Asian Coffee Origins and Introduction to Yunnan Arabica Characteristics

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Yunnan Small Bean Coffee

The Origins of Coffee

Coffee originates from tropical Africa. Arabica coffee came from Ethiopia and South Sudan, while Robusta comes from West Africa. Around 1000 AD, Arabs were the first people recorded in historical documents to use coffee cherries.

The Global Coffee Expansion

By the 17th century, cafes had emerged in Western Europe and Europeans had begun drinking coffee. Through colonial expansion, the Dutch brought coffee beans to Indonesia for cultivation in Asia, while colonies in the Caribbean and South America began growing coffee in the early 18th century. Coffee worldwide is grown mainly in the tropical and subtropical regions and islands of Central and South America, Africa and Asia. The growing band centred on the equator is known as the Coffee Belt.

Yunnan Small Bean Coffee

Western and southern Yunnan lie between 15°N latitude and the Tropic of Cancer. Most areas sit at an elevation of 1000-2000 meters, with mountainous and sloped terrain that varies greatly, fertile soil, abundant sunlight, plentiful rainfall and large day-night temperature differences. These natural conditions create the distinctive flavour of Yunnan small bean coffee: fragrant and rich without bitterness, mellow and aromatic without being overpowering, with a slight fruity note.

FrontStreet Coffee's Mission

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research establishment that delights in sharing coffee knowledge. Our unconditional sharing is aimed at helping more friends fall in love with coffee. We also hold three low-discount coffee events each month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible prices. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Yunnan is your entry point into Chinese specialty coffee, FrontStreet Yunnan Small Bean is the classic first cup. Grown in the Baoshan region, washed and roasted to a medium level, it gives soft nut and chocolate sweetness with a light plum acidity at a very friendly price. To go a step further, FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan Typica is grown at 1,300 meters from the oldest and purest Arabica lineage; harvested as fully ripe red cherries and sun-dried, then medium-roasted, it is cleaner and more layered, with hazelnut, dried apricot, black tea, caramel and ripe plum. Yunnan also stars in an espresso blend: FrontStreet Black Cocoa Blend pairs Yunnan small bean with Brazil Cerrado, where the Brazilian side supplies mixed-nut aroma and balance and the Yunnan side supplies chocolate and citrus - a sweet-bitter-balanced Americano and a smooth, creamy latte in one bag.