Why is Yunnan coffee called small bean coffee? How to identify authentic Yunnan small bean coffee?

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Why is Yunnan Coffee Also Called Small-Bean Coffee?

Q: What are the three common coffee varieties we encounter?

1. Arabica
2. Robusta
3. Liberica

Q: How does China's agricultural department classify these three varieties by bean size?

They are classified as large beans, medium beans, and small beans.

1. Large beans originate from Liberia, are widely distributed, and have poor quality
2. Medium beans originate from Central Africa and are mainly used for instant coffee production
3. Small-bean coffee was initially planted in Cameroon and Guinea highlands, later introduced to Latin America and Asia, and is also the finest variety (this is the variety introduced to Yunnan)

Currently, Yunnan's coffee varieties include Bourbon, Typica, and Catimor. Among these, only Typica and Bourbon belong to pure Arabica varieties. Catimor is merely a hybrid cross between medium and small beans, with noticeably larger beans that inherit the high yield of medium beans but have mediocre flavor. Typica, however, is a small-bean variety with smaller bean shapes, commonly known as small-bean variety, and is also authentic Yunnan small-bean coffee.

Common varieties on the market include Typica and Catimor. Typica is an old variety, while Catimor has produced many new varieties, such as Catimor AA, Catimor Peaberry, Catimor Natural, and Catimor Honey Process, all belonging to the Catimor family. Therefore, there are currently as many as 5 common varieties on the "Yunnan small-bean" market. To taste authentic Yunnan small-bean coffee, one needs to keep their eyes open and recognize the Typica variety.

Flavor Characteristics of 5 Coffee Varieties (for reference only, not for commercial evaluation):

Each of the 5 coffee varieties has its own flavor characteristics:

1. Typica: Clean mouthfeel, round and smooth, relatively balanced
2. Catimor AA: Balanced texture, soft and bright entry, slightly fruity
3. Catimor Peaberry: Rich aroma, nutty, mellow entry
4. Catimor Natural: Balanced mouthfeel, sweet and round, black tea aftertaste
5. Catimor Honey Process: Fruit sweetness, vanilla, lively and diverse flavors

The "flavor description chart" and "flavor introduction" (overall impressions of aroma, acidity, bitterness, sweetness, and body) for Yunnan small-bean coffee above have been detailed. I believe everyone now has a general understanding of the different characteristics of each bean.

Overall, each bean variety has different flavors and its own characteristics:

01. Typica (Old Variety)

The oldest variety among Yunnan beans, close to the original variety. Trees are old, yield is low, bean quality is high, with clean mouthfeel, balanced, soft, and smooth flavors.

02. Catimor AA (Large Beans)

AA refers to the grade, with coffee bean sizes between 16-18 mesh, having a slight fruit acidity and bright texture.

03. Catimor Peaberry (Peaberry Variety)

Coffee beans generally grow in pairs (double-seeded type), while peaberry varieties belong to single-seeded type. Generally speaking, they absorb more "essence of sun and moon" than flat beans, so the mouthfeel is relatively more mellow and rich, with good aftertaste.

04. Catimor Natural (Natural Drying)

Natural refers to the processing method, also called "natural drying method." This variety has a richer mouthfeel, sweet, round, with aftertaste. This is personally my preferred variety, having fruit sweetness and sourness, with red wine fermentation notes.

05. Catimor Honey Process (High Sweetness)

Catimor Honey Process (honey process is a processing method, divided into red honey process and black honey process), using fully red cherries. The advantage of this variety is high sweetness, good cleanliness, and rich, lively, diverse flavors.

Speaking of processing methods, you might ask what are the differences in mouthfeel between them?

1. Washed Process / WASH (Simple mouthfeel): Emphasizes brightness, acidity, and floral notes
2. Honey Process / HONEY (Like eating dried fruit): Emphasizes sweetness, fruity mouthfeel
3. Natural Process / NATURAL (With the taste of sunshine): Emphasizes richness, sweet and sour notes

The above varieties and processing methods are several common ones encountered daily. This year also produced a very unique Yunnan bean "Caturra" (new variety), cultivated at an altitude of 1600 meters. "Balanced mouthfeel, balanced bitterness and acidity, thick aftertaste with sweetness," very similar to "Jamaican Blue Mountain" coffee.

06. Caturra (New Variety)

Balanced mouthfeel, balanced bitterness and acidity, thick aftertaste with sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473