How are Yunnan Coffee Beans Which Processing Method is Best for Yunnan Small Bean Coffee

Yunnan's coffee belt sits at a latitude and altitude that make it surprisingly comparable to Colombia: low latitude, high elevation and a wide swing between day and night temperatures. That combination is why the small-grain Arabica grown there cups as a mellow, aroma-forward coffee whose quality and overall style land close to Colombian beans. Which processing method suits it best is really a question of what a given lot is trying to express, and in Yunnan today producers work with a broad range of options, from traditional washed and natural methods to honey processing and newer anaerobic techniques.

FrontStreet Coffee - Yunnan Shatian Pomelo Natural Process Introduction

Yunnan coffee is said to have been introduced by the French some 70 to 80 years ago, and the variety grown is mainly Arabica - the so-called small-grain coffee, known in China as Yunnan small-grain coffee. The natural conditions here closely resemble those of Colombia, and the small-grain coffee produced has been assessed through cupping as belonging to the mellow aroma type, with a quality and taste similar to Colombian coffee.

From the moment it is ground, Yunnan small-grain coffee gives off a strong caramel aroma along with a scent reminiscent of almond. The first sip brings a momentary numbing sensation, as though you had been struck by happiness, and only after those three seconds does the rich, full, balanced taste settle in. A pleasant Shatian pomelo acidity then emerges from the base of the tongue.

Yunnan Shatian Pomelo

• Variety: Catimor
• Altitude: 700-1200m
• Processing Method: Natural Process
• Flavor: Shatian Pomelo, Almond Nut

Natural processing, as used for this lot, lets the cherry dry around the seed, so the fruit's sugars and aromatics work their way into the bean. That is what gives the cup its sweeter, rounder cast and the almond note that sits behind the pomelo acidity. Washed lots, by contrast, tend to come out cleaner and brighter, which is why the choice between them changes the character of Yunnan coffee so much.

FrontStreet Coffee is a specialist coffee house that is glad to share what it knows about coffee. In six years of doing this we have kept up three discounted coffee events every month, simply because we would rather more people drink good coffee at the lowest price we can offer.

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If the pomelo brightness and almond sweetness of a natural Yunnan lot appeal to you, it is worth looking at how differently the same region tastes when the processing changes. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan small-grain coffee comes from the Baoshan growing area and is washed and roasted to a medium level, giving a gentle nut and chocolate sweetness with a light plum acidity - an approachable, affordable introduction to the region. Typica, meanwhile, is the other thread worth following: FrontStreet Coffee built its own Yunnan estate in 2013 and planted it with the variety, partly because Typica is one of the oldest and purest Arabicas, and partly because the earliest record of coffee in Yunnan dates to 1904, when a French missionary brought Typica from Vietnam and planted it at Zhugula village in Binchuan County. Replanting it was a way of looking for that original regional flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Yunnan sun-dried Typica is picked only as fully ripe red cherry and then dried with the fruit intact. After a medium roast the cup leans toward dark berries, with caramel sweetness, chocolate and a hint of dried apricot, and a black tea finish. It is a clear step up for anyone who has already tried the washed small-grain coffee and wants to taste how much more layered Yunnan can be.

Both lots are versatile at the brew bar. The washed small-grain coffee suits a moka pot or an espresso machine as readily as a pour-over, while the sun-dried Typica - being the fruitier, more layered of the two - is best served as a pour-over or cold brew so its berry and caramel notes stay distinct. Keep the water moderate and the grind medium to keep the sweetness in front.