Where are the main coffee producing regions in Yunnan? An introduction to the flavor characteristics of Baoshan, Yunnan coffee

FrontStreet Coffee: Introduction to Yunnan Small Bean Coffee

The history of coffee cultivation in Yunnan goes back to 1892, when a French missionary brought coffee seeds into the province from abroad and planted them successfully in a valley in Binchuan County. More than 30 coffee plants grown from those seeds are still flowering and bearing fruit in Binchuan County today.

Large-scale coffee cultivation in Yunnan began in the mid-1950s, and the planted area once reached 4,000 hectares. By the end of 1997 the province's coffee area had reached 7,800 hectares. Today, as of 2013, Yunnan accounts for 70 percent of China's planted area and 83 percent of national production. Measured either by planted area or by output of green beans, Yunnan coffee holds a dominant position within China.

Major Coffee Growing Regions: Pu'er, Baoshan and Lincang in Yunnan

Dehong

Known as the "Hometown of Chinese Coffee." As of 2011, the prefecture had developed 120,900 mu of coffee, 30 percent of the country's coffee area, and over the following three years that area was set to reach 200,000 mu. All of Dehong's coffee is planted above 1,000 meters, with 30,000 mu on mountain land above 1,600 meters. Dehong also relies mainly on organic fertilizer and organic pesticides, which yields high-quality coffee and makes the prefecture one of the world's rare high-quality producing regions.

Baoshan

Coffee cultivation in Baoshan started in the mid-1950s, when the first plants were introduced from Southeast Asia by the late patriotic overseas Chinese Mr. Liang Jinshan. The locally famous Lujiangba small bean coffee is of excellent quality: as early as the late 1950s it was rated first-grade in London. In recent years, with the expansion of international trade, Lujiangba small bean coffee has become even better known. Merchants from Europe, America and the Arab world, especially Britain, America, Egypt, Hong Kong and Macao, treat it as a premium coffee, and demand stays high. In December 2010, after review by the China National Quality Inspection Administration, national geographical indication product protection was granted to "Baoshan Small Bean Coffee."

Lincang

Its particular location and climate have made Lincang a focus of attention for many coffee companies. High-quality seedling bases of 200 mu and 100 mu were established in Mengding Town in Gengma Autonomous County and at Xinfu Farm in Lincang respectively, and coffee is also grown in Gengma, Zhenkang, Yunxian, Cangyuan and Yongde.

Pu'er

Pu'er, the land of tea, has a 150-year history of coffee cultivation. In the early 1990s the city began to develop coffee as a leading backbone industry, part of adjusting its industrial structure and raising farmers' incomes. Coffee is planted in 54 townships across 9 counties and 1 district of Pu'er City.

Knowledge Extension

Most of the coffee currently planted in Yunnan is Catimor, a hybrid between the Caturra branch of the Bourbon lineage within Arabica and the Robusta species.

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a research-focused coffee establishment, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Each month we hold three coffee promotion events with significant discounts, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to help more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. That has been our mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yunnan's small bean coffee is the easiest entry point into Chinese Arabica. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Small Bean comes from the Baoshan region, is washed and roasted to a medium level, and shows soft nutty and chocolate sweetness with a light plum acidity. Baoshan's warm, frost-free climate, and especially the dry-hot river valley around Lujiangba with its small annual range but wide day-to-night swing, is what gives the cup its distinctive sweetness, and the modest rainfall works in the fruit's favor too.

To go a step further into the region, FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Yunnan sun-dried Typica comes from our own estate, planted with Typica because it is one of the oldest and purest Arabica varieties and because the very first coffee trees in Yunnan, brought in by a French missionary, were Typica as well. Only fully ripe red cherries are used, dried in the sun and roasted to a medium level: dark berry notes, caramel sweetness, chocolate and a touch of dried apricot, with a black tea finish.

For a Yunnan-flavored espresso, try FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa Blend, a combination of Yunnan small bean and Brazil Cerrado that many baristas recommend. The Brazilian coffee supplies mixed-nut aroma and balance, while the Yunnan small bean carries the chocolate and citrus notes. As an Americano it is balanced across sweet, sour and bitter with nut and brown sugar sweetness, and as a latte it turns smooth and silky with almond and cream, which makes it very beginner-friendly.