Which Brand of Yunnan Small Bean Coffee is Best? How Much Does a Can of Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Cost?

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The average annual coffee consumption per person in coffee-consuming countries worldwide is 30 to 40 cups, while Chinese people consume only 3 to 4 cups per year.

However, China's annual coffee consumption is growing at a rate of 20%, much higher than the global average growth rate of 2%.

The market potential is enormous. But where are the local coffee brands?

Understanding Yunnan's Premium Coffee

First, what does high-altitude, pure-bred, washed Yunnan Baoshan Typica taste like? Is Yunnan small-grain coffee actually good to drink?

When judging whether a coffee bean will taste good based on some basic factors, it comes down to the following:

Examining the beans: 1. Variety 2. Altitude 3. Processing method 4. Roasting 5. Extraction

1. Variety: Typica, an original cultivar

When we discuss specialty coffee, Blue Mountain and KONA are also Typica varieties. Returning to the concept of bloodlines, we must admit that good bloodlines account for a large proportion of what makes a good coffee bean.

2. Growing altitude: 1200 meters

For Arabica coffee, 1200 meters is the quality watershed. This Yunnan Baoshan Typica is cultivated at 1200 meters.

3. Processing method: washed

Looking at processing methods, there are essentially two directions: one for cleaner coffee (such as washed processing) and one for richer flavors (such as natural processing).

4. Roasting approach

FrontStreet Coffee has specialized in roasting for 5 years, using medium roasting to express the regional flavors that Yunnan specialty coffee should have.

Let's share some basic information about this Yunnan coffee, how you should brew it after purchasing, and what flavors we found in our cupping tests.

Yunnan Baoshan Typica Coffee Profile

Product Name: Flower Fruit Mountain

Coffee Origin: China, Yunnan, Baoshan

Coffee Variety: Typica

Production Altitude: 1200M

Quality Grade: AA

Processing Method: Washed

The cultivation history of Yunnan coffee can be traced back to 1892. A French missionary brought coffee seeds into Yunnan from abroad and successfully planted them in a valley in Binchuan County, Yunnan Province. The main variety was Typica, known as small-grain coffee, commonly referred to in China as Yunnan small-grain coffee.

Yunnan small-grain coffee belongs to the Rubiaceae family, Coffea genus.

Good bloodlines account for a large proportion of what makes a good coffee bean. Choosing the right variety, planting it at appropriate altitudes, and developing processing methods that can express unique flavors after ripening are all crucial. Yunnan Typica growing areas are mainly distributed in places like Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, and Dehong in Yunnan, China.

The path to specialty coffee is neither too difficult nor too easy. The current transformation of Yunnan coffee into Yunnan specialty coffee faces challenges: most of Yunnan's current coffee plantations grow Catimor, a hybrid of Caturra (a Bourbon lineage branch of Arabica) and Robusta varieties. This variety was chosen because Catimor possesses Robusta genes.

Therefore, it has stronger disease resistance compared to single old varieties and also yields better harvests. Compared to the delicate old varieties with poor disease resistance and low yields, farmers naturally prefer growing Catimor, which has created a Catimor trend throughout Yunnan.

Looking closely, Catimor is actually easy to recognize among vast coffee plantations. After careful observation, you'll find that each variety has its own appearance. Catimor leaves droop downward, and the tree shape appears to be wearing a cloak. Typica, however, has branches that grow upward, with copper-colored new leaves at the treetops.

The new leaves at the tips of branches in the image above are copper-colored - this is a Typica coffee tree.

Typica is an old variety within the Arabica lineage. The well-known Hawaii Kona is actually also a Typica variety. Among vast Catimor plantations, it's actually easy to recognize. Typica is one of the most ancient varieties of Arabica coffee trees, with oval or slender-pointed beans. It has elegant flavors but weak constitution, poor disease resistance, and low fruit yield.

Typica Coffee Beans

Typica: Oval in shape, thin and flat when viewed from the side. Both ends of Typica beans are slightly upturned, and even when grown at different altitudes, there won't be significant differences in the thickness of raw beans.

Distinguishing Roasted Typica from Catimor

Planting Altitude

For Arabica coffee, 1200 meters is the quality watershed. Baoshan's altitude above 1200 meters has an average temperature of 21.5°C, reaching up to 40.4°C. With basically no frost throughout the year, it forms a protective microclimate for coffee growth and is recognized as the best small-grain coffee producing area. Planting areas are mainly distributed in Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, and Dehong. The small-grain coffee cultivated here is rich but not bitter, fragrant but not strong, with small yet uniform beans, mellow and rich fragrance, and fruity notes.

Coffee beans grown in Yunnan's unique geographical and climatic conditions are not foreign imports but originate from Chinese cultivation. The Yunnan specialty coffee industry has a long and challenging road ahead. As long as the direction is clear, goals are locked, we unite together, base ourselves in the present while advancing through difficulties, look to the future with the courage to take responsibility, and firmly believe that tomorrow of Yunnan's specialty coffee industry will be better!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473