Introduction to Yunnan Huaguoshan Small Bean Coffee Growing Region - How to Brew Huaguoshan Small Bean Coffee

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Main Growing Regions

Arabica suits mountainous country between 800 and 1,800 meters. Too high and the cup turns sour; too low and it turns bitter. Most Arabica is planted in hot, dry valley areas around 1,100 meters, which gives moderate acidity, a rich aroma and a mellow flavour. Many parts of Yunnan offer exactly this kind of environment, and they produce excellent Arabica beans.

The main growing areas are spread across Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong and other prefectures. Baoshan has an average temperature of 21.5°C, reaching as high as 40.4°C, and essentially no frost all year, which is why it is recognised as the best Arabica growing region. The Arabica grown there is known at home and abroad for being rich without bitterness, fragrant without being heavy, with small, uniform beans, a rich mellow aroma and fruity notes. Tasting experts from the International Coffee Organization have rated Yunnan coffee in the same category as Colombian wet-processed Arabica - high-quality coffee by world standards.

Varieties

Typica, the classic premium variety, is the main one planted for this batch of coffee. Typica originates in southeastern Ethiopia and Sudan and is the most widely cultivated coffee variety in the Western Hemisphere. The plants are fairly robust but do not tolerate strong light, and yields are higher in Hawaii. Typica's top leaves are reddish-bronze, which earned it the name "red-topped coffee".

Brewing Method

Hand-poured Yunnan Flower Fruit Mountain: 15 g of coffee, medium grind (using a Fuji "ghost tooth" burr grinder at setting 4), a V60 dripper and water at 88-89°C. First pour: 30 g of water, bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105 g and stop, wait until the water level drops halfway, then continue pouring slowly until you reach 225 g. Discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15. Extraction time: 2:00.

Growth Period

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

Coffee is a short-day plant. It flowers several times, with a concentrated peak. Yunnan Arabica flowers from February to July, peaking from March to May. Flowering is strongly affected by climate, particularly rainfall and temperature. Coffee flowers live only 2-3 days. Arabica generally begins to open between 3 and 5 AM and reaches full bloom from 5 to 7 AM.

Coffee fruit takes a relatively long time to develop. Arabica fruit needs 8-10 months to ripen, generally maturing from October to December of the same year. Rainfall has a major influence on fruit development, and weather conditions directly affect fruit quality.

Yunnan Arabica Coffee

Yunnan Arabica belongs to the Rubiaceae family, genus Coffea. The growing areas are mainly distributed across Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong and other prefectures. Arabica originates in Ethiopia or the Arabian Peninsula.

Flavor description: rich but not bitter, fragrant but not strong, with floral notes, sweet melon in the middle and a black tea finish.

Baoshan Arabica is a specialty product of Lujiang, Baoshan, Yunnan, and a national geographical indication product. It is one of the highest-quality coffees in China and indeed in the world, with uniform, plump beans, a fresh aroma, a rich fragrance and a mellow taste. It is rich without being overpowering and can be compared to the world-renowned Blue Mountain coffee. Its reputation rests on a unique quality: in the late 1950s it was rated first-grade on the London market and earned the name "Lujiang No. 1", and in 1980 it was recognised as the "Crown of National Coffee" at the National Coffee Conference.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Dazhen Coffee FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Factory Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: 100% Typica
Ground upon order
Shelf life: 20 days
Net content: 10g
Packaging: Bulk
Brand: FrontStreet Coffee
Series: Flower Fruit Mountain
Organic: No
Taste: Mellow and aromatic
Coffee bean state: Roasted beans
Sugar content: Sugar-free
Origin: China
Roast level: Medium roast

Flower Fruit Mountain

Country: China
Altitude: 1200 meters
Region: Yunnan
Roast level: Medium roast
Processing method: Washed
Variety: Typica
Flavor: Floral notes, sweet melon, black tea finish

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To get to know Chinese Arabica, begin with FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan small bean. "Small bean" is simply another name for Arabica, given because its fruit is the smallest of the three original coffee species. The story starts in 1904, when the French missionary Tian Deneng brought coffee seed - Typica - from Vietnam into Yunnan and planted the province's first coffee tree in Zhugula village, Binchuan county. Yunnan's geography and climate suited it so well that small-bean cultivation succeeded on a large scale. FrontStreet's Yunnan small bean comes from the Baoshan region, is washed and medium roasted, and gives soft nut and chocolate sweetness with a light plum acidity, all at a price that makes it a natural first encounter with Yunnan coffee.

If you want something more distinctive from the same province, FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Sun-Dried Typica is the step up. To explore what Yunnan could really do, FrontStreet planted its own estate in 2013 with a batch of Typica trees, partly because Typica is one of the oldest varieties, carries pure Arabica genetics and has always been recognised for its elegant, clean flavour, and partly because the first coffee planted in Yunnan was also Typica, brought in by French missionaries, so the aim was to recover that original taste of the place. Only fully ripe red cherries are used and the coffee is sun-dried, then given a medium roast to balance the cup and sharpen the sweet-sour interplay. The result has dark berry notes alongside caramel sweetness, chocolate and a hint of dried apricot, finishing with a black tea aftertaste.

Healthy coffee plants like warmth - they tolerate heat but not cold - and benefit from good light. The ideal growing temperature is 16-21°C, which is why the world's coffee belt circles the equator and reaches to 25 degrees north; Yunnan happens to sit on that belt, with most of the province above 1,000 meters, fertile sloping soils, plenty of sun, ample rain and a wide day-to-night temperature swing. Plantings are concentrated in the southwest of the province, across four main areas: Baoshan, Dehong, Pu'er and Lincang. FrontStreet's regular line-up includes two Yunnan specialty coffees from Baoshan and Lincang.

For a Yunnan-flavoured espresso, FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa blend combines Yunnan small bean with Brazilian Cerrado. The Brazilian component supplies mixed nut aroma and a balanced mouthfeel, while the Yunnan small bean plays the role of chocolate and citrus. The Americano it makes is balanced across acidity, sweetness and bitterness with nutty, brown sugar sweetness, and as a latte it gives the smooth, creamy character of almond, making it very friendly to beginners.