What are the Coffee Origins in China? Flavor Differences Between Yunnan and Hainan Coffee Beans

Introduction to Yunnan Coffee

When people talk about Yunnan small bean coffee on the market today, they're referring to the Typica coffee variety. However, since Catimor coffee beans dominate Yunnan's coffee production with their high yield, what people usually mean by "Yunnan small bean coffee" is actually Yunnan Catimor. In Yunnan's coffee-growing regions, 99.99% of the coffee grown is Catimor. Many friends might wonder why. FrontStreet Coffee believes this is because Catimor has excellent disease and pest resistance, coupled with sufficient yields - in simple terms, its economic benefits are high enough.

FrontStreet Coffee clearly understands the factors that influence coffee flavor and has a desire to change people's perceptions of Yunnan coffee beans. Additionally, in FrontStreet Coffee's view, loving Yunnan coffee beans requires no special reason - this is our own Chinese coffee.

Lincang, Baoshan, Pu'er, and Dehong are the four major coffee-growing regions in Yunnan, primarily distributed in the southwestern part of the province.

Among these, Lincang deserves special mention. (Please continue reading patiently). Lincang borders Pu'er to the east, Dali to the north, and connects with Baoshan to the west, sharing a southwestern border with Myanmar. The annual average temperature in Lincang ranges between 16.8°C and 17.2°C. The dry and wet seasons are distinct, with ample sunshine.

FrontStreet Coffee has established its own estate in Yunnan's Lincang region. This year (2021), FrontStreet Coffee produced its first batch of homegrown coffee beans.

Historical Development of Yunnan Coffee

Initially, Yunnan's coffee cultivation was dominated by Typica. Due to Catimor's strong disease resistance and high yield, with the opening up policy, international brands like Starbucks and Nestlé entered Yunnan and promoted it extensively. However, Catimor coffee beans have one disadvantage: lacking in flavor complexity. Over time, Yunnan small bean coffee gradually evolved from the original Typica variety to today's Catimor variety.

China's Coffee Region - Baoshan, Yunnan

The quality of coffee grown at the highest altitudes in Yunnan's Baoshan coffee region can rival Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee beans. Additionally, Baoshan is also renowned for producing the world's most expensive kopi luwak. As early as 1952, Baoshan began large-scale coffee cultivation, with over 60 years of history to date. Yunnan's Baoshan coffee region is known as the "Best Coffee Region in Asia."

The coffee industry is also the most well-developed and mature market-driven industry among those led by the Baoshan municipal government since the founding of New China. To better develop this industry, Baoshan has made various attempts, including launching projects like the Baoshan Yunnan Coffee World initiative.

Located at a low latitude plateau, Baoshan, Yunnan is known for its saying "one mountain has four seasons, ten miles have different weather," making this climate extremely suitable for coffee cultivation. To give you some data, Yunnan's coffee production reaches 136,000 tons, accounting for over 95% of the nation's total coffee production. Its export volume ranks highest nationally at 60,700 tons.

The Baoshan region has a long history of coffee cultivation and is recognized as the "Best Small Bean Coffee Origin," making it one of the finest coffee-producing regions both in China and globally.

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Coffee Estate Bean Introduction

In the 2021 Yunnan coffee harvest season, we processed a small batch of Yunnan natural processed Typica coffee beans. Due to limited quantities, FrontStreet Coffee had to offer this bean as a "limited edition gift" in our promotional events for customers to try! FrontStreet Coffee's bean list has always included a Yunnan washed Typica Huaguoshan coffee bean.

We at FrontStreet Coffee have two Yunnan small bean coffee varieties: one is Catimor, and the other is Typica. Because Catimor has Robusta genes, its flavor profile is slightly inferior compared to Typica coffee beans.

Although Yunnan has excellent coffee growing conditions, FrontStreet Coffee believes that the current quality of Yunnan coffee beans has not yet reached "specialty coffee" standards, mainly because: 1. Variety. Most of Yunnan grows Catimor, which is inherently inferior to the superior Typica variety. 2. Use of anaerobic processing. This is a novel processing method, but doing so masks the original flavor of the coffee, making it difficult to qualify as specialty.

At FrontStreet Coffee's physical stores, we often share our own natural processed Typica coffee beans as tasting samples, giving different customers the opportunity to try them.

