Introduction:Step into the Paradise Estate in the Cauca region of Colombia to discover a rare and distinctive coffee variety—Pink Bourbon. This high-altitude bean, processed via the washed method, is not only visually unique but also renowned for its flavors of peach, plum, grapefruit, and tea. This article provides a comprehensive breakdown—from the growing environment and varietal origins, to processing methods, roasting, and pour over recommendations—to help you fully understand this exceptional choice for coffee enthusiasts seeking complex flavor profiles.
In Colombia’s southwestern Cauca department, nestled within mountainous terrain nearing 2,000 meters above sea level, lies the Paradise Estate, famed for producing specialty coffee. Here grows an extraordinarily special coffee variety—Pink Bourbon. It is a hybrid of Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon, and its most distinctive feature is that its ripe coffee cherries display a soft, romantic pink hue. However, consistently producing this pink color isn’t easy. Due to genetic interference, orange fruits may occasionally appear, making Pink Bourbon with stable appearance and flavor a true rarity in the coffee world.
This coffee brand ventured deep into the Cauca region to bring back this washed Pink Bourbon, thoroughly analyzing every aspect from terroir, cultivation background, green bean appearance, processing techniques, to roasting and cupping flavors. This allows pour over coffee lovers to gain an in-depth understanding of this high-altitude specialty bean that boasts multiple fruit notes and delicate tea-like aromas.
As the world’s third-largest coffee producer, Colombia’s coffee industry began in the 1830s and by the 20th century had become a major export agricultural product. Approximately 75% of the country’s coffee is exported, making it a vital source of foreign exchange. Its mountainous terrain and tropical microclimates create an exceptionally favorable environment for cultivation, with well-known regions including Huila, Vera, Tolima, and Cauca. Among them, Cauca stands out as one of the prime origins for high-quality coffee, thanks to its high altitude and abundant rainfall.
Cauca has an average elevation of 1,758 meters, with some areas exceeding 2,100 meters. About 80% of the region is mountainous, featuring a mild climate and volcanic soils rich in nutrients—creating an ideal environment for growing Arabica coffee. The area experiences a distinct single-peak precipitation pattern, with the dry season typically falling between August and September, and the rainy season bringing concentrated flowering and harvesting periods. This contributes to consistent coffee quality.
Paradise Estate is managed by young coffee farmer Diego Bermudez. A graduate in Agricultural Business Management, he has been dedicated to coffee cultivation since 2006, setting his goal from the outset to grow high-quality specialty coffee. Over the years, he has actively participated in various coffee competitions and achieved numerous accolades. The estate is situated in a high-altitude area with a mild and humid climate, influenced by Pacific air currents, allowing the coffee cherries to ripen slowly and accumulate rich sweetness, thus developing unique fruitiness and acidity.
To maintain consistent quality, Paradise Estate employs mechanized and environmentally friendly processing methods to ensure that each batch of coffee exhibits uniform flavor characteristics. This Pink Bourbon is processed using a refined washed method, showcasing pronounced tropical fruit and floral notes, and is especially well-suited for pour over brewing to savor its layered complexity.
The washed processing procedure for this Pink Bourbon is as follows: first, ripe, red coffee cherries are selected. Then, a pulper is used to remove the outer skin and part of the fruit pulp. The beans, still coated with mucilage, are placed in water tanks for around 24 hours of fermentation. After fermentation, the residual mucilage is rinsed off with clean water, followed by sun drying or mechanical drying until the moisture content drops to about 12%. Finally, the parchment is removed to complete the green bean processing.
What makes Pink Bourbon unique is that its coffee cherries turn a soft pink upon ripening, resulting from the genetic interaction between Red and Yellow Bourbon. However, due to the instability of recessive pigments in the genes, consistently producing pure pink coffee fruits over the long term is quite challenging. Occasionally, orange or even yellow fruits may appear, making Pink Bourbon that maintains a stable pink color and consistent flavor all the more precious. Observing its green beans, they are oval-shaped with slightly uneven sizes. The silverskin appears yellowish with orange hues, and the bean color leans toward greenish-gray, exuding fresh citrus and grassy aromas.
In terms of roasting, this Pink Bourbon was small-batch roasted using a Yangjia 800N machine (capacity of approximately 500 grams). The recommended roast profile is as follows: beans enter the drum at 165°C with the air damper set to 3 and flame at 100; at around 1 minute 35 seconds, the temperature returns to the turning point of 145°C, the damper is adjusted to 4, and the flame remains unchanged—this marks the start of the drying phase, where grassy notes gradually fade. The flame is then gradually reduced to 80 (at 166°C) and 60 (at 176°C), keeping the damper unchanged. At around 7 minutes 50 seconds, the bean surface begins to show wrinkles and dark spots, entering the pre-first crack stage. Close attention is needed at this point to monitor the onset of first crack. First crack begins at 8 minutes 57 seconds; the flame is then reduced to 40 and the damper adjusted to 5. The first crack development phase lasts approximately 2 minutes 05 seconds, and the beans are dropped at 195°C. Agtron bean color value is around 72.5, pink value 76, and Roast Delta is 3.5, placing it between light-medium and medium roast—effectively highlighting fruitiness and acidity.
Cupping results show that this coffee exhibits flavors of citrus, cocoa, roasted almonds, caramel, licorice, lemon, fermentation notes, and distinct floral-tea aromas. The flavor profile is rich and layered. Please note that actual flavors may vary slightly depending on water temperature, grind size, and brewing method. This cupping information is based on standard parameters and equipment for reference purposes.
For brewing recommendations, this Pink Bourbon is exceptionally well-suited for pour over to showcase its delicate flavors. It is recommended to use a V60 filter cone, with water temperature controlled at 88–90°C, and grind size at medium-fine (approximately 58% passing through a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve, similar to the coarseness of white sugar). The suggested coffee-to-water ratio is 1:15. For specific steps, you can use 15 grams of coffee grounds, start with a 30-second bloom using 30 grams of water, then pour up to 118 grams for the first pour. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, pour again up to 227 grams before stopping. Once the water level drops again, remove the filter. Total brew time is around 2 minutes. This method fully highlights its flavors of peach, plum, and grapefruit, along with a long-lasting tea-floral finish and a creamy-smooth mouthfeel.
In summary, this washed Pink Bourbon from Paradise Estate in Cauca, Colombia, not only features uniquely pink-hued cherries but also stands out in the world of pour over coffee with its bright acidity, multi-layered fruitiness, and delicate aftertaste. If you enjoy exploring diverse coffee flavors, this specialty-grade bean—melding notes of peach, plum, grapefruit, and tea—is definitely worth savoring in detail.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
