Introduction:Bourbon Pointu, also known as Laurina or Pointed Bourbon, is a rare coffee variety originating from Réunion Island, renowned for its exceptionally low caffeine content and delicate fruity aroma. This article will delve into its historical origins, unique flavor characteristics, caffeine ratio, and practical pour over parameters, offering you a comprehensive understanding of this once nearly extinct precious coffee.

Bourbon Pointu, also referred to as Laurina or Leroy, is one of the most legendary varieties in the coffee world. This coffee originated from Bourbon Island, now known as Réunion Island, as a natural mutation of the Arabica Bourbon variety. Compared to the common Bourbon variety, Bourbon Pointu beans are noticeably more slender in appearance, with pointed ends at both sides, hence the name "pointed" or "slender."

The most remarkable feature of this coffee is its extremely low caffeine content. Generally, Arabica coffee beans contain about 0.9% to 1.2% caffeine, but Bourbon Pointu’s caffeine content is only around 0.6%, nearly half. Although it doesn’t meet the standard for decaffeinated coffee, it has delighted many consumers who are sensitive to caffeine yet unwilling to give up the flavor of coffee.

In addition to its low caffeine content, Bourbon Pointu also performs excellently in terms of flavor. It typically exhibits bright fruity and floral notes, often described as citrus, honey, and a gentle creamy undertone, with a silky mouthfeel and an elegant aftertaste upon drinking. Such a flavor profile has earned it high praise among coffee enthusiasts and specialty judges.

Looking back at history, in the 18th century, Bourbon Pointu was once highly favored by European royalty and literary figures, such as King Louis XV of France and writer Honoré de Balzac. At that time on Réunion Island, the cultivation of Bourbon Pointu flourished, with annual production even reaching as high as 4,000 metric tons around the year 1800. However, it later suffered multiple setbacks, including hurricanes, invasions by red fire ants, and diseases like leaf rust, leading to a sharp decline in production and a significant reduction in cultivated area.

By 1942, the last remaining batch of Bourbon Pointu coffee beans, only about 200 kilograms, was shipped back to France, and since then, the variety has been considered extinct in the wild. In the decades that followed, Réunion Island gradually shifted to cash crops like sugarcane, and coffee cultivation came to a complete halt. Bourbon Pointu was also deemed an "extinct" variety.

Fortunately, between 1999 and 2007, through the joint efforts of French and Japanese coffee researchers, Bourbon Pointu was successfully revived from preserved seeds and reintroduced to the coffee market. This revival not only brought this historic coffee bean back to light but also transformed it into one of the rarest and most expensive coffees in the world.

For pour over enthusiasts, Bourbon Pointu is a highly worthwhile variety to try. It is recommended to use a Hario V60 dripper for brewing, with water temperature controlled at around 90°C. The grind size is suggested to be medium-fine, approximately at setting 3.5 on the Hario Mini Mill. For specific brewing, you can use a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, starting with 15 grams of coffee grounds. Begin with a 25-gram bloom for about 25 seconds, then continue pouring up to 120 grams before stopping. Once the water level drops to about half, pour again, with a total brew water volume recommended at 225 grams. The overall extraction time should be controlled around 2 minutes to fully showcase its delicate aromas and layered flavors.

In summary, Bourbon Pointu is not only a legendary chapter in the evolutionary history of coffee varieties but also, with its unique flavor and extremely low caffeine content, an ideal choice for coffee drinkers seeking both health and taste. If you’re interested in rare coffee varieties or low-caffeine profiles, Bourbon Pointu is definitely worth a try.

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