Is Yunnan Baoshan Small Bean Coffee an Arabica Variety? What to Do When Pour-Over Small Bean Coffee Tastes Bitter

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Introduction to Yunnan Coffee Bean Growing Regions

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

The main growing areas are distributed in Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong, and other prefectures. Baoshan has an average temperature of 21.5°C, reaching as high as 40.4°C, with basically no frost throughout the year, making it recognized as the best small-seed coffee producing area. The small-seed coffee cultivated here is famous at home and abroad for being rich but not bitter, fragrant but not strong, with small and uniform grains, rich mellow aroma, and fruity notes. International coffee organization tasting experts have rated Yunnan coffee as equivalent to Colombian wet-processed small-seed coffee, among the highest quality coffee in the world.

Growing 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 tourist souvenirs. This is partly because it's Robusta, and partly because Hainan's terrain is at sea level, with most places below 300 meters. Although the central Wuzhishan peak reaches 1800 meters, the urban area is only 320 meters. Hainan can grow some souvenir coffee, but it lacks the capacity to cultivate good Arabica.

Since growing altitude is a fundamental factor, large areas of Yunnan's mountains can reach above 1000 meters. Kunming altitude is 1895 meters, Baoshan is 1653.5 meters, Dali is 1976 meters, Chuxiong is 1773 meters, Dehong averages 800-1500 meters, and Diqing averages 3380 meters. At higher altitudes, temperature must also be considered. Generally, the golden coffee belt lies between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, because once outside this zone, the probability of frost becomes very high, and coffee trees die when they encounter frost. However, Yunnan is protected by the Gaoligong Mountains north of Baoshan, which block the driving influence of Siberian cold currents in winter, and the numerous mountains form protective microclimates for coffee growth.

Processing Methods

The harvested berries are processed through a depulping machine that separates most of the fruit pulp from the coffee beans, then the parchment beans are guided to a clean water tank, soaked in water for fermentation to completely remove the remaining pulp layer. In the past (about five years ago), the washed method was often the preferred choice for processing high-quality coffee beans.

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

Green Bean Analysis

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Huaguoshan · Yunnan Small-Seed Coffee Beans

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

Variety

Typica: The oldest native variety from Ethiopia, grown in 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. FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain, FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia Sumatra Mandheling, FrontStreet Coffee's Hawaii Kona, and other excellent estate beans all belong to Typica. Typica has reddish-brown terminal leaves, called red-topped coffee, and belongs to the Arabica species.

Coffee trees have opposite leaves that are long-oval in shape with smooth surfaces. The terminal branches are long with few side 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 pulp containing a pair of seeds—the coffee beans.

Typica is one of the oldest native varieties of Arabica coffee discovered today. Typica has bronze-colored terminal leaves, and the beans are oval or slender-pointed in shape; it has elegant flavor but weak constitution, poor disease resistance, and low fruit yield.

Typica is one of the oldest varieties of Arabica coffee trees discovered today, along with Bourbon. Arabica originated from Ethiopia, where this species still grows naturally in the local pristine rainforest highlands today. The Typica planted in Java was a gift from the Dutch to honor France's Louis XIV, survived 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, fruits are oval, and branches are slightly inclined. Typica has four long branches in an open posture, with an inclination angle of 50-70 degrees. The coffee yield per tree is very low, but cupping scores are very high.

Roasting Analysis

For this FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Huaguoshan washed Typica coffee, a medium slow roasting method is planned to best showcase its round, smooth characteristics while maintaining rich floral and fruit aromas.

Roaster: Yangjia 600g semi-direct heat

Preheat the roaster to 200°C, then load the beans with the damper set to 3. After 30 seconds, adjust the heat to 160°C, keeping the damper unchanged. The temperature return point is at 1'33". Adjust the heat once at 168°C, when the bean surface turns yellow and the grassy smell completely disappears, indicating dehydration completion. Adjust the heat to 130°C and the damper to 4.

At 8'45", ugly wrinkles and black markings appear on the bean surface, and the toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma. This can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9'07", reduce heat to 80°C, open the 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 with good balance between thickness and richness, layered complexity, with obvious dark chocolate, honey, and sucrose notes in the aftertaste. After complete cooling, brown sugar flavors emerge.

Brewing Analysis

Recommended brewing methods: Siphon, pour-over

Grind size: 4 (Japan Fuji R440)

Water temperature: 90°C

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

30g of water for blooming, blooming time 30s

分段 (Segmented pouring): Pour water to 99ml, pause, then slowly pour to 230ml

That is: 31-99-100

Other drip extraction suggestions:

French Press: Recommend grind size 3.5-4 / water temperature 90°C

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

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

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's self-roasted FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Huaguoshan washed Typica coffee beans are fully guaranteed 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 of coffee, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, costing less than 5 yuan per cup. Compared to café prices that often run tens of yuan per cup, this is a conscientious recommendation, suitable for coffee enthusiasts interested in Yunnan coffee to purchase and try.

Related recommendations: Yunnan small-seed coffee 2018 dark horse variety _ How is Baoshan Gaoligongshan S288 variety coffee beans?

Important Notice :

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