Yunnan Coffee Origin Rankings: Which Region Produces the Best-Tasting Coffee Beans? Is Yunnan Small Bean an Arabica Variety?

Tea has a long history in China, but did you know that China has been drinking coffee for over a hundred years as well? Although it didn't develop significantly at that time, Chinese coffee is now receiving government attention and is growing. The country is also promoting domestic products, and currently, various coffee shops feature Yunnan coffee. Chinese people have grown to love Chinese Yunnan coffee, rather than exclusively pursuing imported coffees.

Of course, some people wonder whether Chinese coffee actually tastes good. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Yunnan coffee from China has become popular precisely because of its unique flavor characteristics. If it didn't taste good, would people like it? Of course, everyone's tastes differ, and it's perfectly normal for people to prefer different flavors.

Yunnan: China's Premier Coffee Region

Yunnan is China's largest coffee-growing region and the optimal golden zone for coffee cultivation. The western and southern parts of Yunnan Province are situated between 15°N latitude and the Tropic of Cancer, with most areas ranging from 1,000-2,000 meters in elevation, predominantly mountainous and sloped terrain. The fertile soil, abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and significant day-night temperature variations create unique natural conditions that give Yunnan's small-bean coffee its distinctive characteristics—rich without bitterness, aromatic without being overpowering, with subtle fruity notes. This region has produced four famous coffee-growing areas with thriving coffee industries, bringing us world-renowned quality domestic coffee.

Speaking of Yunnan coffee, as early as the 1950s, Yunnan's small-bean coffee was highly popular in the international coffee market and was rated as a premium grade coffee. The history of coffee cultivation in Yunnan can be traced back to 1892, when a French missionary brought coffee seeds into Yunnan from abroad and successfully planted them in a valley in Binchuan County, Yunnan Province. The coffee plants propagated from these seeds still have over thirty specimens flowering and fruiting in Binchuan County today.

Large-scale coffee cultivation in Yunnan began in the mid-1950s, reaching a planting area of 4,000 hectares at its peak. By the end of 1997, the province's coffee planting area had reached 7,800 hectares. The province's planting area accounts for 70% of the national total, and production accounts for 83% of the country's total. Whether measured by planting area or coffee bean production, Yunnan coffee has established its dominant position within China.

Yunnan Coffee Growing Regions

Yunnan's main coffee-growing areas are distributed in the southern and southwestern regions, including Dehong, Pu'er, Lincang, and Baoshan.

Dehong

Known as the "Coffee Hometown of China," by 2011, the entire prefecture had developed 120,900 mu of coffee planting area, accounting for 30% of China's total coffee planting area. In the next three years, Dehong Prefecture's coffee planting area will reach 200,000 mu. Coffee cultivation in Dehong Prefecture occurs at altitudes above 1,000 meters, with 30,000 mu planted on mountainous areas above 1,600 meters. Additionally, Dehong Prefecture primarily uses organic fertilizers and organic pesticides for coffee cultivation, resulting in high-quality coffee that makes it one of the world's rare premium coffee-producing regions.

Baoshan

Baoshan is the main cultivation area for Yunnan small-bean coffee. Coffee cultivation in Baoshan began in the mid-1950s, with the first coffee seedling introduced from Southeast Asia by the late patriotic overseas Chinese Mr. Liang Jinshan. The locally famous Lujiang坝 small-bean coffee is of excellent quality. As early as the late 1950s, it was rated as a first-grade product in London, UK. In recent years, with the expansion of international trade, Lujiang坝's small-bean coffee has become even more renowned. Merchants from Europe, America, Arab countries, especially the UK, US, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Macao all regard it as premium coffee, with demand exceeding supply. In December 2010, after review by the China General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, it was decided to implement national geographical indication product protection for "Baoshan small-bean coffee."

FrontStreet Coffee's house blend Yunnan small-bean coffee comes from the Baoshan region of Yunnan.

Lincang

Lincang City is located in the southwestern part of Yunnan Province, with the Tropic of Cancer crossing 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's annual average temperature ranges between 16.8°C-17.2°C, with distinct wet and dry seasons and abundant sunshine.

FrontStreet Coffee recognized this "green pearl on the border" and established its own coffee estate in Lincang, planting the oldest Arabica variety—Typica.

FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Yunnan Natural Typica comes from FrontStreet Coffee's estate in the Lincang region.

Pu'er

The tea town of Pu'er has a 150-year history of coffee cultivation. In the early 1990s, Pu'er City began developing coffee as a key industry for adjusting industrial structure and helping farmers increase income. Coffee is cultivated in 54 towns across 9 counties and 1 district in Pu'er City.

Yunnan Coffee Varieties

Whether coffee tastes good actually has a direct relationship with the coffee variety. Currently, the main coffee varieties cultivated in Yunnan include Catimor, Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and others. However, almost all coffees found on the market are Catimor. Therefore, Yunnan small-bean coffee now refers to Yunnan Catimor.

