What is St. Helena Green Tipped Bourbon?

St. Helena Green Tipped Bourbon is a historically significant coffee variety associated with the remote island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. Coffee was introduced there in 1733 when the East India Company brought seeds from Yemen (specifically Mocha). The plants that established on the island over centuries developed into a distinct population recognisable by their characteristic green-tipped shoots.

The variety is pure Arabica of Yemeni origin - one of the oldest documented coffee populations outside of Ethiopia and Yemen. Napoleon Bonaparte reportedly favoured St. Helena coffee during his exile on the island, a piece of provenance that has contributed to its story and price.

St. Helena coffee is produced in tiny quantities due to the island's small land area and extreme remoteness. The cup profile is clean, delicate, and mild - soft acidity and a gentle nutty sweetness. The price reflects rarity and the legend around it as much as anything in the cup. It's a genuinely interesting historical artefact as much as it is a coffee.