Characteristics of Yunnan Coffee Beans: Cupping and Brewing Parameters for Yunnan Arabica and Typica

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01 | Introduction to Yunnan Coffee Bean Growing Regions

Arabica coffee is suitable for growing on mountain slopes at altitudes of 800-1800 meters. If the altitude is too high, the coffee becomes sour; if too low, it becomes bitter. Most Arabica coffee is planted in dry-hot valley areas at around 1100 meters altitude, resulting in moderate acidity, rich aroma, and mellow flavor. Many regions in Yunnan have unique environments suitable for Arabica coffee cultivation, producing excellent quality Arabica beans.

The main growing areas are distributed in Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong and other regions. Baoshan has an average temperature of 21.5°C, with a maximum of 40.4°C, and is basically frost-free year-round, making it a recognized optimal location for Arabica coffee cultivation. The Arabica coffee cultivated here is famous both domestically and internationally for being rich but not bitter, fragrant but not strong, with small and uniform beans, rich mellow aroma, and fruity notes. International coffee organization tasting experts have rated Yunnan coffee as comparable to Colombian wet-processed Arabica coffee, ranking it among the highest quality coffees in the world.

Planting Altitude

For Arabica, 1200 meters is the quality watershed. You'll find that Hainan coffee, which few people talk about, has remained non-mainstream and can only be sold as a tourist souvenir. This is because firstly, it's Robusta, and secondly, Hainan's terrain is at sea level, with most places below 300 meters. Although the Wuzhishan peak in the central area reaches 1800 meters, the urban area is only 320 meters. Hainan can grow some souvenir coffee, but for cultivating good Arabica, it's truly beyond its capabilities.

Since planting altitude is a fundamental factor, large areas of mountains in Yunnan can reach above 1000 meters. Kunming has an altitude of 1895 meters, Baoshan 1653.5 meters, Dali 1976 meters, Chuxiong 1773 meters, Dehong averages 800-1500 meters, and Diqing averages 3380 meters. With higher altitudes, temperature must also be considered. Generally speaking, the golden coffee belt lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, because once beyond these lines, the probability of frost is very high, and coffee trees die when they encounter frost. However, Yunnan benefits from the Gaoligong Mountains north of Baoshan, which block the driving influence of the Siberian cold current in winter, and the numerous mountains form protective microclimates suitable for coffee growth.

02 | Processing Methods

The harvested berries are processed with a depulping machine to separate most of the fruit flesh from the coffee beans, then the parchment beans are guided into a clean water tank and soaked in water for fermentation to completely remove the residual fruit flesh layer. In the past (about five years ago), the washed method was often the first choice for high-quality coffee bean processing.

Through water processing, unripe beans and defective beans are selected out due to buoyancy differences, and the fermentation process is easier to control. Therefore, unlike natural-processed beans which may have off-flavors, washed coffee presents distinct fruit acidity, slightly stronger complexity, and cleaner cup characteristics (without any negative flavors like astringency or sharpness). However, because it's too "clean," the flavor richness is also somewhat weaker.

03 | Green Bean Analysis

Yunnan Arabica Coffee Beans

Yunnan Arabica coffee belongs to the Rubiaceae family, Coffea genus, with growing areas mainly distributed in Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong and other regions. Arabica coffee originates from Ethiopia or the Arabian Peninsula.

Varieties

Typica: The oldest native variety of Ethiopia, originating from southeastern Ethiopia and Sudan. All Arabica varieties are derived from Typica. It has elegant flavor but weak constitution, poor disease resistance, and low fruit yield. Excellent estate beans like Jamaica Blue Mountain, Sumatra Mandheling, and Hawaii Kona all belong to Typica. Typica has reddish-brown terminal leaves, called red-tipped coffee, and belongs to the Arabica species.

The opposite leaves of the coffee tree are long oval with smooth surfaces. The terminal branches are very long with few branches, while the flowers are white, blooming at the base where the petiole connects to the branch. Mature coffee cherries look like cherries, bright red in color, with sweet flesh containing a pair of seeds - the coffee beans.

Typica is one of the oldest native varieties of Ethiopia. Typica has bronze-colored terminal leaves, and the beans are oval or slender-pointed. It has elegant flavor but weak constitution, poor disease resistance, and low fruit yield.

Typica is one of the oldest Arabica coffee varieties discovered today, another being Bourbon. Arabica originates from Ethiopia, where this variety still grows naturally in the local primitive rainforest highlands. The Typica planted in Java was a gift from the Dutch to France's Louis XIV, surviving in the Persian Garden, and its seeds were brought by the French to the French colony of Martinique in 1720.

Typica beans are slender, the tree is tall, the fruit is oval, and the branches are slightly inclined. Typica has four slender branches that spread out at an inclination angle of 50-70 degrees. The coffee yield per tree is very low, but the cupping score is very high.

04 | Roasting Analysis

This coffee is best roasted using a medium slow-roasting method to best showcase its round, smooth characteristics while maintaining rich floral and fruit aromas.

Roasting Machine: Yangjia 600g semi-direct heat

Preheat the roaster to 200°C, then load the beans with the damper at 3. After 30 seconds, reduce heat to 160°C, keeping the damper unchanged. Return to temperature point at 1'33'', adjust heat once at 168°C. At this point, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, and dehydration is complete. Adjust heat to 130°C and damper to 4.

At 8'45'', ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'07'', first crack begins, reduce heat to 80°C, open damper fully to 5 (adjust heat very carefully, not so low that there's no cracking sound). Three minutes after first crack, unload at 198°C.

Cupping:

Dry Aroma: Pear-like fruits, vanilla-like, honey-like, peach tea, ripe orange, jasmine hints

Wet Aroma: Nutty, milky chocolate, herbal-floral

Flavor: Smooth entry, Asian herbal plant aroma, lively and bright acidity, mouth-watering on both cheeks, soft acidity, good balance of richness and thickness, rich layers, finish with distinct black chocolate, honey, and cane sugar flavors. After complete cooling, brown sugar flavors emerge.

05 | Brewing Analysis

Recommended brewing methods: Siphon, Pour-over

Grind size: 4 (Japan Fuji R440)

Water temperature: 90°C

V60 dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 90°C, grind size 4, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15

30g water for bloom, bloom time 30s

Segmented brewing: Pour water to 99ml, pause, then slowly pour to 230ml

That is, 31-99-100

Other drip extraction recommendations:

French press: recommended grind size 3.5-4, water temperature 90°C

AeroPress: recommended grind size 2.5, water temperature 88°C

Pour-over: grind size 3.5, water temperature 89°C

Yunnan Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan coffee beans - washed Typica Huaguoshan - have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value-for-money. A half-pound (227g) package costs only about 69 yuan. Calculating at 15g per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing less than 5 yuan. Compared to coffee shop prices that often cost dozens of yuan per cup, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

Related recommendations: How to brew Yunnan Arabica coffee beans, Yunnan Arabica coffee brand recommendations

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473