Characteristics and Flavor Profile of Yunnan Catimor Coffee Beans for Pour-Over Brewing: The Story of Yunnan Catimor Coffee

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The first coffee variety actually planted in Yunnan was Typica, but Typica has poor disease resistance and low yield. With China's reform and opening up, some major international brands began entering the Chinese market. However, since they prioritized yield over flavor, they introduced the Catimor variety, which is resistant to leaf rust and has higher yields. Today, when you visit FrontStreet Coffee's store, you'll find that we have two coffees from the Yunnan region on our bean menu—one is the Huaguoshan, which is a Typica variety, and the other is Yunnan Xiaoli, which is a Catimor variety.

Originally, Yunnan Xiaoli coffee referred to the Typica variety. However, because the Catimor variety invaded Yunnan and gained dominance, Yunnan Xiaoli coffee transformed from the original Typica to what is now Catimor.

Catimor

In 1959, the Portuguese crossbred Brazilian Caturra with Timor to create Catimor, which has strong disease resistance and is currently an important commercial variety. East Timor was colonized by Portugal for four hundred years, and the Portuguese had long been familiar with East Timor's coffee trees. In 1959, the Portuguese moved Brazil's Bourbon mutation Caturra to East Timor and crossbred it with Timor, which has Robusta heritage, successfully creating Catimor with superior disease resistance and productivity. Between 1970 and 1990, leaf rust devastated coffee-producing countries worldwide. With international organization assistance, various countries vigorously promoted Catimor to resist leaf rust and increase productivity. This highly disease-resistant plant can resist coffee leaf rust, so it was widely planted in Latin American countries in the 1980s. Unfortunately, because Timor variety (also known as Arabusta) is a natural hybrid of Typica Arabica and Robusta, although the latter can give it disease resistance, the delicate flavor of the Arabica variety disappeared. Catimor, while inheriting Robusta's strong disease resistance, also inherited poor flavor genes. Additionally, although early Catimor had high yields, it required shade trees to thrive, otherwise it would easily wither.

This variety is high-yield and stable-yield. Trial planting results in different ecological types have proven that as long as it's planted according to high-yield cultivation techniques, it will definitely achieve high yields, with an average yield of over 150 kg per mu, and small areas can reach over 400 kg.

Yunnan Coffee

When it comes to Asian coffee, coffee enthusiasts' first impression is generally rich and mellow. It is precisely because of the mellow characteristics of Asian coffee that it's very suitable as a base for making espresso blends. The general characteristics of Asian coffee are rich flavor, strong and round sweetness, but the aroma and brightness are somewhat plain. Asian coffee: the characteristic of taste, deep flavor and rich texture.

China's coffee producing areas are mainly distributed in Hainan, Yunnan, Fujian, Guangdong, and Taiwan. Only Yunnan Province can roughly meet the requirements for growing Arabica coffee crops, and Yunnan is also China's main coffee growing region.

Southern Yunnan Province, located between 15°N latitude and the Tropic of Cancer, produces coffee that is strong but not bitter, fragrant but not intense—very unique. With a hint of fruitiness, it's a superior grade of coffee that has received international acclaim. Taiwan is situated in the subtropical zone with many mountains and distinct rainy seasons, which is considered a fairly good growing environment for coffee. Since the British introduced coffee trees during the Guangxu period, small-scale cultivation still exists. Famous producing areas include Huichang Farm in Nantou mountainous area (over 1000 meters above sea level) and Hebao Mountain in Yunlin's Gukeng (294 meters above sea level). The coffee flavor is similar to Central and South American beans, with soft acidity and good texture, with a mild taste.

Yunnan Coffee Growing Regions

Today, Yunnan's growing regions are mainly distributed in Lincang, Baoshan, Pu'er, and Dehong.

Lincang

Lincang City is located in southwestern Yunnan Province, with the Tropic of Cancer crossing its southern part. It borders Pu'er to the east, Dali to the north, Baoshan to the west, and Myanmar to the southwest. Named for its proximity to the Lancang River, it's a brilliant pearl on China's southwestern border. Lincang's average annual temperature ranges between 16.8°C-17.2°C, with distinct dry and wet seasons and sufficient sunshine.

Baoshan

Yunnan Xiaoli coffee is Baoshan's most famous coffee. This coffee took its first step in the late 1950s and quickly received positive feedback from London. At the 1980 National Coffee Conference, it was recognized as the "Nation's Best Coffee." In December 2010, Baoshan Xiaoli coffee received A-level certification and went through the China National Standard Administration process, being recognized as a product reflecting China's national geographical indication.

Pu'er

The Coffee City. In 2012, Pu'er's planting area was 43,433 hectares, coffee harvest area was 18,000 hectares, with annual coffee production of 36,500 tons, of which 24,700 tons were exported. The Pu'er coffee industry has 70 registered enterprises, 30,000 households, and about 1 million people. Pu'er tea is known as the "City of Thousand-Year Tea," and it's an important coffee-producing area in China with the largest planting area, highest production, best quality, and an important distribution center for international coffee business.

Dehong

The birthplace of Chinese coffee. This region has an altitude of 1,000 to 1,600 meters and covers 2,000 hectares of coffee plantations. More importantly, most coffee here is organically grown, making it one of the world's highest quality coffees.

Yunnan Coffee Bean Grading System

Size Grading

1) Common International Grading Standards:

Coffee beans are graded by size using round-hole grading sieves. Common international small-bean coffee sizes range from grade 10-20. The numbers used represent sieve hole diameters as fractions with the number as the numerator and 64 as the denominator, measured in inches. For example: grade 14 refers to green coffee beans that can pass through a sieve with 14/64 inch diameter holes, and grade 19 refers to green coffee beans that can pass through a sieve with 19/64 inch diameter holes (1 inch ≈ 2.54 cm).

2) Common Domestic Coffee Grading Standards:

Divided into five levels according to sieve holes of 6.5, 6.0, 5.5, and 5.0 millimeters.

Grade 1: Above 6.5mm, plump and complete grains.

Grade 2: 6.0-6.4mm, plump and relatively uniform.

Grade 3: 5.3-5.9mm, relatively plump, slightly less uniform.

Grade 4: 5.0-5.4mm, with incomplete grains, complete grains account for over 75%.

Grade 5: Below 5.0mm, with incomplete grains, complete grains account for over 30%.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Xiaoli

Region: Baoshan, Yunnan, China

Altitude: 1200m

Variety: Catimor

Processing Method: Washed

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-Over Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: KONO

Dose: 15 grams

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: 75% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

FrontStreet Coffee's Three-Stage Extraction Method

Use 30g of water to bloom for 30 seconds, then pour with a small stream in the center to 125g. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the filter cup. Extraction time is 2'00" (starting from bloom timer).

Flavor Description

The dry aroma has nutty fragrance, and when drinking, it has flavors of chocolate, nuts, and cream, with brown sugar sweetness. The overall profile is quite balanced.

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