Flavor Profiles and Differences: Yunnan Typica and Catimor Coffee Beans

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

Yunnan small-bean coffee has been developing in recent years and gradually entering the specialty coffee market, but people's impressions of Yunnan coffee are not so optimistic. Among these, "all special processing" and "inconsistent quality" are the most common labels attached to Yunnan coffee. These situations often occur because the Catimor variety has average flavor, and secondly, quick methods are used to cover up poor coffee flavors through special processing, making the overall quality of Yunnan coffee very inconsistent. To change these labels, FrontStreet Coffee has taken the lead by planting the ancient Typica variety in Yunnan and adopting traditional washed processing methods to ensure stable coffee flavor.

What is Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee?

Yunnan small-bean coffee refers to Arabica coffee beans. At that time, French missionary Alfred Tietje brought coffee seeds (Typica) from Vietnam to Yunnan. After successfully planting them in Zhugula Village, Binchuan County, Yunnan Province, he told people this was small-bean coffee (because Arabica coffee beans belong to small-fruit coffee, while Robusta belongs to medium-fruit coffee). Naturally, the Yunnan region calls Arabica coffee beans "Yunnan small beans." Today, the common Yunnan small-bean coffee varieties include Typica and Catimor.

Why is the Catimor Variety Considered to Have Average Flavor?

Catimor is a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta species. Robusta has good leaf rust resistance, rich oils, high yield, and is easy to cultivate. After hybridizing with Arabica's Typica, Catimor acquired 25% Robusta genes. It improved leaf rust resistance, retained Robusta's rich oils, while maintaining Typica's rich flavor characteristics, so most Yunnan estates began large-scale planting of Catimor, and Typica's cultivation range began to shrink. Although Catimor has rich flavor characteristics, it cannot avoid the appearance of some poor Robusta flavors, leading to the overall lack of cleanliness in Catimor coffee after brewing.

Why Does FrontStreet Coffee Insist on Planting Typica Varieties?

As one of the ancient coffee varieties, Typica coffee has a subtle, clean flavor and balanced characteristics, with high taste cleanliness—something that special processing methods cannot achieve. The reason Yunnan coffee farmers are unwilling to plant Typica coffee is that Typica varieties have low yields and are susceptible to pests, making the effort disproportionate to the harvest. On the other hand, coffee farmers have not yet developed specialty coffee awareness, so they keep their distance from Typica varieties.

Why Does FrontStreet Coffee Insist on Using Traditional Washed Processing?

FrontStreet Coffee believes that changing coffee flavor through processing methods is not a long-term solution. People try special processing methods out of curiosity, but traditional processing methods are what everyone truly loves. However, washed processing clearly reveals whether coffee flavor is good or bad, so to enjoy delicious Yunnan small-bean coffee, we must start from the planting varieties. Only by changing from the root can the flavor gain public recognition.

Where Does FrontStreet Coffee Plant Yunnan Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan coffee plantation is located at 1200m in Baoshan, near the Vietnam border. The local average temperature is 21.5°C, basically frost-free year-round, with sufficient annual rainfall. FrontStreet Coffee's estate plants an average of 100 Typica coffee trees per mu, with each mu yielding about 100kg per harvest.

How Does FrontStreet Coffee Roast Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee Beans (Typica Variety)?

Yangjia 800N (roasting amount 300g): Heat the roaster to 200°C, set air damper to 3. After 1 minute, adjust heat to 160°C. Return temperature point at 1'32". Roast until 5'40" when yellowing occurs, temperature 149°C, grassy smell completely disappears, dehydration completed. Keep heat unchanged, air damper changed to 4. At the 6th minute, adjust heat to 140. At the 7th minute, adjust heat again to 120.

At the 8th minute, ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast smell clearly turns to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. Start first crack at 8'37", adjust heat to 90, fully open air damper to 5. At the 9th minute, reduce heat to 20 degrees. First crack development for 2'00", discharge at 196°C.

How Does FrontStreet Coffee Brew Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee Beans (Typica Variety)?

To enhance the body of Yunnan small-bean coffee, FrontStreet Coffee uses the Kono Meimon dripper for brewing. The short rib design of the Kono Meimon dripper slows down the flow rate during extraction, achieving extended extraction to enhance body.

Coffee Amount: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (76% passing rate through 0.85mm aperture sieve)

Water Temperature: 90°C

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented brewing. First, pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, during which the coffee expands into a "hamburger" shape. For the second segment, pour 125g of water in small circles from the center. Pour height is 4cm, with gentle force to minimize disturbance of the coffee bed, water flow rate at 4g per second. When the water level drops to 1/2 of the coffee bed, start the third segment of pouring. This segment is also gently poured from center outward in circles until reaching 225g. End extraction when all coffee liquid has dripped through the dripper, time: 2'01". After extraction is complete, gently shake to ensure the coffee liquid is fully uniform before tasting.

Yunnan Typica Small-Bean Coffee Brewing Flavor:

Rich fruit aroma on entry, melon, herbal plant notes. Middle notes of nuts, milk chocolate. Finish with lively and bright plum acidity. From hot to warm temperature, you can feel layers of sweet and sour, first sweet then sour, with apricot, citrus-toned acidity, and a black tea finish with some brown sugar sweetness.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473