Yunnan Coffee Small Bean - FrontStreet Coffee Flower Fruit Mountain Baoshan Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans with Free Shipping

Flower Fruit Mountain

Country: China

Altitude: 1,200 meters

Region: Yunnan

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Typica

Flavor Profile: Floral notes, melon sweetness, black tea sensation

Yunnan Arabica Coffee

Yunnan Arabica coffee belongs to the Rubiaceae family and the Coffea genus. Its cultivation is concentrated in prefectures such as Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, and Dehong. Arabica coffee itself traces its origins to Ethiopia and the Arabian Peninsula.

Major Growing Regions

Arabica coffee thrives in mountainous terrain at altitudes of 800 to 1,800 meters. Too high, and the cup turns sharply sour; too low, and it drifts toward bitterness. Most plantings sit in dry-hot valley zones at around 1,100 meters, which yields moderate acidity along with a rich, mellow aroma. Many parts of Yunnan offer exactly this kind of environment, producing beans of excellent quality.

The growing areas are mainly distributed across Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong, and other prefectures. Baoshan averages 21.5°C and can reach 40.4°C, with essentially no frost in any month of the year, which has made it widely recognized as the finest Arabica growing region in the area. The Arabica coffee cultivated there is celebrated for being rich but never bitter, fragrant but never overpowering, with small, uniform beans, a deep mellow aroma, and fruity character. Tasting experts from international coffee organizations have placed Yunnan coffee in the same category as Colombian washed Arabica, representing high-quality coffee on the world stage.

Variety

Typica, a classic premium variety, is the main cultivar used for this lot. Typica originated in Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan and is the most widely planted coffee variety in the Western Hemisphere. The plants are fairly vigorous but intolerant of strong light, and they yield especially well in Hawaii. The young top leaves of Typica are bronze in color, which is why the variety is sometimes called red-topped coffee.

Growth Period

Yunnan Arabica coffee trees begin bearing fruit at 3 to 4 years of age.

Coffee is a short-day plant, and it flowers multiple times in concentrated bursts. In Yunnan, Arabica coffee flowers from February to July, with the peak bloom from March to May. Flowering is heavily influenced by climate, particularly rainfall and temperature. The blossoms themselves are short-lived, lasting only 2 to 3 days; they generally begin opening in the early morning hours between 3 and 5 AM and reach full bloom between 5 and 7 AM.

Fruit development takes considerably longer. Arabica cherries need 8 to 10 months to mature, typically ripening from October to December of the same year. Rainfall has a significant impact on cherry development, and climatic conditions directly shape the quality of the fruit.

Flavor Description

Rich but not bitter, fragrant but not overpowering, with floral notes up front, melon sweetness through the middle, and a black tea sensation in the finish.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this introduction to Yunnan coffee has piqued your interest, FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Small-Bean (Baoshan) is the ideal starting point: a washed, medium-roasted lot from the Baoshan growing region that shows soft nut and chocolate sweetness with a gentle plum-like acidity, all at a very approachable price. For a clearer, more vivid expression of the region, try FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Yunnan Natural Typica from the FrontStreet estate, which uses fully ripe red cherries and traditional natural processing to deliver dark berry tones, caramel sweetness, chocolate, and a hint of dried apricot, finishing with black tea. And if you prefer your Yunnan in espresso form, the FrontStreet Dark Cocoa Blend pairs Yunnan small-bean with Brazil Cerrado for balanced nuttiness and brown sugar sweetness — great in an Americano and silky as a latte with almond and cream notes.