FrontStreet Coffee offers two varieties of Yunnan coffee: one is the Catimor variety, such as Yunnan small-bean coffee; the other is the Typica variety, such as FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Natural Typica coffee.

Yunnan small-bean coffee derives its name from Typica coffee. Because Typica variety coffee beans are small in size, they are called small-bean. FrontStreet Coffee has previously explained that due to the Catimor coffee variety's high yield and strong disease resistance, many coffee growers reluctantly cut down Typica trees and switched to planting Catimor. Currently, the planting area of Catimor varieties in Yunnan remains large, and Yunnan small-bean coffee is of the Catimor variety.

Typica Coffee Beans

The most classic premium Arabica variety, many commercial improved varieties originate from this type. Typica coffee beans exhibit excellent flavor characteristics and are recognized as a specialty coffee variety, but with extremely low yields and susceptibility to rust disease, requiring more human management. Typica coffee beans originate from Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan and are the most widely cultivated coffee variety in the Western Hemisphere. The plants are relatively robust but not tolerant to strong light, with higher yields in Hawaii. The top leaves of Typica are bronze-colored, giving it the name red-top coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee plants Typica variety coffee at its FrontStreet Coffee estate in Lincang, Yunnan.

Catimor Coffee Beans

Catimor is not purely Arabica bloodline; it's a hybrid of Timor variety (belonging to Robusta species) and Caturra (a Bourbon variety variant), so Catimor has 25% Robusta bloodline. Its Robusta bloodline also determines its flavor defects: insufficient aroma, overall bitter taste, prone to astringency and irritating musty flavors.

Bourbon Coffee Beans

This variety originates from Typica coffee beans and was expanded after being planted by the French in 1708 on Bourbon Island (now Réunion Island). Bourbon also has wonderful aroma and rich flavors, with higher yields and growth vigor than Typica, suitable for cultivation in areas between 1,200-2,000 meters, but with weaker disease and pest resistance and sensitivity to strong winds and heavy rainfall. Bourbon coffee is second only to Typica among small-bean coffee varieties. The main branches initially grow upward at a 45-degree angle to the trunk, drooping with fruit load. Side branches have denser nodes, bearing more fruit with higher yields. However, berries are smaller and mature slower. Bourbon top buds and young leaves are green, giving it the name green-top coffee.

Yunnan Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Coffee bean processing methods are related to local conditions. Yunnan has a long rainy season with unstable climate, so most Yunnan coffee beans are processed using the washed method.

However, FrontStreet Coffee's estate uses the natural processing method for its Typica coffee beans, spreading mature coffee cherries whole and evenly on raised beds for sun-drying, regularly turning them to avoid uneven drying that creates unpleasant fermentation. Additionally, keeping the fruit intact allows more sugars from the coffee cherry to penetrate into the raw coffee beans, making FrontStreet Coffee's beans highly aromatic with stronger sweetness.

When FrontStreet Coffee's roasters received this natural Typica green coffee bean, considering the need to highlight its aroma and sweetness while emphasizing Yunnan small-bean coffee characteristics, they adopted a medium roast level.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

For coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using freshly roasted coffee beans to maximize the rich flavors. Coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that coffee bean freshness greatly affects flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring every customer receives the freshest coffee when they place an order. The coffee degassing period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at peak flavor.

Of course, some customers need FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans, which is also fine. However, FrontStreet Coffee must remind you: pre-ground coffee beans don't need further degassing, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide in the package also helps round out the coffee flavor, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, as coffee grounds oxidize quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate relatively quickly, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh for each brew to better experience the coffee's flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters:

Dripper: Hario V60, Water Temperature: 88°C, Coffee Amount: 15g, Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15, Grind Size: Medium-fine (75% pass-through rate with China standard #20 sieve)

[FrontStreet Coffee 2013 Natural Typica Coffee Flavor] Heavy body, prominent sweet and sour notes, with citrus and berry tones, a hint of fermented wine aroma, caramel-like sweetness, creamy aftertaste, and black tea-like mouthfeel.

[Washed Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee Flavor] Herbal, nutty aroma, chocolate, caramel.

Yunnan coffee has entered everyone's view and gradually joined the ranks of specialty coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan small-bean coffee, Yunnan Catimor coffee, and FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Natural Typica coffee—these three Yunnan coffee beans all have different flavors. Of course, FrontStreet Coffee also has many single-origin coffee beans from different regions that you can compare with Yunnan coffee. FrontStreet Coffee believes that everyone's tastes are different, and preferences vary, but FrontStreet Coffee has over fifty different coffee beans from various regions, so there's always one that you'll love! Welcome to taste at FrontStreet Coffee!

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473