Yunnan Coffee Bean Varieties Characteristics and Brand Introduction: Catimor Small Bean Coffee Flavor Profile Description and Price Range

Yunnan coffee has won real recognition in recent years. Few places in China suit Arabica, and even fewer are known for growing it, but Yunnan stands out as one of the country's most renowned coffee regions. Some may not know that FrontStreet Coffee began developing coffee cultivation in Yunnan back in 2013. In recent years the quality of Yunnan beans has kept improving, and more and more specialty coffee shops put Yunnan beans on their menus, which shows the region is moving in the right direction. As a long-term observer of Yunnan, however, FrontStreet Coffee is well aware of its shortcomings. Overall, Yunnan coffee is in a state of continuous development toward specialty coffee, but at present it does not fully meet every criterion for specialty coffee. Domestic partners actively developing Yunnan coffee still have plenty of work to do.

Most Yunnan coffee beans today are of the Catimor variety. Catimor is a hybrid of Timor and Caturra, with strong disease resistance and high yields, standing out among Central American varieties. Among the Yunnan coffees FrontStreet Coffee offers is a Yunnan Small Bean Coffee, which is Catimor. Yunnan Small Bean Coffee originally referred to pure Arabica, with small bean coffee originating in Ethiopia or the Arabian Peninsula. Its main growing areas are distributed across Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna and Dehong.

The Catimor variety grows vigorously with stable secondary characteristics. The crown's terminal buds and young leaves are emerald green, and the whole plant carries dark green foliage. The tree is columnar, with short internodes and many branches, wide adaptability, strong drought resistance and some cold tolerance. Compared with Typica yields, Yunnan's Catimor production is very high. In fact, according to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Yunnan originally did not plant Catimor but Typica, which has excellent appearance and good sweetness. Later, as international brands entered Yunnan and placed large orders locally, the cultivation of Catimor was promoted to maximize production. Because Typica yields less and is susceptible to leaf rust, it is very difficult to manage and not economically rewarding, so Yunnan farmers grew reluctant to plant it.

Catimor Flavor Profile Concerns

Although Catimor adapts very well in Yunnan, its flavor has always been a concern for many. Han Huaizong, for instance, often describes Catimor's flavor in his books as "the devil's aftertaste." FrontStreet Coffee believes that many factors affect coffee flavor and that one should not generalize. Indonesian Mandheling, for example, is Catimor, yet Mandheling flavor is widely praised.

Typica Cultivation and Processing

Although Typica is grown less often in Yunnan, its coffee flavor is quite good. One of FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan varieties, Huaguoshan Coffee, is Typica, and its brewed flavor is excellent too. Because Yunnan has high temperatures and abundant rainfall year-round, Yunnan farmers make full use of these natural conditions and process their beans with the washed method. Cherries harvested by farmers are run through a depulping machine to remove the skin and pulp, then the beans are transferred to a clean water tank and soaked for about 18 hours. Fermentation removes the remaining mucilage before drying begins.

FrontStreet Coffee ran cupping and brewing experiments with both Yunnan Small Bean Coffee and Huaguoshan Coffee. Yunnan beans have a relatively balanced flavor, with base notes of nuts and brown sugar. To bring out these characteristics, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium roasting for both Yunnan coffees.

Cupping Methodology

FrontStreet Coffee cups Yunnan sample beans within 8-24 hours of roasting. We typically use 200ml ceramic cupping bowls marked with 150ml and 200ml measurement lines. Following SCAA standards, the water TDS is around 150ppm. TDS that is too low can easily cause over-extraction, while TDS that is too high affects mouthfeel and can lead to under-extraction. The cupping water temperature is 94 degrees Celsius. The grind follows SCAA cupping standards, controlled to pass 70%-75% through a #20 standard sieve, 0.85mm. The ratio is 11 grams of coffee to 200ml of hot water, or 1:18.18, so the extracted concentration falls within the 1.15%-1.35% Golden Cup range, with an immersion time of 4 minutes.

Cupping Results

FrontStreet Coffee reached the following conclusions about these two Yunnan coffees through tasting.

Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Bean Cupping Results: Rich melon and fruit aroma on entry, with herbal notes. A smooth entry, with nuts and chocolate in the mid-section. The finish brings a lively, bright plum acidity, with black tea and brown sugar in the aftertaste.

Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Cupping Results: Bright and soft acidity, with good balance and richness. Layered, with distinct dark chocolate, honey and sucrose notes in the aftertaste. When fully cooled, brown sugar flavors emerge.

Yunnan Coffee Flavor Characteristics

From FrontStreet Coffee's cupping results, we can see that Yunnan coffee is not dominated by acidity. Instead, its flavor is relatively balanced, with base notes primarily of nuts and brown sugar. To experience Yunnan's basic terroir more clearly, one can start with FrontStreet Coffee's Daily Bean Series. The formation of Yunnan's flavor is inseparable from its special geography. Yunnan's natural conditions closely resemble Colombia's, both being low-latitude, high-altitude regions with a large day-night temperature difference.

