What Are Asian Coffee Origins - An Introduction to the Three Major Growing Regions and Their Characteristics for Yunnan Arabica Coffee

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FrontStreet Coffee - Asian Coffee Origins: Yunnan Coffee Region Introduction

Coffee originates from tropical Africa. Arabica coffee originated from Ethiopia and South Sudan, while Robusta coffee comes from West Africa. Around 1000 AD, Arabs were the first people recorded in historical documents to use coffee fruits. By the 17th century, coffee houses emerged in Western Europe, and Europeans began drinking coffee. Subsequently, through colonial expansion, the Dutch brought coffee beans to Indonesia in Asia for cultivation. Caribbean and South American colonies began coffee cultivation in the early 18th century. Today, coffee is mainly grown in tropical and subtropical regions or islands in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. The coffee growing belt centered around the equator is known as the Coffee Belt.

The western and southern parts of Yunnan Province are located between 15°N latitude and the Tropic of Cancer. Most areas have elevations ranging from 1000-2000 meters, with predominantly mountainous and sloped terrain that features significant variations in elevation. The region boasts fertile soil, abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and significant temperature differences between day and night. These unique natural conditions create the distinctive flavor profile of Yunnan small-seed coffee—strong but not bitter, aromatic but not overpowering, with subtle fruit notes.

Yunnan's main coffee growing regions include Lincang, Baoshan, Dehong, and Pu'er. Coffee beans produced in these areas are mainly exported to South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and several European countries.

Lincang

Lincang City is located in southwestern Yunnan Province, with the Tropic of Cancer crossing through its southern part. It borders Pu'er to the east, Dali to the north, Baoshan to the west, and Myanmar to the southwest. Named for its proximity to the Lancang River, it is a brilliant pearl on China's southwestern border. Lincang has an average annual temperature between 16.8°C and 17.2°C, with distinct wet and dry seasons and abundant sunshine.

Dehong Prefecture

Dehong is the birthplace of Chinese coffee. The region features elevations from 1,000 to 1,600 meters, with coffee plantations covering 2,000 hectares. More importantly, most coffee here is grown organically, making it among the world's highest quality coffee.

Pu'er

Known as the "Coffee Capital," in 2012, Pu'er had a coffee planting area of 43,433 hectares, with 18,000 hectares harvested and an annual coffee production of 36,500 tons, of which 24,700 tons were exported. The Pu'er coffee industry includes 70 registered enterprises, 30,000 households, and approximately 1 million people. Pu'er tea is renowned as the "City of Tea for a Thousand Years," and Pu'er is an important coffee production area in China with the largest planting area, highest production, and best quality, as well as an important distribution center for international coffee business.

Baoshan

Small-seed coffee is Baoshan's most famous coffee variety. This coffee took its first steps in the late 1950s and quickly received positive feedback from London. At the 1980 National Coffee Conference, it was recognized as the "Best Coffee in China." In December 2010, Baoshan small-seed coffee received A-grade certification and was approved through the China National Standard Administration process, considered a product reflecting China's national geographical indication.

Knowledge Extension

Although Yunnan has been growing coffee for many years, overall development is still not mature. Its grading system is also rather disorganized.

In Brief

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