Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Varieties and Grading Standards - Is Yunnan Coffee Considered Specialty Coffee?

As coffee beans produced in our own country, FrontStreet Coffee believes that Yunnan coffee is definitely worth trying. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee has also added washed Yunnan small bean coffee to its daily selection series, allowing everyone to taste the flavor of this region. Some friends have also asked FrontStreet Coffee whether Yunnan coffee belongs to specialty coffee. FrontStreet Coffee needs to explain this question starting from the development of Yunnan coffee.

The Past of Yunnan Coffee

Yunnan coffee is also known as Yunnan small bean because the coffee grown in Yunnan is of the Arabica species, which belongs to small bean coffee, distinguishing it from the medium bean Robusta coffee grown in Hainan.

Since the French missionary Alfred Gauthier introduced the first coffee tree in 1904 to Zhugula Village, Binchuan, Yunnan, the cultivation of Yunnan coffee began. The real commercial cultivation started in 1937 when the patriotic overseas Chinese Liang Jinshan brought coffee seeds from Myanmar to the vicinity of Lujiangba, Baoshan, to begin seedling cultivation. By 1952, after the founding of New China, under the leadership of expert Ma Guojin from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, large-scale coffee cultivation was formally developed, and the coffee produced was used to supply the Soviet Union.

Yunnan coffee truly entered the international market starting from 1988 when Nestlé established a branch in China. Not only did they introduce the high-yield, disease-resistant Catimor variety, but they also promised to purchase Yunnan coffee beans as raw materials at the then American futures price. Subsequently, brands such as Starbucks and Maxwell House also built factories in Yunnan to purchase green beans. These measures further expanded the cultivation area of Yunnan coffee and increased the enthusiasm of coffee farmers.

The Current Status of Yunnan Coffee

Under the commercial influence of Nestlé, the coffee varieties grown in Yunnan are predominantly Catimor. Catimor is a hybrid of Caturra and Timor, carrying 1/4 Robusta genes, which improves the disease resistance of coffee and ensures yield, but the flavor is not as good as pure Arabica varieties. Additionally, farmers tend to adopt rough green bean processing methods, resulting in lower quality coffee that mostly flows into the commodity market as raw material for instant coffee or inexpensive blended beans. Therefore, when we compare Yunnan coffee beans with already mature Ethiopian coffee, Panamanian coffee, etc., there will certainly be some gaps.

Of course, Yunnan also has specialty coffee beans with better flavors, but they only account for a very small portion of Yunnan coffee beans. Therefore, returning to the question mentioned above by FrontStreet Coffee, Yunnan certainly has specialty coffee, but not all of it belongs to the specialty level. Overall, to keep up with the international specialty coffee standards, coffee professionals still need to work hard.

The Grading System of Yunnan Coffee

Compared to other mature coffee-producing regions, Yunnan's coffee grading system is not yet perfect. Standards such as sieve size, color, cleanliness, aroma, and moisture content are commonly used for classification.

According to sieve holes of 6.5, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0 millimeters, it is divided into five grades:

Grade 1: Above 6.5 mm, full and complete particles

Grade 2: 6.0-6.4 mm, full, relatively uniform

Grade 3: 5.3-5.9 mm, relatively full, slightly lacking uniformity

Grade 4: 5.0-5.4 mm, with incomplete particles, complete ones accounting for over 75%

Grade 5: Below 5.0 mm, with incomplete particles, complete ones accounting for over 30%

Color: Those with luster, light blue, light green, or light white are better. Black-brown and dark orange are inferior:

Grade 1: Light blue, light green, light white, light yellow, uniform color

Grade 2: Light blue, light green, light white, light yellow, slightly inferior color

Grade 3: Light blue, light green, light white, light yellow, even more inferior color

Grade 4: Slightly yellow, small amount of brown

Grade 5: Variegated color

Cleanliness: Those without impurities or with few impurities are better:

Grade 1: Silver skin removed over 70%, no impurities

Grade 2: Silver skin removed over 65%, no impurities

Grade 3: Silver skin removed over 60%, no impurities

Aroma: Fermented deterioration, light red, brown indicates sour taste; sour odor or other off-odors are not good.

Moisture: Water content not exceeding 12%.

To maximize the interests of coffee farmers and coffee enterprises, and to further enhance Yunnan coffee's international market influence and competitiveness, Pu'er City established the Yunnan International Coffee Exchange (YCE). In 2019, YCE combined the systems of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) to plan a new grading system for traditionally processed Yunnan small bean coffee. Coffee farmers grade and quote according to this standard.

Yunnan Small Bean Specialty Coffee Recommendations

To enable continuous improvement and development of Yunnan coffee, coffee professionals need to first understand the basic flavor profile of Yunnan coffee in order to help enhance its quality. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee has specifically selected washed Yunnan small bean coffee as the representative of Yunnan. FrontStreet Coffee believes that in the washed processing steps, the coffee green beans have the pulp layer completely removed before drying, which better highlights the inherent aroma of the coffee itself—that is, what we call "the taste of Yunnan."

In the Yunnan coffee section of FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu, there is a sun-dried coffee bean named after us—"Frontsteet 2013." Among them, FrontStreet Coffee has been investing in the Yunnan producing area for many years. Starting from 2013, FrontStreet Coffee began planting coffee in Lincang, Yunnan, and also selected the ancient and pure Arabica variety—Typica. Because Typica is weak and has poor disease resistance, it requires a lot of effort to manage. Finally, in 2020, the first harvest was obtained, processed using the sun-dried method.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that the flavor profile of Yunnan coffee should be neutral, meaning it has both acidity and rich bitterness. Therefore, in terms of roasting degree, FrontStreet Coffee chose medium roast. Through cupping, this Frontsteet 2013 presents aromas of plum, dried fruit, chocolate, and nuts, with various flavors appropriately blended.

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-Over Recommendations

Dripper: Hario V60

Amount: 15g

Water Temperature: 90 degrees Celsius

Grind Size: 75% pass-through rate through #20 sieve

Water-to-Coffee Ratio: 1:15

Three-Pour Method: Use twice the amount of coffee in water to moisten the coffee bed, forming a dome and bloom for 30s. Then use a small water stream to pour from inside to outside in circles until 125g, then pause. Wait for the coffee bed to drop to half the height of the dripper, then continue with the same fine water stream to pour the third stage to 225g. Remove the dripper after all the coffee liquid has filtered through, taking about 2 minutes.

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

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: ID: qjcoffeex

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