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What Coffee Variety is Catimor from Yunnan, China Coffee Cultivation

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Catimor is not a pure Arabica variety. It is a hybrid of Timor and Bourbon, lacking rich aroma and flavor, with relatively shallow grassy and earthy notes. However, its advantages include disease and pest resistance, easy management, and high yield.

Catimor is not a pure Arabica variety; it is a hybrid of Robusta (Timor) and Bourbon. While it lacks rich aroma and flavor, exhibiting relatively shallow grassy and earthy notes, its advantages lie in its disease resistance, ease of management, and high yield. Its maximum yield can reach 350kg of green beans per mu, which is twice that of Robusta (Timor) and Bourbon. It has now become the main cultivated variety in Yunnan's coffee-producing regions.

Yunnan Coffee Heritage

Yunnan is China's primary coffee bean production area. Located south of the Tropic of Cancer, Yunnan belongs to the subtropical mountain climate zone, featuring unique plateau red soil that is fertile and loose, with a mild climate particularly suitable for growing small-seed coffee varieties. Yunnan coffee beans were first introduced in 1902 by French missionaries, and to this day, 24 coffee trees over 90 years old still grow in Zhukula Township, Binchuan County. In 1914, Jingpo ethnic people from Ruili introduced coffee from Myanmar to Nongxian Village. The two classic premium coffee varieties, Typica and Bourbon, became the main cultivated varieties in Yunnan. Due to their similar morphology and habits, these two varieties are often mixed in cultivation. Bourbon's terminal buds and tender leaves are green, earning it the name "green-top coffee," while Typica's terminal leaves are bronze-colored, known as "red-top coffee."

Yunnan Coffee Varieties at FrontStreet Coffee

Actually, the oldest variety in Yunnan is Typica, but Typica has poor disease resistance. To simply increase yield, coffee farmers began cutting down premium coffee varieties with excellent flavor and instead planted varieties with inferior flavor but extremely high yields. Initially, the rust-resistant S288 was introduced, followed later by the higher-yielding Catimor coffee bean variety.

Today, at FrontStreet Coffee, you will find two types of coffee beans: one is Yunnan Typica coffee beans, and the other is Catimor coffee beans. At FrontStreet Coffee, Yunnan Typica is designated as Yunnan specialty coffee, while Yunnan Catimor coffee beans are marked as Yunnan small-seed coffee.