Is Yunnan Saipin Coffee Good? Why is Saipin Coffee So Bitter?

Coffee Brand Reviews

Saipin and Zunpin are the same brand, aimed at the tourism market. I've never tried them, and I don't want to.

They're the type that works with travel agencies and opens stores along tourist routes. When tourists arrive, tour buses drop them off at the store entrance, the brand gives the agencies a rebate per person, and then staff constantly promote the products. Whether they taste good is something you'll have to judge for yourself.

I have tried Saipin instant coffee, the type sold in a little imitation wooden bucket. The aroma was decent, but the texture felt rather thin. Brew it with freshly boiled water a few times and it turns into something like egg drop soup—I'm not sure whether the non-dairy creamer was substandard.

It was quite unpleasant to drink, with an especially weak flavor. At first I thought I'd used too little, but even when the color turned very dark it still didn't taste good. Maybe I'm just used to Nestlé; this was my first time trying such a weak coffee, and it didn't feel great.

Yunnan Saipin Coffee comes in six flavors: Extra Strong, Original, Mocha, Latte, Macchiato, and Cappuccino. It is the first domestically produced coffee, with raw materials drawn from Yunnan's unique geography and favorable climate. From what I've tried, it has a rich but not bitter taste, aromatic without being overpowering, with a distinctive fruity flavor. World-class coffee experts have rated it the best coffee in the world. Give it a try, my friend.

Coffee itself is naturally bitter. If you're drinking Yunnan Saipin's 3-in-1 instant coffee, it won't be as bitter. Of course, if you're comparing it with other products, you should compare flavors carefully. It's best not to compare it with Nestlé, since Nestlé products are generally sweeter.

Coffee products vary. If you're used to sweet ones, others will taste bitter. When I first started drinking Yunnan Saipin Coffee, I also found it bitter, since I'd been drinking Nestlé before. Gradually I got used to it, and now I feel that Saipin Coffee is closer to coffee's authentic flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If all this has you curious about what real Yunnan coffee tastes like, FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Small Cherry is an easy place to start. "Small cherry" is simply another name for Arabica—the smallest-fruited of coffee's three original species. Coffee reached Yunnan in 1904, when the French missionary Tian Deneng brought Typica seeds from Vietnam and planted the first tree in Zhugula village, Binchuan County. This washed, medium-roasted coffee from the Baoshan region shows soft notes of nuts and dark chocolate with a light plum acidity, at a price that makes it many people's first taste of Yunnan.

To go a step further, FrontStreet 2013 Natural Typica comes from FrontStreet's own estate, planted in 2013. Typica is one of the oldest and purest Arabica varieties, with an elegant, clean cup, and it was also the first variety planted in Yunnan. After natural processing and a medium roast, it is more balanced and its sweet-tart character stands out, with dark berry notes, caramel sweetness, chocolate, a touch of dried apricot, and a black tea finish.

For a Yunnan espresso, FrontStreet Dark Cocoa Blend combines Yunnan small cherry with Brazil Cerrado. The Brazilian component brings mixed-nut aroma and balance, while the Yunnan beans carry chocolate and citrus, giving an Americano with balanced sweet-bitter-tart notes and nutty, brown-sugar sweetness, or a latte with the smooth feel of almond and cream—very beginner-friendly.