China Yunnan Coffee Origin - Flavor Differences Between Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Catim and Typica

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At FrontStreet Coffee, there are three Yunnan coffee varieties: one is FrontStreet Coffee's own cultivated Yunnan Typica Huaguoshan coffee beans, one is sun-processed Yunnan Catimor small bean coffee, and one is washed Yunnan Catimor small bean coffee. This article focuses on the latter two varieties. Through coffee bean differentiation, roasting, cupping, and brewing, we'll explore how the flavor profiles differ between these two processing methods.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Catimor Cultivation in Baoshan

Coffee was introduced to Yunnan Province in the late 1800s, and coffee production began in 1988 with government support. Yunnan Province borders high-latitude countries like Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, making it ideal for coffee production. The Lujiangba area in Baoshan, Yunnan, features a unique dry-hot valley climate that's perfect for growing Arabica small beans. Located at the eastern foot of Gaoligong Mountain and along both banks of the Nujiang River, most small bean coffee cultivation areas are situated at altitudes between 800-1200 meters, with some having expanded to around 1400 meters. The raw material cultivation base features a subtropical monsoon climate type.

FrontStreet Coffee has noted that Baoshan small beans are among the highest quality coffees in China and globally. The coffee beans are uniform and full, with fresh aroma, rich fragrance, mellow taste, and strong yet not harsh flavor. At the 1980 National Coffee Conference, it was recognized as the "Crown of National Coffee." On December 24, 2010, the former General Administration of Quality Supervision approved geographical indication product protection for "Baoshan Small Bean Coffee."

Impact of 2020 Yunnan Drought on Coffee Production

This year, Yunnan has been affected by monsoon climate, terrain, El Niño phenomenon, and deforestation, leading to reduced rainfall and drought conditions. During the coffee tree flowering period in February and March, rainfall in Yunnan's coffee-producing areas decreased significantly compared to last year. During this period, average rainfall in coffee-producing areas decreased by over 60% year-on-year, creating a severe drought situation. From April 22-27, heavy rains occurred in central, southern, and western Yunnan, temporarily alleviating the drought. Average rainfall in various coffee-producing areas was generally higher than the same period last year. Although April's heavy rains relieved Yunnan's drought, the severe drought in February and March prevented the first batch of coffee crops from setting fruit, which will impact this year's Yunnan coffee production.

According to data from the Pu'er Tea and Coffee Industry Development Center, as of March 31, 162,200 mu of coffee in Pu'er City was affected. As Yunnan's largest coffee-producing area, Pu'er City has 695,700 mu of coffee cultivation, meaning approximately 23.3% of the city's coffee farmland was affected by drought. The impact on the first production season also affected the flowering degree of coffee trees in the second season. Although the main focus is on the second season, relevant authorities indicated that coffee beans from the Baoshan production area will see a slight decrease compared to the same period last year, while other Pu'er, Lincang, and Dehong coffee production areas are expected to maintain similar levels.

Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Varieties

In 1959, Portuguese moved the Bourbon mutation variety Catura from Brazil to East Timor, where it was hybridized with Timor hybrid, which has Robusta bloodline, successfully cultivating Catimor with exceptional disease resistance and productivity. As leaf rust plagued coffee-producing countries worldwide, various countries vigorously promoted Catimor with international organization assistance to resist leaf rust and increase productivity. Catimor is a combination of Arabica and Robusta species. Robusta offers good leaf rust resistance, rich oils, high yield, and ease of cultivation. Through cupping Catimor variety coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee believes Catimor combines the mellow coffee flavor of Robusta with the rich taste of Typica original species. Because Catimor doesn't require high altitude cultivation, it has been widely cultivated in Yunnan region.

Yunnan Coffee Bean Processing Methods

It was only when FrontStreet Coffee cultivated coffee trees in Yunnan that they truly experienced what a rainy season means. Due to Yunnan's perennial rainy season and unstable climate, most Yunnan coffee beans are processed using the washed method. The harvested cherries are processed through a depulper to separate most of the pulp from the coffee beans, then the parchment beans are guided to a clean water tank and soaked in water for fermentation to thoroughly remove residual pulp layers. In the past (about five years ago), the washed method was often the preferred choice for processing quality coffee beans. Through water processing, unripe and defective beans are selected out due to buoyancy differences, and the fermentation process is easier to control. Therefore, unlike natural-processed beans that may have mixed flavors, washed beans present distinct fruit acidity, slightly stronger complexity, and cleaner cup characteristics (without any negative flavors like astringency or sharpness).

