Flavor Profile and Characteristics of Yunnan Baoshan Coffee Beans - An Introduction to Yunnan Typica Coffee

When researching Yunnan coffee, the term most commonly encountered is "small bean coffee," and early Yunnan small bean coffee gained fame through Typica, one of the oldest native varieties. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss the characteristics of Typica coffee beans grown in the Yunnan region.

How Did Typica Coffee Arrive in the Yunnan Region?

The story of Yunnan coffee can be traced back to 1904, when a French missionary brought coffee seeds from abroad into Yunnan and successfully planted the first batch of coffee trees in a place called Zhukula. Before the 1980s, the two ancient small-bean varieties widely planted in Yunnan were Typica and Bourbon. The so-called small-bean varieties refer to smaller-sized Arabica varieties, contrasting with the medium-bean Robusta coffee beans from Hainan.

Typica offers rich and diverse flavors, presenting various fruit acids and delicate textures. It is recognized as a premium variety, with the renowned Blue Mountain coffee and Hawaiian Kona coffee both belonging to the Typica family. In appearance, Typica trees are tall with excellent cold resistance, but they have low yield per plant and poor disease resistance, making them highly susceptible to leaf rust, coffee berry disease, and nematodes. Therefore, they require more human management, and since the variety doesn't have significant price advantages in the market, many Yunnan coffee farmers have chosen to replace Typica with higher-yielding varieties.

Although Catimor varieties now dominate in Yunnan, some growers still insist on planting the ancient, high-quality Typica variety in pursuit of better coffee flavor. For example, two Yunnan coffees on FrontStreet Coffee's bean selection are both Typica varieties - one is the Huaguoshan Coffee from Baoshan, and the other is FrontStreet Coffee 2013.

Typica Coffee from Baoshan, Yunnan

Baoshan is one of Yunnan's earliest coffee-producing regions. Lujiangba boasts the largest coffee plantation base in the country, while Xinzhai Village, known as "China's No. 1 Coffee Village," has coffee trees growing on every household's mountain, coffee beans drying in every courtyard, and the aroma of coffee floating in every house. Under the local year-round frost-free warm climate, coffee trees thrive in a nourishing and comfortable environment. Fertile soil combined with appropriate rainfall provides sufficient irrigation for crops. The excellent mountain and water environment results in coffee beans here having less pulp and a clean, sweet taste.

Each year from November to March of the following year is the concentrated harvest season, when coffee cherries ripen and turn red successively in the mountains. We can see busy farmers appearing sparsely on the mountains, harvesting coffee fruits. Most Yunnan coffee farmers face harsh conditions and lack expensive processing equipment, so the vast majority of Yunnan coffee beans adopt natural processing methods, namely washed and natural processing. Yunnan has abundant freshwater resources and easily encounters rainy seasons during harvest, making it more suitable for washed processing production. Washing is also currently the most common green bean processing method in Yunnan.

FrontStreet Coffee's Baoshan Huaguoshan Coffee uses washed processing. Before drying, the coffee pulp is thoroughly removed through peeling, soaking, and fermentation. The flavor presents the subtle aroma inherent in Typica coffee beans, along with a round and smooth texture, complemented by rich fruit notes. FrontStreet Coffee believes that washed coffee beans have better cleanliness and can express the basic flavor profile of the producing region, which is also a natural processing method that FrontStreet Coffee particularly appreciates.

Typica Coffee from Lincang, Yunnan

To explore more coffee knowledge, FrontStreet Coffee traveled to Lincang, Yunnan in 2013 to begin the chapter of coffee cultivation. From site selection, variety selection, seedling cultivation, planting, harvesting, processing, to roasting - all were handled by FrontStreet Coffee's colleagues, from which they accumulated considerable experience and knowledge related to varieties, altitude, and processing methods.

Originally, the coffee varieties planted within Yunnan were the ancient Typica and Bourbon. Later, Yunnan coffee suffered from global leaf rust disease, causing large-scale death of coffee trees and a significant reduction in planting area. Later, with the support of various foreign companies, the high-yield, disease-resistant Catimor variety was introduced. This also established Catimor's position in replacing the ancient Typica trees, becoming the main variety of Yunnan coffee today. Due to the low yield and disease susceptibility of Typica coffee beans, coupled with high management costs, meaning growers need more time for exploration, this is why most Yunnan coffee farmers are unwilling to plant it.

