What is "Pink Bourbon" coffee from Colombia?
is a trade and farmer name for a coffee with pink-ripening cherries, especially associated with Colombia's Huila region. Although it was once described as a Red × Yellow Bourbon cross, genetic testing reported by Cafe Imports in 2017 and 2023 points instead to Ethiopian landrace ancestry. Its exact historical route to Colombia remains unresolved.
Sources show where the underlying information came from. They do not automatically make a claim correct, so disputed history, evolving science and uncertain claims should be labeled as such in the explanation itself.
Why the confusing name? Farmers observed pink-ripening cherries on trees growing in an area where Bourbon was familiar, so the descriptive name stuck. A plausible-sounding explanation—that Red and Yellow Bourbon crossed to create pink cherries—spread widely. A color or trade name, however, is not genetic proof.
What did the testing actually show? Cafe Imports reports that DNA Analytica tested two plants in 2017 and that RD2 Vision analyzed five additional samples from Colombia and Costa Rica in 2023. The later analysis identified genetic markers consistent with an Ethiopian landrace rather than a Bourbon-line cross. Not every submitted sample was genetically uniform: some contained markers associated with Bourbon or Catimor. These are industry-reported genetic findings, not a comprehensive, peer-reviewed map of every plant sold under the name.
Does that change the taste? No label guarantees flavor. Buyers and roasters often describe particular lots as floral, citrusy, or fruit-forward, but the variety name alone cannot establish . Harvest, ripeness, processing, roast, water, and brewing all affect the cup. The best evidence is a named producer and harvest with documented processing plus an actual tasting of that lot.
What remains unknown? The precise route by which this genetic material reached Colombia, the ancestry of every locally named seed line, and the genetic identity of any particular retail bag unless that lot was tested. Treat as useful commercial identification, not proof that the coffee belongs to the Bourbon genetic family. Sources below document the testing and its limitations.
- ·https://www.cafeimports.com/australia/blog/2023/09/26/pink-bourbon-cryptozoology-and-genetics-in-specialty-coffee/Verify source for reference 1 ↗
- ·https://perfectdailygrind.com/2023/10/pink-bourbon-specialty-coffee/Verify source for reference 2 ↗