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

Yunnan coffee has gained significant recognition in recent years. There are few places in China suitable for growing Arabica coffee, and even fewer locations famous for coffee cultivation. Yunnan stands out as one of the most renowned coffee-growing regions in the country. Some might not know that FrontStreet Coffee began developing its coffee cultivation in Yunnan back in 2013. In recent years, the quality of Yunnan coffee beans has been continuously improving, with more and more specialty coffee shops prioritizing Yunnan beans on their menus. This indicates that Yunnan coffee development is progressing well. However, as a long-term observer of the Yunnan coffee region, FrontStreet Coffee is deeply aware of Yunnan coffee's shortcomings. Overall, Yunnan coffee is in a state of continuous development toward specialty coffee, but at present, it does not fully meet all the criteria for specialty coffee. Therefore, domestic partners actively developing Yunnan coffee still need to work hard!!!

Most Yunnan coffee beans are currently of the Catimor variety. Catimor is a hybrid of Timor and Caturra, possessing strong disease resistance and high yields, making it prominent among Central American coffee varieties. Among the Yunnan coffee beans offered by FrontStreet Coffee, there is a Yunnan Small Bean Coffee, which is the Catimor variety. Yunnan Small Bean Coffee originally referred to pure Arabica variety coffee, with small bean coffee originating from Ethiopia or the Arabian Peninsula. The main growing areas are distributed in Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong, and other regions.

The Catimor variety of Yunnan coffee beans grows vigorously with stable secondary characteristics. The crown's terminal buds and young leaves are emerald green, with the entire plant displaying dark green foliage. The plant form is columnar, with short internodes, many branches, wide adaptability, strong drought resistance, and some cold tolerance. Compared to Typica yields, Yunnan's Catimor production is very high. In fact, according to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Yunnan initially did not plant the Catimor variety but rather the Typica variety, which has excellent appearance and good sweetness. Later, as international brands entered Yunnan and placed large orders locally, in order to maximize local coffee production, the cultivation of Catimor varieties was promoted. Due to Typica's lower yields and susceptibility to leaf rust, making it very difficult to manage and not economically profitable, Yunnan coffee farmers became reluctant to grow Typica.

Catimor Flavor Profile Concerns

Although the Catimor variety adapts very well in Yunnan, its flavor profile has always been a concern for many. For instance, Han Huaizong often uses "the devil's aftertaste" to describe Catimor's flavor in his books. However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that many factors affect coffee flavor, and one cannot generalize. For example, the Mandheling coffee variety from Indonesia is Catimor, yet Mandheling coffee flavor is widely praised.

Typica Cultivation and Processing

Although Typica is grown less frequently in Yunnan, its coffee flavor is quite good. One of FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan coffee bean varieties—Huaguoshan Coffee—is Typica, and its brewed flavor is also excellent. Because the Yunnan region has high temperatures and abundant rainfall throughout the year, Yunnan coffee farmers make full use of these natural conditions, using the washed processing method for coffee beans. Coffee cherries harvested by farmers are processed with a depulping machine to remove the skin and pulp, then the processed coffee beans are transferred to a clean water tank and soaked for about 18 hours. Fermentation is used to remove residual mucilage before drying can begin.

FrontStreet Coffee conducted cupping and brewing experiments with both Yunnan Small Bean Coffee and Huaguoshan Coffee. Yunnan coffee bean flavor characteristics are relatively balanced, with base notes of nuts and brown sugar. To highlight the flavor characteristics of Yunnan coffee varieties, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium roasting for these two Yunnan coffees.

Cupping Methodology

FrontStreet Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after roasting Yunnan sample coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee typically uses 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 too high TDS affects mouthfeel and can lead to under-extraction. The water temperature used for cupping is 94 degrees Celsius. The cupping grind size follows SCAA cupping standards, controlled to pass 70%-75% through a #20 standard sieve (0.85mm). The ratio is 11 grams of coffee powder to 200ml of hot water,即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 the flavor characteristics of these two Yunnan coffee beans through tasting:

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

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

Yunnan Coffee Flavor Characteristics

From FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan coffee flavor cupping results, we can see that Yunnan coffee characteristics are not dominated by acidity. Instead, Yunnan coffee bean flavors are 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 coffee's flavor is inseparable from Yunnan's special geographical location. Yunnan's natural conditions are very similar to Colombia's, both belonging to low latitude, high altitude regions with significant day-night temperature differences.

From FrontStreet Coffee's cupping results of Yunnan coffee just mentioned, the mouthfeel is also excellent. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Small Bean Coffee has flavors somewhat similar to Colombian coffee but not entirely identical. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Small Bean Coffee has a dry aroma of nuts, but when tasted, it reveals more chocolate, nut, and cream flavors, without the caramel sweetness of Colombian coffee. Instead, it has more brown sugar sweetness, with an overall relatively balanced mouthfeel.

Yunnan's Growing Conditions

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

With high altitudes, temperature must also be considered. Generally, the golden coffee belt lies between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, because beyond these latitudes, the probability of frost is very high, and coffee trees die when exposed to frost. However, Yunnan is protected by the Gaoligong Mountains north of Baoshan, which block the direct southward flow of Siberian cold currents in winter, and the numerous mountains have formed small regional climates that are protective for coffee growth.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Estate

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

With 2022 having arrived, Yunnan's coffee harvesting work has temporarily concluded, and the latest batch of coffee beans from FrontStreet Coffee's estate has also been launched.

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

The Typica produced by FrontStreet Coffee's estate uses the most primitive and traditional post-harvest processing method for coffee beans, which is the natural processing method. After natural processing, Frontsteet's Typica coffee has a richer mouthfeel, with more prominent sweet and sour notes, featuring citrus and berry tones, with 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 water stream and slowly circle to 125 grams for segmentation. Wait until the water level in the filter cup drops to just below the coffee bed, then continue circling and pouring to 225 grams. Total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes.

When FrontStreet Coffee ships, the coffee beans delivered to customers are freshly roasted within 5 days. Upon receipt, they have already undergone a 4 to 7-day degassing period, when their flavor is at its best. FrontStreet Coffee has also noticed that some customers choose to have Frontsteet grind the coffee due to high fine powder rates in their home grinding equipment. It should be noted that after coffee is ground into powder, the volatilization rate of flavor compounds accelerates.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to experience the best flavor. When customers first receive FrontStreet Coffee's beans, they can see a very beautiful blooming "hamburger" during brewing. The blooming process is necessary to allow the coffee powder to release internal carbon dioxide gas, thereby making the subsequent extraction more stable.

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 account: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473