From the cupping results just described, the mouthfeel is excellent as well. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Small Bean Coffee is somewhat similar to Colombian coffee without being identical. Its dry aroma is nutty, but on tasting it reveals more chocolate, nut and cream flavors, without Colombian coffee's caramel sweetness. Instead it carries more brown sugar sweetness, with an overall balanced mouthfeel.

Yunnan's Growing Conditions

Thanks to Yunnan's superior climate, Yunnan coffee seedlings generally take four years from planting to fruit harvest. FrontStreet Coffee understands that coffee flowers generally live only two to three days. The peak flowering period for Yunnan Small Bean is typically from March to May, greatly influenced by rainfall and temperature. Planting altitude is fundamental to coffee cultivation. Large areas of Yunnan's mountains reach over 1000 meters in altitude. Kunming sits at 1895 meters, Baoshan at 1653.5 meters, Dali at 1976 meters, Chuxiong at 1773 meters, Dehong averages 800 to 1500 meters, and Diqing averages 3380 meters.

With high altitude comes the question of temperature. Generally, the golden coffee belt lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, because beyond those latitudes the risk of frost is very high, and coffee trees die when exposed to frost. Yunnan, however, is protected by the Gaoligong Mountains north of Baoshan, which block the direct southward flow of Siberian cold currents in winter, and its many mountains create small regional climates that shelter coffee growth.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Estate

When FrontStreet Coffee was first founded, we even established a coffee estate in Lincang, Yunnan, to understand and spread coffee knowledge thoroughly. As early as 2013, FrontStreet Coffee had already planted the most original Arabica variety, Typica, on that estate. Lincang's average temperature is around 21 degrees Celsius, with maximum temperatures reaching over 40 degrees, making it an ideal place to grow Yunnan Small Bean Coffee. Yunnan Small Bean Coffee produced in Lincang is rich but not bitter, with a mellow, fragrant profile.

With 2022 now arrived, Yunnan's coffee harvest has drawn to a close for the season, and the latest batch of beans from FrontStreet Coffee's estate has been released.

FrontStreet Coffee: FrontStreet Yunnan Natural Typica
Region: Yunnan Lincang
Estate: Yunnan FrontStreet Coffee Estate
Altitude: 1300 meters
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Natural Process

The Typica grown on FrontStreet Coffee's estate uses the most primitive and traditional post-harvest method, the natural process. After natural processing, FrontStreet's Typica has a richer mouthfeel with more prominent sweet-and-sour notes, featuring citrus and berry tones, a hint of fermented wine aroma, caramel sweetness and a creamy aftertaste.

Brewing Parameters

Finally, let FrontStreet Coffee share the parameters used when brewing Yunnan Natural Typica.

Filter: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90 degrees Celsius
Coffee Amount: 15 grams
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Level: Chinese standard #20 sieve with 80% pass-through rate

First, pour 30 grams of hot water and bloom for 30 seconds. From the center point, pour with a fine stream and circle slowly to 125 grams for the first segment. When the water level in the dripper drops to just below the coffee bed, continue circling and pouring to 225 grams. Total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes.

When FrontStreet Coffee ships, the beans delivered to customers are freshly roasted within 5 days. On receipt, they have already been resting for 4 to 7 days, when their flavor is at its best. FrontStreet Coffee has also noticed that some customers ask us to grind the coffee because their home grinder produces too many fines. Bear in mind that once coffee is ground, its flavor compounds volatilize faster.

FrontStreet Coffee therefore recommends buying whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to experience the best flavor. When customers first receive FrontStreet Coffee's beans, they will see a beautiful "hamburger" bloom during brewing. Blooming matters because it lets the coffee release its internal carbon dioxide, which makes the subsequent extraction more stable.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For an easy introduction to Chinese Arabica, FrontStreet Yunnan Small Bean Coffee is the first choice. Grown in Baoshan and processed with the washed method before a medium roast, it highlights a touch of caramel while keeping some acidity, faithfully expressing Yunnan's terroir with soft nut and chocolate sweetness and a light plum acidity.

If you want a clearer, more layered Yunnan cup, FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan Natural Typica Coffee is the upgrade. FrontStreet's estate-grown Typica uses the oldest and most traditional post-harvest method, natural processing. Medium roasted, it has a heavier body and more pronounced sweet-and-sour notes, with citrus and berry tones, a hint of fermented wine aroma, caramel sweetness and a creamy finish.

And for espresso laced with Yunnan character, FrontStreet Black Cocoa Blend pairs Yunnan Small Bean with Brazil Cerrado. Brazil supplies the mixed-nut aroma and balanced body, while Yunnan plays the chocolate and citrus role, yielding an Americano that balances sweet, sour and bitter with nut and brown sugar notes, and a latte with a smooth almond and cream texture that suits beginners especially well.