The Origin of Manlaoriver's Name - Is Manlaoriver Coffee Good? - Which Manlaoriver Coffee is Best?

Manlaojiang Coffee takes its name from the Manlaojiang River that flows through its plantation base, continuing on into the Lancang and Mekong rivers. Its story begins in 1997, when the Yunnan provincial government launched a poverty-alleviation relocation project to move impoverished farming families out of the deep mountains, which were unsuitable for human habitation, to the pristine forestlands along the Manlaojiang River, where they could take up farming and environmental work.

The plantation base spans 153,000 mu, of which only 14,421 mu have been developed for coffee, leaving 94% of the land untouched. Most of that undeveloped land is virgin forest. Sitting in the golden coffee-growing zone at 22°N latitude, the base benefits from low latitude, medium altitude (800m-1400m), and high forest coverage. The region enjoys abundant rainfall, ample sunshine, fertile soil, and striking biodiversity, providing ideal natural conditions that guarantee the exceptional quality of Manlaojiang coffee beans.

Commitment to People and Environment

Manlaojiang Coffee embodies a profound humanistic philosophy. Unlike other producers, Manlaojiang prioritizes ecological preservation. Its cultivation methods protect the biodiversity within the plantation area, keeping forests, rivers, natural springs, other crops, and grazing land in harmonious balance. Beyond caring for nature, Manlaojiang raises farmers' incomes by improving coffee quality through professional methods and developing diversified cultivation, thereby preventing further deforestation.

During downturns in the coffee market, when international corporations compete to drive prices down while buying beans in Yunnan, Manlaojiang Coffee buys from farmers at above-market prices to help them minimize losses. At Manlaojiang, both coffee farmers and coffee beans deserve meticulous care.

Quality and Innovation

Manlaojiang Coffee has established two processing facilities for depulping, degumming, and sorting coffee cherries, importing processing machinery from Austria, Brazil, Colombia, and other countries. It has also built 14,000 and 18,000 square-meter drying grounds at Manzhongtian and Naji Village respectively, along with a 2,500 square-meter warehouse. All coffee here is fully natural, going through manual selective picking, mountain-spring washing, natural fermentation, and sun-drying before final roasting.

Manlaojiang's head roasting master, A Ri Re, became China's first roaster to achieve an impressive 96 points from Coffee Review and was ranked second globally among international roasters by Coffee Review in 2015. He excels at discovering coffee's unique flavors and has created six beans scoring above 90 points: Ninety+ Sentimental Love, Ninety+ Red Honey Kiss, Ninety+ Outlook, Sweet Maria Guatemala Geisha, Sweet Maria Colombia, and Manlaojiang Naji Peaberry.

Global Recognition

Manlaojiang Coffee boasts a professional expert team and has obtained more than ten certifications for coffee quality control from Colombia and other countries. In 2012 it achieved three major certifications at once: USDA Organic Certification (the most stringent, requiring three consecutive years of on-site testing for 100% organic compliance), EU Organic Certification (50% organic), and China Organic Certification, making it the only coffee company in China to hold all three at the same time. The company also passed SGS's comprehensive 315-item pesticide residue testing.

At the 2012 World Barista Championship, Manlaojiang Coffee became the championship bean of the China competition region and the first Chinese coffee bean to enter the international finals, earning recognition from coffee professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. Manlaojiang Coffee has since joined the Specialty Coffee Association of America, the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe, and the Cup of Excellence program.

FrontStreet Coffee is a roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but a diverse lineup of beans, where you can find both famous and lesser-known lots, along with online store services.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yunnan is one of China's few Arabica-growing regions, and much of its flavor is built on the same high-altitude, sun-filled, large day-night temperature swings that define serious specialty coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan small-batch coffee comes from the Baoshan area, is washed processed and medium-roasted, and shows soft nutty and chocolate notes with a light plum acidity, at a price that makes it many drinkers' first taste of Yunnan.

To go a step further into the region, FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Yunnan Typica, grown at 1,300 meters from the ancient Typica variety, is naturally processed. The medium roast keeps the cup balanced and lets the sweet-tart character come forward, with dark berry notes along with caramel sweetness, chocolate, a hint of dried apricot, and a black-tea finish. For an espresso-style taste of Yunnan, the FrontStreet Coffee Black Cocoa Blend pairs Yunnan small-batch beans with Brazil Cerrado: the Brazil supplies mixed-nut aroma and balance, while the Yunnan contributes chocolate and citrus, giving an Americano that balances sweet, sour, and bitter with nutty, brown-sugar warmth, or a latte with almond and creamy smoothness.