Kona Red Bourbon

About This Coffee

Kona Red Bourbon brewed the winning coffee at the "Brewers Cup" U.S. Coffee Championship prelims in Hawaii August, 2022. “This Kona Red Bourbon stood out on the cupping table against the others and I think it tasted great brewed as well. Excellent example of a red bourbon. Fragrant, complex, sweet and only got better as it cooled.” — Thomas Kiesling, the winning barista. See the parameters used by Thomas to win below! A FULL-BODIED & SWEET COFFEE VARIETY This coffee reminds us of Black Forest cake, thanks to its dark chocolate and cherry notes. 🍒 With abundant sweetness and intense aromatics, Kona Red Bourbon is as lush and elegant as it is rare to find in Hawaii. And despite its name, Red Bourbon (pronounced 'boar-bone') has nothing to do with the adult beverage. Red Bourbon is a coffee variety known for its natural sweetness and lush fruit flavors. As such, it does very well in competitions. Case in point, this coffee was used to brew the winning cup at the U.S. Coffee Championship Brewer's Cup prelims last weekend. Kona Red Bourbon was grown by Franck of Uluwehi Farm at an elevation of 1800ft. It was processed via controlled fermentation with a wine yeast that is commonly used to ferment Rosé, Viognier, and Chardonnay. By using this wine yeast, Franck is 'dialing in' the flavor profile of this coffee in the same way that vintners do with wine. WHAT IS THE USCC BREWER'S CUP? The US Coffee Champion Brewer's Cup is an annual U.S. competition that celebrates the art of manual brewing. For the first time in USCC history, a preliminary featured only coffees grown in the United States (Hawaii). The Brewer's Cup 1st place winner, Thomas Kiesling, is an experienced roaster and barista. He chose Big Island Coffee Roasters' Kona Red Bourbon coffee to brew in the competition. THE WINNING BREW RECIPE Thomas was kind enough to share the winning brew method with us. Enjoy! Ratio: 13g coffee to 210g water Temperature: 205°F Brewer: Clever Dripper Method: Stir for 15 seconds. Time: Start the dripping process at 3:00 for a total brew time of 3:55. Grind: Coarse, similar to cupping parameters. Adjust grind size so the brew finishes dripping in exactly 55 seconds.