The Best Coffee Origin in China Comes from Yunnan: Characteristics and Varieties of Yunnan Coffee Beans

Introduction to Yunnan Coffee Varieties

Coffee from Yunnan, China

Coffee is a tropical crop, and most drinkers would not expect to find a world-class producing region in Yunnan Province, China. Yet when tasting panels from the International Coffee Organization examined Yunnan's cultivation and primary processing sites, they placed Yunnan coffee in the same category as Colombian wet-processed small-bean coffee — the highest quality tier in the world.

Coffee grows across the belt that runs from the equator to 15 degrees north latitude, which is why South America, Indonesia and Africa all produce it. Beans grown in that first stretch, however, often turn out heavy and bitter; they tend to please people who drink coffee without really looking for flavour. The finest cup, on this argument, comes from the zone between 15 degrees north latitude and the Tropic of Cancer. Southern Yunnan — especially the areas close to Laos — and northern Hainan both sit inside that golden band. Hawaii and Saudi Arabia also fall within it, but Hawaii's islands lack the mountains and dense fog, while Saudi Arabia's deserts lack water, so neither suits coffee. That is the case for China's claim to the title.

What people call "Yunnan coffee" is really Arabica grown locally. Only Arabica is named after its place of origin; Robusta keeps the same name wherever it is planted.

One variety worth knowing is Catimor. Arabica delivers excellent flavour but low yields, while Robusta delivers high yields but a coarse taste. Breeders were long reluctant to cross the two, preferring to expand Arabica's planted area or push its productivity instead. The cross was eventually made in Yunnan: Catimor is an Arabica–Robusta hybrid. It succeeds as a plant, but it still carries some Robusta character in the cup, so it is not a complete victory. Even so, Catimor has a distinct profile and a loyal following of its own.

Knowledge Point: Arabica is generally believed to have originated in the Ethiopian highlands and is now grown throughout the tropics. Repeated mutation and selective breeding have produced a large family of varieties.

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house devoted to sharing coffee knowledge. We hold nothing back, because the point is to help more people fall in love with coffee. Every month we run three coffee promotions at significant discounts so that more drinkers can enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price — that has been our mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

FrontStreet Yunnan Small Bean comes from the Baoshan region and is washed and medium roasted. In the cup it shows soft nutty and chocolate notes with a light plum acidity. "Small bean" is simply another name for Arabica: it bears the smallest fruit of the three original coffee species, which is how the nickname stuck. Coffee reached Yunnan in 1904, when the French missionary Tian Deneng carried Typica seed from Vietnam and planted the first tree in Zhugula village, Binchuan county. Baoshan's own coffee history began in the mid-1950s, when the overseas Chinese entrepreneur Liang Jinshan introduced the crop; the dry-hot valley around Lujiangba, with its wide day-night temperature swing and modest rainfall, is what gives Baoshan small bean its characteristic sweetness. The tree grows best between 16°C and 21°C, mostly at around 1000 meters. At a friendly price, this is where many drinkers meet Yunnan coffee for the first time.

FrontStreet 2013 Sun-Dried Typica is the step up. To trace the region's roots, FrontStreet built its own estate in 2013 and planted Typica — one of the oldest coffee varieties, with pure Arabica genetics, elegant and clean in the cup, and the very variety the first French missionaries brought to Yunnan. Only fully ripe red cherry is picked, dried in the sun in the traditional natural process, then medium roasted to balance the cup. The result layers dark berry tones over caramel sweetness, chocolate and a hint of dried apricot, closing on a black tea finish.

FrontStreet Black Cocoa Blend is the espresso answer to Yunnan. It combines Yunnan small bean with Brazil Cerrado: the Brazilian component supplies mixed-nut aroma and a balanced body, while the Yunnan component carries the chocolate and citrus notes. Pulled as an americano it lands with balanced acidity, sweetness and bitterness and a nutty, brown sugar sweetness; with milk it turns silky, with almond and cream — an easy blend for beginners.