I picked up two Pink Bourbon lots from Big Step Coffee at the same time — one washed, one natural, both from Huila, Colombia. Doing a side-by-side was the obvious call. Here is what I found.
Before I get into the tasting notes, some quick context on what Pink Bourbon actually is, because I did not know much about it going in.
Pink Bourbon is a rare coffee variety originally documented in the Huila region of Colombia. The name comes from the pink color the cherries develop as they ripen. For a while it was assumed to be a hybrid of red and yellow Bourbon varieties, but more recent genetic research points to it possibly being a distinct Ethiopian landrace that made its way to South America. Whatever the origin, it tends to produce cups with exceptional clarity, delicate floral character, and fruit-forward complexity. It has become a favorite among specialty roasters for a reason.
Because the cherries ripen evenly and carry higher sugar content than a lot of other varieties, Pink Bourbon responds well to both washed and natural processing. That contrast is actually what makes it such a useful variety for understanding how processing shapes what ends up in your cup. Which brings me to why I bought two bags.
Both coffees came from Big Step Coffee — both from Huila, Colombia. One is a washed process lot from producer Eulises Guzman. The other is a natural process lot from Arley Vargas. Same variety, same region, different process.
I brewed them back to back on the OXO Rapid Brewer and took notes as I went. Worth mentioning: this was my first time trying Pink Bourbon at all, which made it even more interesting.
Out of the bag, the whole beans had a mellow, toasty aroma with some nutty and mildly fruity notes. Once I ground them, it opened up into something more distinct: apple and toasted nuts came through clearly.
In the cup, black tea was the standout. Smooth, clean, no fermented character at all. Lighter mouthfeel than I expected, and the finish did not linger long. It was an easy, focused cup where one or two notes came forward cleanly rather than a lot happening at once.
This is what a well-executed washed process is supposed to do. Stripping the fruit layer during processing lets the bean's inherent character come through without interference. If you are newer to single origin coffees or just prefer something clean and precise, this is the kind of cup that rewards you for that.
This one hit differently from the moment I opened the bag. Complex, layered aromas right away. Ground, I was getting boozy, fermented fruit on the nose — which is exactly what you want from a well-done natural.
In the cup: ripe banana, funky sweetness, a lot of complexity. It lingered on the palate and genuinely kept drawing me back in for more sips. There is an almost intoxicating quality to a natural-process coffee done right, and this one was spot on.
Natural process coffees are dried with the fruit cherry still intact, so the sugars and fermentation byproducts from the skin absorb into the bean over the weeks it takes to dry. That is where the wine-like, tropical, overtly fruity notes come from. When it goes wrong, it tips into overfermented and muddy. This one was grown and roasted to perfection, lending to a super fun cup.
If you want a bold, fruit-forward cup that sticks around after the sip, go natural. If you want something cleaner and easier to drink that highlights one or two notes without a lot of noise, go washed. Both are worth trying.
More than the tasting notes though, this experiment genuinely helped me understand how much processing method actually matters. You can read about washed versus natural all day, but tasting them back to back in the same variety from the same region makes it click in a way that is hard to get otherwise.
Big Step Coffee having both lots available at the same time is what made this possible, and they are worth following if you are interested in producer-credited, sourcing-forward coffees. If you are in the San Diego area and curious about coffee processing, this is the kind of thing I would highly recommend trying yourself.