Yunnan's Coffee Growing Conditions

The western and southern parts of Yunnan Province are located between 15°N and the Tropic of Cancer. Most areas also have the high altitudes required for coffee cultivation, with terrain dominated by mountains and slopes, significant elevation changes, fertile soil, ample sunshine, abundant rainfall, and large temperature differences between day and night.

Among them, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Wenshan, Baoshan, Dehong, and Lincang in southern and western Yunnan are all distribution areas for Yunnan small bean coffee cultivation.

We all know that washed processed coffee beans have a cleaner taste, while natural processed coffee beans have more fruit flavors.

However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that traditional coffee processing methods best express the fundamental flavors of a coffee region. That's why on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list, you'll find many washed processed beans, such as those from Ethiopia, Panama, Colombia, and more.

Today's Yunnan coffee beans have more processing options. Even in details, many different processing methods have evolved. For example, adding steps during the anaerobic fermentation process.

The most widely grown coffee variety in Yunnan's coffee regions is Catimor. Additionally, there are still small amounts of Typica and Bourbon varieties planted in the Baoshan region. Although Typica and Bourbon both belong to the Arabica species, they have significant fundamental differences.

Coffee Varieties Introduction

Let's now discuss Typica and Bourbon coffee varieties.

Typica Coffee Variety

The Typica coffee variety originates from southeastern Ethiopia and Sudan, and is the most widely cultivated coffee variety in the Western Hemisphere. Its plants are relatively robust but not tolerant to strong sunlight. The top leaves of Typica are copper-colored, leading to it being called "red top coffee." Currently, many commercial improved varieties are derived from this type.

Typica coffee beans are recognized as a specialty coffee variety. However, they have extremely low yields and are susceptible to rust disease, requiring more human management and higher maintenance costs. Excellent estate beans like Jamaica Blue Mountain, Sumatra Mandheling, and Hawaii Kona all belong to the Typica variety.

Bourbon Coffee Variety

In the 18th century, the French introduced round coffee beans from Yemen to Réunion Island, which was then called Bourbon Island, hence the name Bourbon. In 1860, the Bourbon variety was introduced to Brazil and from there rapidly spread to various countries in Central and South America, where Bourbon coffee beans are still cultivated and produced today.

It is a mutation of Typica, with young terminal leaves that are green, also known as "green top coffee." Bourbon coffee beans have excellent aroma and rich layers, but very low disease resistance and not high yields. Therefore, many Central and South American countries choose to plant natural mutations of Bourbon - such as Caturra - or other coffee varieties that are more disease-resistant and higher-yielding.

Catimor Coffee Variety

Strictly speaking, Catimor coffee variety is not purely of Arabica lineage. It is a hybrid between the Timor variety (Robusta coffee) and Caturra coffee variety (a mutation of Bourbon coffee variety), so Catimor has 25% Robusta coffee variety lineage.

And it's precisely because of this 25% Robusta lineage that determines the flavor defects of Catimor coffee variety - insufficient aroma richness, prominent bitterness, and容易出现涩味和比较刺激的霉味 (easily producing astringency and unpleasant musty flavors).

Typica coffee variety yields only 1/3 of what Catimor coffee variety produces, which explains why it's more expensive. At the same time, Typica and Bourbon are very susceptible to rust disease, which is one of the reasons coffee farmers are reluctant to grow Arabica varieties.

Due to the low yields and disease susceptibility of Typica and Bourbon varieties, coupled with high maintenance costs, it means farmers need more time to explore. Current coffee farmers don't yet have a "specialty coffee" awareness; even if they understand specialty coffee, when it comes to cutting down old trees and spending several years replanting, coffee farmers will only keep their distance.

FrontStreet Coffee · Coffee Bean Processing Method Introduction

Natural Processing Method

As the oldest coffee bean processing method, it can be summarized in four words: "dry and peel open." However, producing high-quality natural processed coffee beans is not as easy as you might imagine. Natural processing is generally more common in dry, warm, and sunny regions.

Coffee cherries must be processed immediately after harvesting. First, manual hand-picking is used to screen out defective coffee cherries, including overripe, unripe, insect-damaged ones, and of course, other non-coffee objects. "Floating selection" is a commonly used screening method. The screened coffee cherries are then dried under the sun.

The drying time for coffee beans depends on the weather, generally taking 4 weeks. Different regions may use different drying racks - some might use waterproof tarps, elevated beds, or concrete floors. The average drying time is 3-4 weeks, until the coffee moisture content drops to 11% to complete the drying process. Then, machines are used to remove the dried coffee pulp, skin, and mucilage.

