What are the best varieties of Yunnan small bean coffee and what are the flavor characteristics of Yunnan red honey processed coffee?

With the rise of domestic products, customers visiting FrontStreet Coffee have also started paying attention to coffee beans from the Yunnan region. Observant customers will notice that none of FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan region coffee beans use special processing methods; they all adopt the most traditional natural and washed processing methods. That's because FrontStreet Coffee believes that the finest ingredients often require only the simplest processing methods.

Chinese Coffee History

Unlike tea, coffee culture has not been deeply rooted in the hearts of Chinese people. The earliest coffee consumption history in China can only be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty, when the majority of consumers were foreigners; meanwhile, China's coffee cultivation history spans just over a hundred years.

Because China was defeated in the Sino-French War during the late Qing Dynasty, the imperial court was forced to open Yunnan as a trading port, allowing French influence to enter the region. Father Alfred Tientsin was assigned to build a Catholic church and spread Christianity in Zhukula Village, Pingchuan Town, Binchuan County, Dali. Since Father Tientsin had a habit of drinking coffee, he planted an Arabica coffee tree next to the church.

However, the exact planting year cannot be verified, and there are even three different theories:

① An elderly local from Yunnan, born in 1903, recalled that church staff mentioned the priest planting coffee trees outside the church for self-production and sales.

② A Yunnan company widely promoted through numerous media in 2008 that Father Tientsin planted the coffee trees in 1892.

③ A member of the Hainan Provincial Association for Science and Technology cited historical documents in academic journals confirming the year as 1904. This theory is now generally considered to be closest to the truth.

Chinese Coffee Growing Regions

Coffee cultivation in China is mainly distributed in Fujian Province, Hainan Province, and Yunnan Province. However, because Fujian and Hainan provinces are close to the ocean with average altitudes not exceeding 1000 meters, they are only suitable for growing Robusta coffee beans. Therefore, public attention has focused on the Yunnan coffee region in China.

Yunnan Province is located in southwestern China, between 15 degrees north latitude and the Tropic of Cancer. Most areas in Yunnan have altitudes between 1000 and 2000 meters. The terrain is predominantly mountainous and sloped, with significant variations in elevation, fertile soil, abundant sunlight, plentiful rainfall, and large temperature differences between day and night. These conditions all meet the requirements for coffee cultivation and have created the unique flavor profile of Yunnan coffee.

Where are Yunnan Coffee Beans Produced?

Yunnan coffee growing regions are mainly distributed in the western and southern parts of Yunnan Province, namely Pu'er, Baoshan, Lincang, and Honghe.

Dehong

Known as the "Hometown of Chinese Coffee," Dehong Prefecture's coffee cultivation altitudes are all above 1000 meters, with 30,000 mu planted on mountainous terrain above 1600 meters. Additionally, Dehong Prefecture primarily uses organic fertilizers and organic pesticides for coffee cultivation, resulting in high-quality coffee that makes it one of the world's rare premium coffee producing areas.

Baoshan

Coffee cultivation in Baoshan began in the mid-1950s, with the first coffee seedling introduced from Southeast Asia by the late patriotic overseas Chinese Mr. Liang Jinshan. In recent years, with the expansion of international trade, the small-seed coffee from Lujiang Basin has become renowned. European, American, and Arab countries, especially merchants from Britain, America, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Macao, consider it premium coffee, with products in high demand. In December 2010, after review by the China National Quality Inspection Administration, it was decided to implement national geographical indication product protection for "Baoshan Small-seed Coffee."

Lincang

The unique geographical location and climate conditions have made Lincang a focus of attention for many coffee companies, which have successively established 200-mu and 100-mu high-quality coffee seedling bases in Mengding Town, Gengma Autonomous County, and Xingfu Farm in Lincang City respectively, carrying out coffee cultivation in Gengma, Zhenkang, Yunxian, Cangyuan, and Yongde.

Pu'er

The tea town of Pu'er has a 150-year history of coffee cultivation. In the early 1990s, Pu'er City began to develop coffee as a dominant industry for adjusting industrial structure and increasing farmers' income.

Yunnan Coffee Bean Varieties

With the implementation of China's reform and opening-up policy, major international brands like Nestlé and Starbucks entered Yunnan Province and intensified promotion of Catimor coffee variety cultivation. Before Catimor, the coffee bean variety of Yunnan small-seed coffee was Typica, but coffee growers chose to cut down the more elegant-flavored Typica coffee trees in order to achieve higher yields and stronger disease resistance, instead planting the Catimor variety which contains some Robusta genes.

Typica

Typica is the oldest native variety of Ethiopia, and all Arabica coffee bean varieties are derived from Typica. Typica has bronze-colored young leaves, and the bean shape is oval or slender-pointed; it offers elegant flavor but has poor disease resistance and low fruit yield.

Catimor

The Catimor variety was developed by Portugal in 1959 through hybridization of Timor and Caturra, creating a coffee variety with strong resistance to leaf rust, coffee berry disease, and high fruit yield. Because Catimor contains Robusta bean genes, its flavor is rich and full-bodied but carries a hint of defect flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee: Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Beans

Region: Baoshan, Yunnan, China
Altitude: 1200m
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Washed Processing

FrontStreet Coffee: Yunnan Small-seed Coffee Beans

Region: Baoshan, Yunnan, China
Altitude: 1200m
Variety: Catimor
Processing Method: Washed Processing

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations for Yunnan Huaguoshan and Yunnan Small-seed

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using the V60 conical filter. The V60 has a wide opening, and its unique spiral ribs allow air to be discharged more easily, thereby improving extraction quality. The body might not be as full, but its high concentration that brings out Yunnan coffee's fruit acidity and distinct aroma is its major characteristic.

Filter: V60
Water Temperature: 90-92°C
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine, similar to fine sugar (EK43s#10.5: 75% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)
Brewing Method: segmented extraction. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, pour water in a small circular motion to 124g for segmentation, continue pouring to 227g when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the filter when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed (timing starts from bloom), extraction time is 2 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee: Frontsteet 2013 Natural Typica Coffee Beans

Region: Lincang, Yunnan, China
Altitude: 1300m
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Natural Processing

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations for Frontsteet Yunnan Natural Typica

Filter: KONO
Water Temperature: 86-88°C
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine, similar to fine sugar (EK43s#10.5: 75% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

Flavor Profile Comparison of Yunnan Coffee Beans

Frontsteet Yunnan Huaguoshan: Rich but not bitter, aromatic but not intense, with floral notes, melon sweetness in the middle, and black tea finish.

Frontsteet Yunnan Small-seed: Nutty aroma, herbal, chocolate, caramel, with a faint fruit acidity in the aftertaste.

Frontsteet Yunnan Natural Typica: Berry acidity, nutty notes, brown sugar sweetness, with a tea-like finish.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

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