What are the Flavor Differences Between Yunnan Typica and Catimor? What Coffee Varieties Exist in Yunnan?

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Customers often ask: "Your Yunnan Huaguoshan and Yunnan Xiaoli are both from Yunnan, what are their differences?" Today, FrontStreet Coffee wants to share these two beans with everyone and explore their differences.

Yunnan

Both of these beans come from Baoshan, Yunnan in our China! In the past, Yunnan coffee was often used for making instant coffee, which led to its poor reputation. However, in recent years, Yunnan coffee has emerged like a dark horse, gradually appearing in the specialty coffee market.

The history of coffee cultivation in Yunnan is quite long. As early as 1892, a French missionary brought coffee seeds to Yunnan and successfully planted the first coffee tree in a place called Zhukula.

The western and southern parts of Yunnan Province are located between 15° north latitude and the Tropic of Cancer. Most areas have elevations between 1000-2000 meters, with mountainous and sloped terrain that has significant variations. The fertile soil, abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and large temperature differences between day and night create the unique characteristics of Yunnan small-bean coffee—strong but not bitter, aromatic but not intense, with a slight fruitiness.

The Baoshan region has a long history of coffee cultivation and is recognized as the best small-bean coffee producing area, making it one of the best coffee producing regions both nationally and globally.

Washed Processing

Both beans use washed processing. In Yunnan, washed processing is a relatively main processing method.

The harvested cherries are processed with a depulper to separate most of the fruit pulp from the coffee beans, then the parchment beans are placed in a clean water tank and soaked in water for fermentation to completely remove the remaining fruit pulp layer.

Through washed processing, unripe and defective beans are selected out due to buoyancy differences, and the fermentation process is easier to control. Therefore, unlike sun-dried beans, they are less likely to have off-flavors, instead presenting clear fruit acidity, slightly stronger complexity, and cleaner cupping characteristics.

Variety Introduction

The variety of 【Yunnan Huaguoshan】 is Typica, while the variety of 【Yunnan Xiaoli】 is Catimor.

Typica

One of the old coffee varieties mentioned by Baoshan, Yunnan locals is Typica. The Typica variety is an ancient original coffee variety from Ethiopia.

The terminal leaves of Typica are bronze-colored, with opposite leaves that are long elliptical, smooth leaf surfaces, long terminal branches, and few side branches. Although Typica coffee has elegant flavor, it has weak physical constitution, poor disease resistance, is susceptible to leaf rust, and has limited production.

Catimor

In 1959, the Portuguese moved the Bourbon mutation variety Caturra from Brazil to East Timor and hybridized it with the Robusta-blooded Timor, successfully cultivating Catimor, which has extremely strong disease resistance and productivity. As leaf rust affected coffee-producing countries worldwide, with the assistance of international organizations, various producing countries vigorously promoted Catimor to resist leaf rust and increase production.

FrontStreet Coffee compared the green beans of 【Yunnan Huaguoshan】 and 【Yunnan Xiaoli】 and found that the green beans of 【Yunnan Huaguoshan】 are relatively more slender, while the green beans of 【Yunnan Xiaoli】 are more round.

Flavor Comparison

FrontStreet Coffee respectively made pour-over coffee to see what differences there would be.

Parameters: Filter: Hario V60; Dose: 15g; Water temperature: 89°C; Grind: Medium-fine (BG 6M: China standard 20-mesh sieve pass rate 58%); Ratio: 1:15; Segmented extraction.

Use 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds, small water flow center injection to 124g for segmentation, continue injection to 225g when water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove filter cup when water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed (timing starts from bloom), extraction time is 1'50".

【Yunnan Huaguoshan】 has a subtle citrus acidity and nutty aroma in its dry fragrance. When tasted, it offers plum and citrus acidity with nutty flavors, melon and fruit aromas, and brown sugar sweetness, with black tea notes in the aftertaste. The overall flavor layers are quite rich.

【Yunnan Xiaoli】 has a nutty aroma in its dry fragrance. When tasted, it presents chocolate, nutty, and creamy flavors with brown sugar sweetness. The overall profile is relatively balanced.

Important Notice :

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