Where is Chinese Coffee Grown? Yunnan - A Coffee Region Beyond Just Tea

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

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Yunnan Coffee Growing Regions

In the past, Yunnan coffee was of poor quality and mostly used for instant coffee production, which led to Yunnan coffee's reputation not being very good. However, in recent years, Yunnan coffee has emerged like a dark horse, gradually appearing in the specialty coffee market.

History of Coffee Cultivation in Yunnan

The history can be traced back to 1892, when a French missionary brought coffee seeds from abroad into Yunnan and successfully planted the first coffee tree in a place called Zhukula. At that time, he probably would not have imagined that a hundred years later, coffee would become a highlight of Yunnan's plateau specialty agriculture.

After 1930, the renowned overseas Chinese leader Mr. Liang Jinshan brought coffee to Pupiao and Luoming for cultivation, continuing until after the founding of New China. After 1952, under the guidance of expert Ma Guojin from the Baoshan Institute of Tropical Agriculture, large-scale coffee cultivation began in areas like Lujiang. The history of large-scale cultivation now spans nearly 60 years.

By the end of 1997, the province's coffee cultivation area had reached 7,800 hectares. Currently, the province's cultivation area accounts for 70% of the national total, and production accounts for 83% of the country's total. Whether measured by cultivation area or coffee bean production, Yunnan coffee has established a dominant position within China.

International Common Grading Standards

Coffee beans are graded by size using round-hole grading screens. The international standard for small-grain coffee includes grades 10-20. The numbers used represent the screen hole diameter as a fraction with the number as the numerator and 64 as the denominator, measured in inches. For example: grade 14 refers to green coffee beans that can pass through a screen with a hole diameter of 14/64 inches or larger, while grade 19 refers to green coffee beans that can pass through a screen with a hole diameter of 19/64 inches or larger. (1 inch ≈ 2.54 cm)

Yunnan's coffee cultivation is mainly distributed in Lincang, Baoshan, Pu'er, and Dehong. These areas have natural resources characterized by low latitude, high altitude, and large day-night temperature differences, making Yunnan a golden cultivation area for producing high-quality Arabica (small-grain) coffee.

Knowledge Point

Arabica coffee is generally believed to originate from the Ethiopian plateau and is widely distributed in tropical regions. Through repeated mutations and breeding, it has given rise to numerous varieties.

In summary: FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research hall that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Each month, we hold three coffee promotion events with deep discounts, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. This has been our mission for the past 6 years!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473