Flavor Characteristics and Taste Profile of Yunnan Coffee Beans - FrontStreet Coffee's Regional Brand Story

Customers often ask about the "FrontStreet Coffee 2013" coffee bean from FrontStreet Coffee's bean list. Many customers are likely interested in this particular bean because of the FrontStreet Coffee prefix attached to its name.

Indeed, unlike typical coffee shops, FrontStreet Coffee started by growing coffee beans before opening their café. Initially, FrontStreet Coffee chose to grow coffee in a place called Dazhen in Guangdong province, selecting the Catimor coffee variety, which is now commonly found in Yunnan coffee. For those who are not very familiar with the Catimor variety, FrontStreet Coffee will provide detailed information about this coffee variety later. At that time, China's coffee industry was just beginning, with very limited information available about coffee, so FrontStreet Coffee's knowledge reserve about coffee was not solid enough. After more than half a year, through practice, FrontStreet Coffee came to understand that coffee cultivation has a very close relationship with altitude and soil. Only by planting high-quality coffee varieties at suitable altitudes can they grow into premium specialty coffee with excellent flavors.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee began to look across all of China. Friends who pay some attention to the Chinese coffee market can probably notice that China currently has roughly three main regions for coffee cultivation: Yunnan, Fujian, and Hainan. Due to its relatively low average altitude, Hainan lacks one of the most important conditions for coffee cultivation. FrontStreet Coffee found that most coffee grown in Hainan is Robusta coffee beans. Robusta coffee has very low requirements for growing environments. Genetically, Robusta coffee beans are easier to care for than Arabica coffee crops and have higher yields, resulting in lower production costs.

Since Robusta coffee beans contain twice as much caffeine as Arabica coffee beans, they have more antioxidants and are less susceptible to disease. However, everything has its pros and cons. Although Robusta has many advantages such as high yield and disease resistance, it is generally considered more bitter than Arabica coffee with a rougher mouthfeel, so Robusta coffee beans are often not recognized as specialty coffee beans.

Looking across all of China, the most suitable place for coffee cultivation is Yunnan. At that time, most coffee beans grown in Yunnan were Arabica, so FrontStreet Coffee made a significant decision: abandon coffee cultivation in Guangdong and switch to Yunnan. FrontStreet Coffee did not directly purchase a coffee estate but innovatively bought mountain tops suitable for coffee cultivation. However, the previous coffee cultivation experience told FrontStreet Coffee that Catimor was not the coffee variety they were pursuing, so FrontStreet Coffee chose the more expensive Typica coffee variety. Why is the Typica coffee variety more expensive than the Catimor coffee variety that was (and still is) popular in Yunnan at that time?

The Differences Between Catimor and Typica Coffee Varieties

First, let's look at Typica coffee! Like all Arabica coffee, the Typica group should have originated in southwestern Ethiopia. At some point in the 15th or 16th century, it was brought to Yemen. By 1700, seeds from Yemen began to be cultivated in India.

In 1696 and 1699, coffee seeds were sent from the Malabar Coast of India to the island of Batavia (known today as Java in Indonesia). These few seeds produced what we now know as the distinctive Typica variety. Typica coffee beans are one of the world's most important groups of coffee genomes, with excellent flavors, but their yield is relatively low compared to other coffee varieties. Many famous coffees worldwide are Typica varieties, such as Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, Hawaii Kona Estate, and others. In Yunnan, coffee farmers chose the Catimor coffee variety for higher returns.

Secondly, Typica coffee varieties are very susceptible to disease, but Catimor coffee is a hybrid of the Catuai and Timor coffee varieties. Due to having Robusta coffee genetics, it has increased disease resistance and higher yields. However, it is precisely because of this that Catimor coffee also inherited the strong flavor characteristics of Robusta coffee beans. Its rough coffee flavor is also a key point of criticism among some coffee enthusiasts.

The altitude of coffee cultivation in Yunnan is generally not very high. Although the upper altitude limit given by major estates can reach around 1800 meters, it's important to note that not all coffee trees grow at the highest altitude points. Most coffee trees are planted at altitudes that meet the minimum qualifications for Arabica coffee cultivation. Since the altitude isn't high enough, FrontStreet Coffee chose to compensate with better varieties. To achieve the most satisfactory results under limited conditions, FrontStreet Coffee chose Typica coffee beans, which have higher per-plant costs and lower yields. At the same time, FrontStreet Coffee implemented stricter screening management systems and recruited many skilled workers, providing them with training. All these efforts eventually culminated in the "FrontStreet Coffee 2013" coffee bean.

From Seed to Cup: A Seven-Year Journey

From seed to cup, "FrontStreet Coffee 2013" went through a seven-year journey. Initially, FrontStreet Coffee was in a trial-and-error phase, and coffee takes three to four years from seedling to bearing fruit. Without experience, FrontStreet Coffee wasn't lucky enough to succeed on the first try. After multiple rounds of variety improvement and breeding, they were finally able to produce this batch of only about 200 kilograms of Typica coffee beans. But heaven rewards the diligent - this coffee was quickly sold out after being launched due to its excellent flavor quality.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will brew a "FrontStreet Coffee 2013" for everyone according to their café's brewing standards.

FrontStreet Coffee 2013 - Coffee Details

Origin: Lincang, Yunnan
Estate: FrontStreet Coffee
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Natural
Altitude: 1300 meters

Brewing Parameters

Dripper: V60
Water Temperature: 91°C
Coffee Dose: 15 grams
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Fine sugar granules (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)
Extraction Method: FrontStreet Coffee uses a standard three-stage extraction method. Bloom with twice the amount of water as the coffee dose for about 30 seconds. Using a small water stream, pour in concentric circles from the center outward until reaching 125 grams. After the water level drops, continue pouring until 225 grams, then stop pouring. Remove the dripper once all water has dripped through, controlling the extraction time to around 2 minutes.

Flavor Profile

The most prominent characteristic of this coffee is its distinct black tea notes, with prominent nutty undertones and rich layering. As the temperature changes, you can experience flavor transitions from berries to citrus. The aftertaste leans toward brown sugar sweetness.

Additional Offerings

Of course, the production of "FrontStreet Coffee 2013" is far from sufficient to meet FrontStreet Coffee's consumer demand. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee also sourced a batch of Catimor coffee from Baoshan, which is what we commonly call Yunnan small bean coffee. Yunnan coffee beans are of the Arabica species, commonly known domestically as Yunnan small bean coffee. Yunnan's excellent geographical and climatic conditions provide good conditions for coffee growth, currently forming four major producing areas: Lincang, Baoshan, Dehong, and Pu'er.

Regarding the origin of the term "Yunnan small bean coffee," FrontStreet Coffee would like to provide a brief explanation. The earliest "small bean coffee" actually referred generally to Arabica coffee beans from Yunnan. Many people now think it refers to Typica coffee, but due to the rise of China's coffee market and the pursuit of higher yields, Yunnan coffee farmers replaced the originally planted Typica coffee beans with Catimor. The widespread cultivation of Catimor coffee naturally led to the name "small bean coffee" being transferred to Catimor. So what are the flavor characteristics of Yunnan small bean coffee? FrontStreet Coffee believes that compared to Typica coffee, Catimor's flavor is less delicate and elegant, with more tea-like notes and significantly reduced acidity.

Contact Information

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

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat account: 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