The Story of Yunnan Xiao Li Coffee Huaguoshan Baoshan Typica Premium Coffee Beans

Coffee Growing Regions in Yunnan

Yunnan's coffee belt runs through Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong, and neighboring areas. Baoshan, with an average temperature of 21.5°C that can climb to 40.4°C and virtually no frost all year, is widely regarded as the finest region for arabica (small-bean) coffee. The beans grown here are celebrated at home and abroad for being rich without bitterness and fragrant without harshness—small, uniform, mellow, and fruity. Tasting experts at the International Coffee Organization have placed Yunnan coffee in the same class as Colombian washed arabica, ranking it among the world's quality coffees.

Hand Brew Method for Yunnan Flower Fruit Mountain

Dose 15g of coffee at a medium grind (Fuji ghost-tooth grinder, setting 4) and brew on a V60 with water at 88–89°C. Pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Once the bed has drained to half, continue pouring slowly up to 225g total, skipping the tail end of the drawdown. Work at a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio with a total extraction time of 2:00.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee (Dazhen Coffee)

Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473

Ingredients: 100% Typica

Ground upon order; Shelf life: 20 days

Net content: 10g

Packaging: Bulk

Brand: Coffee Workshop

Series: Flower Fruit Mountain

Organic: No

Taste: Mellow and fragrant

Bean State: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar content: Sugar-free

Origin: China (Yunnan)

Roast level: Medium roast

Coffee Details

Flower Fruit Mountain

Country: China

Altitude: 1200 meters

Region: Yunnan

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Typica

Flavor Notes: Floral aroma, melon sweetness, black tea sensation

Main Growing Areas

Arabica thrives on mountain slopes between 800 and 1,800 meters. Plant it too high and the cup turns sour; too low and it turns bitter. Most Yunnan arabica is planted in dry-hot valley terrain around 1,100 meters, which yields moderate acidity with a rich, mellow aroma. Many parts of Yunnan offer exactly this kind of environment, and the province produces consistently excellent beans.

Variety

Typica, the classic heritage variety, is the backbone of this lot. Typica traces its origins to Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan and became the most widely planted variety in the Western Hemisphere. The plants are relatively vigorous but intolerant of harsh direct light, and they perform especially well in Hawaii. Typica's young top leaves are copper-colored, which is why it is sometimes called "red-topped coffee."

Growth Period

Yunnan arabica trees begin bearing fruit at 3–4 years of age.

Coffee is a short-day plant with multiple flowering episodes and concentrated flowering periods. Yunnan's arabica flowers from February to July, peaking between March and May. Flowering is highly sensitive to climate—especially rainfall and temperature—and the blossoms last only 2–3 days. Typica buds typically start to open between 3 and 5 a.m. and are in full bloom by 5–7 a.m.

Fruit development is a long process. Arabica cherries take 8–10 months to ripen, generally maturing from October to December of the same year. Rainfall has a significant effect on cherry development, and climatic conditions directly shape the fruit.

Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee

Yunnan's small-bean coffee belongs to the Rubiaceae family, genus Coffea. Plantings are concentrated in Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, and Dehong. The variety itself traces back to Ethiopia or the Arabian Peninsula.

Flavor Description

Rich but never bitter, fragrant but never harsh: a floral lift up front, melon sweetness through the middle, and a black-tea finish.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yunnan arabica—"Yunnan small-bean" coffee—traces its roots to 1904, when the French missionary Father Tienne carried Typica seeds from Vietnam into Yunnan and planted the province's first coffee tree in Zhugula Village, Binchuan County. For an approachable first taste of the region, FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan small-bean lot from Baoshan is washed and roasted to a medium level, showing gentle nut and chocolate sweetness with a light plum acidity—an affordable introduction to Chinese specialty coffee.

If you want a clearer picture of what Yunnan can do, step up to FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 sun-dried Typica, grown on the roastery's own estate. The estate uses only fully ripe red cherries and the most traditional of all post-harvest methods—natural sun-drying—then roasts medium to keep the cup balanced with pronounced sweet-and-sour structure: dark berry tones, caramel sweetness, chocolate, a hint of dried apricot, and a black-tea finish.

For Yunnan flavor in espresso form, FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa blend pairs Yunnan small-bean coffee with Brazil Cerrado. The Brazilian component contributes mixed-nut aroma and a balanced body, while the Yunnan side brings chocolate and citrus. The resulting americano balances sweetness, acidity, and bitterness with notes of nuts and brown sugar, and lattes come through smooth with almond and cream—very forgiving for beginners.