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Yunnan Coffee Discovery Journey: Exploring Coffee Together in Yunnan

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information - please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat ID: cafe_style). It has been a week since returning from Yunnan, and I feel compelled to organize some written reflections to make the trip worthwhile and便于 future reference. This was actually my second visit to Yunnan; the previous time was a brief overview of Pu'er. I went with numerous questions and returned with even more discoveries.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

It has been a week since returning from Yunnan, and I always feel that I should organize some written reflections, at least to consider the trip worthwhile, and to make it convenient for myself to review later.

Actually, this was my second trip to Yunnan. The previous time was a brief look at Pu'er. I went with a pile of questions and returned with another pile of questions. Since starting to roast coffee beans, I've gradually developed questions about coffee varieties. Besides factors like altitude, soil, and climate, I personally believe that variety is the key determinant of bean flavor. This time, heading south, we started our coffee theft journey along the way... From 800 meters altitude at the foot of the mountain to 1500 meters on the mountain, we continued to secretly pick coffee cherries.

Coffee Variety Collection

Looking around, most of what is currently planted in Yunnan is Catimor. This variety is a hybrid between the Bourbon lineage branch Caturra from the Arabica species and the Robusta species. The reason for planting this variety is that Catimor has Robusta genes, making it more disease-resistant than pure old varieties, and its yield is also good. Compared to delicate old varieties with poor disease resistance and low yields, farmers naturally prefer to plant Catimor, so a Catimor trend has now swept across Yunnan. But can it be considered specialty coffee? I have a big question mark about this variety in my mind.

One of the natural enemies of coffee trees: Leaf rust disease

The new leaves at the tips of the branches in the image above are copper-colored, which is characteristic of Typica coffee trees. Typica is an old variety within the Arabica species. The well-known Hawaiian Kona is actually also a Typica variety. Among a vast sea of Catimor, it's actually quite easy to recognize. After careful observation, you'll find that each variety has its own appearance. Catimor leaves all droop downward, and the tree shape appears to be wearing a cloak. Typica, on the other hand, has branches pointing upward, with copper-tipped new leaves at the tree apex.

Finally, we selectively picked Typica coffee cherries from three altitude levels: 800, 1200, and 1500 meters. I originally thought that climbing mountains to pick beans would be very tiring, but in reality, the subsequent processing work is the most exhausting. From removing the fruit pulp, soaking and cleaning, to removing the parchment after drying - everything was done manually, and I can say goodbye to my fingertips... All this hardship was just to try and compare the flavors exhibited by Typica at different altitudes and how this pure Arabica old variety performs in Yunnan's soil. A few days ago, I roasted two of the processed batches, so if you have time, you can come to the shop and try them.

Additionally, I originally wanted to try natural processing with these beans, but as it turned out, the weather in Guangzhou has been consistently poor, with continuous light rain and high humidity. Fortunately, the sun has come out these past two days, but I'm not sure what the final natural-processed beans will turn out like. Interested friends can also come and try them later.

Reflections on Yunnan Coffee

As for me, this trip to Yunnan was not only to understand varieties but also to get a closer look at this land. Can we really grow high-quality specialty coffee like other coffee-producing countries? In reality, the hardware conditions are completely sufficient - the altitude is adequate, the soil is fine, and the climate is suitable too. The only troublesome aspect might be variety cultivation. What varieties are suitable for this soil? What varieties can truly shine here? Unlike roasting experiments where you can put in green beans, roast for about ten minutes, then cool and cup to know the bean's flavor, cultivation experiments are different. A seed takes at least three years to bear coffee fruit, and only after picking, processing, and roasting can you finally know the result. I think that once you step into this mystery, you might truly need to dedicate your entire life to this endeavor... But if one can truly do one thing well and refine it perfectly in a lifetime, then perhaps that can be considered a life well lived^^.