It seems like Pink Bourbon is quickly becoming the gold standard of Colombia. When I first started buying in Colombia, almost 11 years ago, the only two coffee varieties I would come across were Colombia (F6) and Caturra. Since then, another important hybrid “Castillo” was developed by Cenicafé (Colombia National Coffee Investigation Centre). Castillo has been planted throughout Colombia more than any other variety and the results, at least from a quality perspective, have been mixed. In my own personal experiences, Castillo tends to bring out more of the herbaceous notes of Catimor, which is not exactly what I am looking for in a tasty coffee. The good news is that, at the same time that most producers planted Castillo, many also planted other varieties in search for better cup quality. One of these varieties is Pink Bourbon.
 
While there doesn’t seem to be a lot of legitimate literature on Pink Bourbon, it appears to be a hybrid between Yellow and Red Bourbon. In my experiences with the plant and in speaking with farmers who grow it, it doesn’t behave like a traditional bourbon in that it is hardier and more resistant to disease. The coffee bean also doesn’t look like a bourbon, but more like a typica or Geisha. The tree looks like a cross between the Colombia variety and a Typica. I’ve been asking for more clarity from those who study varieties and I have yet to get a clear answer on the lineage of Pink Bourbon.
 
In the cup, my experiences with this variety have been awesome – tending to a more exotic cup profile that stands out from the more traditional Colombian varieties and resembles traits of Geishas, Ethiopian, and Kenyan coffees.

Edier lives in south Huila with his wife, Daney, and their daughter, Tatiana. His farm, called Buenavista, is a four-hectare property that is very well-cared for. He has reinvested a large amount back into the farm. His wet mill and drying facility are immaculate; very clean and well-maintained. We buy all of his Caturra from Buenavista.
 
Edier has a second farm, called El Mirador, on the other side of Pitalito, also in South Huila. He is a part owner of this farm, and along with his partner - Fernando García - have 35,000 trees of Pink Bourbon and small amounts of a few other varieties like Pacamara. We buy the majority of this farm’s Pink Bourbon.

The Covid crisis has been felt by coffee producers around the world. Unfortunately, the harvest waits for nobody, so when it’s time to pick and process the coffee, producers like Edier were forced to improvise and manage the fields themselves, due to lack of workforce due to quarantine orders. In addition, many buying warehouses have been closed, so producers have been forced to store coffee in their homes and make do without any income. Osito has been working closely with Edier to ensure that he’s not suffering from cashflow issues. Covid really has had a global impact!

We are excited to be working with Edier Perdomo, and we look forward to tasting what his coffees bring in the future.

This coffee was frozen immediately on arrival in Calgary, to preserve freshness.

-Sebastian