaster's Notes
In the Malaysian specialty coffee market, Brazilian origins are incredibly well-loved and widely accepted. Most local coffee drinkers appreciate Brazil for its comforting, heavy, and chocolatey profile. However, instead of following the traditional route of roasting these beans into a medium or dark profile, we decided to take a completely different approach. We choose to roast this Yellow Bourbon lighter, yet ensure it is fully and meticulously developed.
By stepping away from heavy roast flavors, we are able to strip away the bitterness and unlock the true terroir and pure varietal characteristics of this historic cultivar.
The result is a beautiful surprise. It maintains the absolute comfort that the Malaysian palate craves—delivering a rich, creamy foundation of milk chocolate, roasted nuts, and a dense, sweet raisin nougat. Yet, because of our lighter roasting style, the cup opens up with an unexpected clarity and a clean touch of balanced citrus acidity that you usually miss in darker roasts. It is our invitation to coffee lovers to experience the pure, unmasked potential of a classic Brazilian cup, roasted for clarity and crafted for daily enjoyment.
