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Introduction to Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Varieties and Characteristics of Yunnan Coffee Growing Regions

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Yunnan Coffee Varieties. Small bean species is also known as Arabica species, medium bean species is also known as Canephora species, and large bean species is also known as Liberica species. The two main common types are: Arabica and Robusta. Coffee is rich in protein, fat, sucrose, as well as starch and caffeine.

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Yunnan Coffee Varieties

Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

The small-grain variety is also known as Arabica, the medium-grain variety as Canephora, and the large-grain variety as Liberica. The two most common varieties are Arabica and Robusta.

Coffee contains rich proteins, fats, sucrose, starch, caffeine, and other substances. When made into a beverage, it offers rich aroma, pleasant taste, and abundant nutrition, making it one of the world's three major beverages alongside tea and cocoa, ranking at the top. Yunnan coffee belongs to the variant species of the original Arabica, developed through long-term cultivation and evolution. Generally known as Yunnan small-grain coffee, it has over one hundred years of cultivation history.

Morphological Characteristics

Small tree or large shrub, 5-8 meters tall. Typically with multiple branches at the base, old branches are grayish-white. Nodes are swollen, young branches are hairless. Leaves are thin, leathery, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, with long gradually pointed tips, wedge-shaped or slightly blunt bases, entire or shallowly wavy edges, and hairless on both surfaces. Several cymes cluster in leaf axils, with white, fragrant corollas. Berries are broadly elliptical when ripe, red, 1.2-1.6 cm long, seeds 0.8-1.0 cm long. Flowering period is March to April.

Origin and Distribution

Originally native to Ethiopia or the Arabian Peninsula, it is cultivated in China's Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan regions.

Dehong

Known as the "Hometown of Chinese Coffee." As of 2011, the entire prefecture had developed 120,900 mu of coffee cultivation, accounting for 30% of the national coffee cultivation area. Coffee cultivation in Dehong Prefecture is all at altitudes above 1,000 meters, with 30,000 mu planted on mountainous areas above 1,600 meters altitude. Additionally, Dehong Prefecture mainly 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 production areas.

Baoshan

Coffee cultivation in Baoshan began in the mid-1950s, with the first coffee seedling introduced by the late patriotic overseas Chinese Mr. Liang Jinshan from Southeast Asia. The locally famous Lujiangba small-grain coffee is of excellent quality. As early as the late 1950s, it was rated as first-grade in London, UK. In recent years, with the expansion of international trade, Lujiangba's small-grain coffee has become renowned worldwide. European, American, and Arab countries, especially Britain, the United States, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Macau merchants all regard it as premium coffee, with supply unable to meet demand. In December 2010, after review by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, it was decided to implement national geographical indication product protection for "Baoshan Small-Grain Coffee."

Lincang

Unique geographical location and climate conditions have made Lincang a focus of attention for many coffee enterprises. They have successively established 200-mu and 100-mu high-quality coffee seedling bases in Mengding Town of Gengma Autonomous County and Xingfu Farm in Lincang city respectively, and have developed coffee cultivation in Gengma, Zhenkang, Yunxian, Cangyuan, and Yongde areas.

Puer

The tea-rich region of Puer has been cultivating coffee for 150 years. In the early 1990s, Puer City began to develop coffee as an advantageous backbone industry for adjusting industrial structure and helping farmers increase income and achieve prosperity. Coffee is cultivated in 54 towns across 9 counties and 1 district of Puer City.

Flavor Profile

Nutty aroma, with herbal, chocolate, and caramel notes upon entry, and a finish with light fruit acidity.

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research house, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three low-discount coffee events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!