Yunnan's Lincang is influenced by the Indian Ocean warm and humid airflow and southwest monsoon, with no obvious distinction between the four seasons, but clear separation between dry and rainy seasons. It has abundant rainfall, long sunshine hours, short frost periods, and some areas are frost-free year-round. The distinct three-dimensional climate makes it very suitable for Arabica coffee cultivation, so FrontStreet Coffee specifically chose the most primitive Typica. However, the delicate Typica is also notorious for low yield and poor resistance, so FrontStreet Coffee put in considerable effort in cultivation and management. After 5-6 years of cultivation, FrontStreet Coffee finally harvested the first batch in 2020 and produced it using natural drying (sun-dried processing), also naming it "FrontStreet Coffee 2013."

After harvesting, FrontStreet Coffee's Typica coffee fruits immediately undergo natural processing to preserve the coffee's freshness. FrontStreet Coffee first conducts selection, with flotation being one of the commonly used selection methods. The selected coffee fruits are then sun-dried. FrontStreet Coffee arranges personnel to turn them regularly to avoid uneven heating of the coffee fruits, which could lead to over-fermentation. When the coffee fruits dehydrate from bright red to dark purple and reach the target moisture content, they can be sent for hulling and roasting. Natural-processed Typica presents fuller fermentation flavors than washed processing, with prominent sweetness, carrying aromas of caramel, berries, and black tea.

Flavor Characteristics of Yunnan Typica Coffee

In terms of roasting, FrontStreet Coffee believes that Yunnan coffee should have both rich coffee aroma and certain acidity, so FrontStreet Coffee uses a medium roast level. For daily store production, FrontStreet Coffee uses pour-over extraction, hoping to present the coffee's natural aroma for everyone to taste. Pour-over black coffee is not only the daily extraction method used by FrontStreet Coffee's baristas but also a simple method that many coffee enthusiasts can perform at home.

Considering that Yunnan Typica coffee tends toward a balanced taste - meaning it shouldn't have excessive acidity or heavy bitterness - FrontStreet Coffee prefers to use a V60 dripper with medium-fine grind and medium water temperature for extraction to highlight the neutral and balanced texture of Yunnan Typica coffee beans.

Is Yunnan Typica Suitable for Espresso Coffee?

In order to present the balanced character of Yunnan coffee, FrontStreet Coffee presents this self-produced natural Typica with a medium roast, so after grinding, it carries aromas of brown sugar, chocolate, cream, and nut cookies, with balanced acidity, bitterness, and sweetness. Therefore, in addition to pour-over methods, it is also suitable for extraction with moka pots and espresso machines. Below, FrontStreet Coffee will demonstrate how to make delicious Yunnan SOE using the store's equipment.

FrontStreet Coffee's store coffee machine is a commercial single-group "Lelit Bianca," which can adjust extraction by changing pressure, with a maximum pressure of 11 bar. Home coffee machines only need to reach 9 bar pressure to satisfy extraction and milk frothing functions, paired with an espresso grinder.

FrontStreet Coffee uses a double basket capacity, with a dose of approximately 18-20 grams. FrontStreet Coffee uses 20 grams of coffee powder for production. Typically, the ratio of coffee grounds to espresso liquid is between 1:1.5-1:2.5. FrontStreet Coffee's extraction ratio is 1:2, meaning 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 40 grams of espresso liquid. Time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds. Generally, a single extraction is controlled within 20-35 seconds, as coffee extracted within 20 seconds usually tastes thin, while extraction over 35 seconds easily becomes over-extracted and develops burnt bitterness. FrontStreet Coffee's espresso mostly falls within the 28-30 second range.

FrontStreet Coffee first wipes the basket dry, turns on the grinder to grind a double dose of coffee grounds, places it on an electronic scale to adjust to exactly 20 grams. Then, tools are used to distribute the grounds evenly before tamping the coffee puck firmly to ensure more stable extraction. Next, turn on the extraction switch to run water, wetting the group head while washing away any coffee grounds stuck above it. Gently lock the portafilter into the group head and begin the extraction. When the electronic scale shows 40 grams of espresso extracted, at around 30 seconds, the extraction switch can be turned off. Pour the espresso into an espresso cup to enjoy.

The taste and texture of espresso are related to the coffee beans used. Today's espresso, made with FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan natural Typica, has moderate crema, with initial notes of chocolate and cocoa sweetness, along with gentle acidity, creating an overall balanced taste.

To better experience the charm of this espresso, FrontStreet Coffee adds a certain proportion of hot water to make an Americano. Following a 1:4 ratio, 160ml of warm hot water is added to the espresso. The taste reveals plum, dried apricot, chocolate, and nut flavors, with a black tea aftertaste, making it very pleasant to drink.

Important Notice :

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