Washed Processing Method

Due to the high average altitude of coffee cultivation in Ethiopia and water scarcity, the earliest and most traditional processing method was natural processing. However, because the processing steps were crude, the resulting coffee flavor was too concentrated and lacked cleanliness.

In 1972, Yirgacheffe introduced washed processing from Central and South America to improve coffee quality. This introduction elevated the quality of Ethiopian coffee beans by several levels. Subsequently, the jasmine fragrance and lemon-citrus flavors of washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans became representatives of African specialty beans and gained popularity in Europe and America. The washed processing method then became mainstream in the Yirgacheffe region.

After harvesting, coffee cherries are immediately sent to washing stations for processing. Workers first perform floatation selection on the harvested coffee cherries, removing those with insufficient density. Then, machines are used to remove the pulp and skin. The beans are then placed in water tanks for either dry or wet fermentation, using fermentation to decompose the mucilage layer.

After fermentation is complete, the coffee beans are washed with clean water to remove the mucilage. Finally, the mucilage-free coffee beans are sun-dried. The drying time can be reduced by more than half, generally around 2 weeks depending on the weather, reducing the moisture content to between 11% and 13%. Finally, the coffee beans are stored with parchment, which is only removed before export.

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Small Bean Coffee

Region: Baoshan, Yunnan
Altitude: 1200m
Processing Method: Washed
Variety: Catimor

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Roasting Record

Enter the roaster at 190°C, heat at 120, damper at 3; return temperature at 1'40", when roaster temperature reaches 145°C, open damper to 4, heat unchanged; when roaster temperature reaches 166°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. When roaster temperature reaches 188°C, adjust heat to 60°C, damper to 5; at 8'37", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the first crack sound. At 9'00", first crack begins, damper unchanged, develop for 3 minutes after first crack, exit at 198°C.

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Cupping Results

Smooth entry, Asian herbal plant aroma, lively and bright acidity, mouth-watering on both cheeks, soft acidity, good balance between richness and body, rich layers, distinct dark chocolate, honey, and cane sugar flavors in the aftertaste. When completely cooled, brown sugar flavor emerges.

About 6 years ago, FrontStreet Coffee began using Typica from Yunnan's Baoshan region to create the representative Huaguoshan coffee bean with Yunnan coffee characteristics.

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Frontsteet 2013 Coffee Bean

Coffee Origin: Lincang
Coffee Variety: Typica
Altitude: 1300m
Processing Method: Natural

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Bean Roasting Record

The bean moisture content is 10.9%, so the roasting plan is to enter beans at 200°C, then use high heat and small damper to accelerate dehydration. After the dehydration stage, use medium damper and medium heat to prevent the Maillard reaction from being too rushed, develop for 3 minutes after first crack. Return point: 1 minute 32 seconds, 92.5°C; Yellowing point: 5 minutes 40 seconds, 148.5°C; First crack: 8 minutes 59 seconds, 188.0°C; Develop for 3 minutes before exiting: 12'00, 196°C

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Bean Cupping Record

Cupping 12 hours after roasting: Rich fruit aroma on entry, melon, herbal plant aroma, smooth entry, nuts in the middle, milk chocolate, lively and bright plum acidity in the finish, mouth-watering on both cheeks, good balance, medium body, full body. From hot to warm temperature, you can feel the layered acidity and sweetness, first sweet then sour, apricot-peach, citrus-toned acidity, black tea aftertaste, with some brown sugar.

FrontStreet Coffee · Brewing Tips for Yunnan Small Bean Coffee & Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Bean

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a V60 dripper for brewing. Because the V60 has a large opening and unique spiral ribs, air is more easily expelled, improving extraction quality. The body might not be thick enough, but its high concentration brings out Yunnan coffee's fruity acidity and distinct aroma, which is its major characteristic.

Dripper: V60 #01
Water Temperature: 90-92°C
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine, similar to coarse sugar (57% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Segmented extraction.

30ml of water for 30-second bloom, then pour with small stream in circles to 124ml for segmentation. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 227ml and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time is 2 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Flavor Description

Smells of rich nutty aroma, with herbal, chocolate, and caramel flavors on entry, and a light fruit acidity in the aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Bean Flavor Description

Dry aroma has light citrus acidity and nutty fragrance. Taste features plum and citrus acidity with nutty flavors, melon and fruit sweetness, and brown sugar sweetness. The aftertaste carries some black tea notes. Overall flavor layers are quite rich.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473