So how does FrontStreet Coffee process sun-dried coffee beans? Despite the perennial rainy season, there are periods of good weather, so coffee farmers that year adopted red cherry sun-drying for coffee beans. Red cherry refers to fully mature coffee fruits. During coffee harvest season, farmers only pick mature red fruits, placing them one by one into baskets. The harvested coffee fruits are uniform in size, similar in maturity, and free from other impurities. During processing, manual selection is first performed to remove defective coffee beans and immature or overripe coffee fruits. Then the red coffee fruits are spread evenly on elevated wooden frames or entire drying racks for sun-drying, which avoids the risk of beans picking up mixed flavors from being placed on the ground. During the drying process, the beans are constantly turned to ensure even exposure and uniform water loss; every three to five days, farmers manually select and remove defective moldy beans. After the fruit skin dries and hardens, a hulling machine is used to remove the dry hard fruit skin. After obtaining the green coffee beans, farmers perform one final selection in pursuit of perfect taste. FrontStreet Coffee believes that the natural processing method can enhance the sweetness of coffee beans. By harvesting and selecting fully mature coffee fruits, the sugar content in the fruit's pectin is higher, so red cherry natural processing results in coffee beans with higher sweetness and more full, solid taste compared to typical natural processing methods.

Comparison of Yunnan Catimor Coffee Beans with Two Processing Methods

Through comparison of raw beans from the two processing methods, FrontStreet Coffee noted that washed-processed coffee appears blue-green, with raw bean aroma carrying acidic notes; while natural-processed coffee appears yellowish, with raw bean aroma carrying fermented notes.

Through comparison of roasted beans from the two processing methods, FrontStreet Coffee believes the biggest difference between natural and washed beans is that the silver skin of natural beans comes off very cleanly, while washed beans retain light yellow silver skin at the center line. The reason is that during roasting, the silver skin at the coffee bean's center line is most difficult to remove. Natural beans have their outer silver skin connected as a whole piece, making it easier to remove along with the center line silver skin, while washed beans' silver skin attaches to the bean body in fragments, and the silver skin in the center line crack cannot be easily peeled off.

FrontStreet Coffee's Roasting Records for Yunnan Catimor Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee Natural Catimor Roasting: Yangjia 800N roaster, 300g batch size. Heat to 165°C when entering the drum, fire power 130, damper opening 3; Return temperature point at 1'32", when drum temperature reaches 128°C, open damper to 4, fire power unchanged; When drum temperature reaches 153°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. When drum temperature reaches 157°C, adjust fire power to 100, damper unchanged; At 9'00", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for first crack sound. First crack begins at 10'06", damper fully open, develop for 3 minutes after first crack, discharge at 198.5°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Washed Catimor Roasting: Yangjia 800N roaster, 300g batch size. Heat to 190°C when entering the drum, fire power 120, damper opening 3; Return temperature point at 1'40", when drum temperature reaches 145°C, open damper to 4, fire power unchanged; When drum temperature reaches 166°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. When drum temperature reaches 188°C, adjust fire power to 60°C, damper at 5; At 8'37", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for first crack sound. First crack begins at 9'00", damper unchanged, develop for 3 minutes after first crack, discharge at 198°C.

FrontStreet Coffee's Cupping Report for Yunnan Catimor Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after roasting sample coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas typically use 200ml ceramic cupping bowls marked with 150ml and 200ml measurement lines. Following SCAA standards, water TDS is around 150ppm - too low TDS can easily cause over-extraction, while too high affects taste and easily causes under-extraction. Cupping water temperature is 94°C. Cupping grind size follows SCAA cupping standards, controlled to 70%-75% pass rate through #20 standard sieve (0.85mm). Ratio: 11g coffee powder to 200ml hot water, i.e., 1:18.18, so extracted concentration falls within the 1.15%-1.35% golden cup range. Steeping time: 4 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Natural Catimor: Entry shows red berry fruit acidity, nuts, plant herbal aroma, smooth entry, mid-section nuts and chocolate, finish with caramel sweetness, medium body with full texture.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Washed Catimor: Smooth entry, Asian herbal plant aroma, lively and bright acidity, mouth-watering on both cheeks, soft acidity, good balance of mellow richness, rich layers, distinct black chocolate, honey, and cane sugar flavors in aftertaste, brown sugar flavor when completely cooled.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Experience for Yunnan Catimor Coffee Beans

Dripper: V60
Dose: 15g
Water Temperature: 90°C
Grind Size: 80% pass rate through #20 standard sieve
Water-to-Coffee Ratio: 1:15

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique: 30g water for bloom, bloom time 30s, first pour to 125g then stop, vertical water flow, small slow circular flow; second pour to 225g, water flow and circular speed slightly faster to reduce fine particles blocking the dripper, causing over-extraction. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time: 2 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Natural Catimor Brewing Flavor: Entry shows red berry fruit juice sensation, nuts, cocoa, licorice aroma, aftertaste with caramel-like sweetness, mellow, solid, and smooth taste.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Washed Catimor Brewing Flavor: Smells of rich nut aroma, entry shows herbal, chocolate, caramel, aftertaste with light fruit acidity.

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473