[Yunnan Coffee Origin Program] Why Does FrontStreet Coffee Choose This Most Difficult Path?

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Checking the weather forecast on my phone, I saw that Yunnan would experience rainy weather for over a week starting two days from now. I once again embarked on that familiar path I've frequently traveled over the past few years to plant the second batch of Arabica coffee.

During these days in Yunnan, I met with several coffee farmers I know, and they all mentioned the recent coffee prices, just as the Yunnan Coffee Industry Association stated in their May 25th press conference: Yunnan coffee is once again facing a price downturn.

On March 18th, I published a Q&A piece "Q&A | Why I Question Q-Grader" which sparked controversy. Many Q-Graders said that Yunnan specialty coffee is getting better year by year, but couldn't explain why prices continue to decline, while on the other hand, this year's Red Label auction achieved new record prices. One fan commented: "The editor is so ambitious, please come to Yunnan to grow coffee." At that time, I didn't directly respond to this comment because we were still on our journey.

FrontStreet Coffee has been roasting coffee for about 5 years, while our involvement in coffee cultivation spans 5 and a half years—that's right, half a year longer than when we started roasting. The predecessor of FrontStreet Coffee was "Dazhen Coffee." We chose this name because we wanted to grow coffee in a place called Dazhen in Guangdong. After we used Catimor to grow seedlings to 20cm, more than half a year passed before we finally understood the relationship and sequence among three elements: variety, altitude, and processing method. Choose the right variety, plant it at suitable altitude, and after maturity, experiment with processing methods that can express unique flavors—this is what I believe to be the only logical relationship for specialty coffee to have distinct regional flavors, and it's also the work that the Yunnan Department of Agriculture has recently been leading: establishing a flavor map of Yunnan specialty coffee. This means identifying the regional flavors that Yunnan specialty coffee should have.

Therefore, we abandoned our plan to grow coffee in Guangdong. Our initial coffee roasting location opened on Bao'an Front Street, so we renamed "Dazhen Coffee" to "FrontStreet Coffee." On Front Street, while roasting coffee, we continued to advance our ideas about specialty coffee cultivation, visiting institutions with deep research in coffee cultivation, the Tropical Agricultural Science Research Institute which houses the Ministry of Agriculture's coffee germplasm repository, and a few coffee farmers growing specialty coffee. We clarified why Yunnan doesn't grow mainstream specialty coffee varieties like Typica and Bourbon, and through fortunate circumstances, we found suitable land for cultivation.

If we just wanted a ready-made coffee estate of our own, it would actually be quite easy. Yunnan coffee farmers have long been unwilling to grow coffee because the labor cost per kilogram for picking coffee is higher than its selling price. Unless families have surplus labor, they're unwilling to harvest even when coffee ripens. At this time, buying a small piece of land from farmers before harvest, then experimenting with natural processing and honey processing, Yunnan specialty coffee could be produced in just two or three months. We don't know if this controversial approach is correct, just as the former director of Yunnan Coffee stated in a previous comment: "The current situation of over a million acres of Catimor in Yunnan is the main problem we urgently need to transform and improve. So having debate is a good thing, but we can't negate all our current efforts." In this fog of uncertainty, FrontStreet Coffee deliberately chose the most difficult path: selecting high altitude, cultivating Arabica varieties, and implementing rational cultivation practices.

Yunnan doesn't have four seasons; it only has dry and rainy seasons, and most coffee-producing regions face similar conditions. This is also the fundamental reason why some regions use natural processing methods. Entering June marks the beginning of the rainy season in producing areas. The next three to four months will all be rainy, making it the most favorable period for planting coffee. Only by planting seedlings at this time, with several months of nourishment from rainfall, can they develop extensive root systems to survive the first half-year dry season.

The seedlings we chose for this batch are Typica, and their copper-colored new leaves are their characteristic feature. Typica yields are very low—only one-third of Catimor's yield—which explains why it commands higher prices. At the same time, Typica and Bourbon are also very susceptible to coffee leaf rust, which is another reason farmers are reluctant to grow Arabica varieties.

Due to time constraints and to ensure this batch of planting has a good foundation for growth when implemented, we prepared the seedlings in the nursery one year in advance. This is typically done within one to two months after the previous harvest season, and during this year, we appropriately control water and fertilizer to prevent overly rapid growth, ensuring the highest seed germination rate while preventing the taproots from growing too long, which would require cutting during planting in the coffee garden.

Speaking of coffee gardens, besides meeting altitude requirements, we also hope our coffee can grow in natural and comfortable living conditions, such as among clouds, diverse plants, and ecological environments, because there's another important difference between Arabica and Catimor: one fears sun exposure, the other doesn't.

In addition to the planting season, timing is also crucial. Only when you visit producing areas during planting season can you truly experience what rainy season means. Sunny for a few minutes, then raining for half an hour—if the plantation is large enough and you tour it without rain gear, by the time you return, your clothes will have gone through several cycles of wet-to-dry and dry-to-wet.

The previous second might be like this:

The next second could only be like this:

For most of the morning, we're practically living among the clouds. And clouds come in many varieties—there's this kind:

This kind:

And this kind:

Throughout the day, actually not many coffee seedlings can be planted.

Yet we remain tireless in our enthusiasm because we know clearly that two years from now, these plants will eventually bear fruit, just as the seeds we planted two years ago have now flowered and borne fruit.

However, this is actually not the most difficult part. Coffee takes three to four years after planting to bear fruit, then experimenting with suitable processing methods and finally replicating them—quickly, it takes five years to complete a basic goal. Most importantly, multiple locations must show similar style and base notes, allowing experienced coffee drinkers who have tasted coffee for many years to take one sip and say, "Ah, this is the taste of Yunnan specialty coffee." Perhaps this is just the beginning amidst wind and rain. Because after these foundational 5 years, we can only say that we've grown Arabica coffee and emphasized variety selection. No one guarantees that high-quality specialty coffee will be produced immediately. I deeply believe there are no such easy things in this world. After multiple variety selections and experiments with refined processing methods after fruiting, several more years will pass.

The Crossroads of Yunnan Specialty Coffee

The path of specialty coffee is not so difficult, yet not so easy either. The current transformation of Yunnan coffee to Yunnan specialty coffee has actually entered a dead end: Catimor is too cheap and can only be sold as commercial grade, around 15-20 yuan per kilogram, making it difficult to cover picking costs and fertilizer, so farmers are unwilling to manage it. Typica and Bourbon have low yields and are disease-prone, with high management costs, requiring longer exploration periods—not to mention whether unique flavors can be developed. On one hand, farmers don't yet have specialty coffee awareness; on the other hand, even if they know, cutting down old trees and spending several years replanting is something farmers will certainly avoid.

Transforming washed Catimor into red cherry honey-processed Catimor might increase prices somewhat, provided the immature market can accept this. The declining Yunnan coffee prices over the past few months, despite praise for quality, have already demonstrated this issue. According to CQI's official website, which issues Q-Grader certificates, among 5,842 Q-Graders worldwide, mainland China has 857. However, in 2017 and 2018, only two submissions of Chinese specialty coffee scores were actually submitted to CQI.

This difficult path of specialty coffee always requires some people to explore. Trying offers some hope; without trying, there will always be a void.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473