What Makes Yunnan Small Beans Different? How Do Past and Present Yunnan Small Beans Compare? Is Catimor an Arabica?

With the improvement of Yunnan coffee bean quality, most specialty coffee shop menus now include Yunnan bean options, which are generally referred to as "Yunnan Xiaoli" (Yunnan small beans). This naturally raises the question: what kind of coffee is called "small bean coffee"? And what exactly is Yunnan small bean coffee?

What is small bean coffee?

Small bean coffee is another name for Arabica. The reason Arabica is called small bean coffee is mainly because among the three major original coffee species, it produces the smallest fruit (note: this refers to the size of the coffee fruit, not the size of the coffee bean inside the fruit).

At this point, everyone roughly understands that Yunnan small bean coffee refers to Arabica coffee grown in Yunnan, right?

Yes! But there are some differences between the past Yunnan small beans and the current Yunnan small beans.

Different Yunnan Small Bean Coffee

In the early 20th century, coffee entered China's Yunnan province through two separate routes. One route was introduced by French missionaries from Vietnam, planted in Zhukula Village, Binchuan County, where they taught local villagers how to grind and brew coffee. The other route was introduced by Jingpo border residents into Nongxian Village, Ruili County. Because the red fruits of the coffee tree were pleasing to the eye, coffee trees at that time were planted in residents' courtyards as ornamental plants for people to appreciate. During this period, coffee had not yet gained significant recognition in China, and the cultivation area was relatively small.

It wasn't until early 1952 that experts conducting social research identified the red fruits planted in farmers' courtyards as "small bean coffee," predominantly produced in South America. They immediately purchased a large quantity of fresh fruits and brought them back to Lujiangba, Baoshan City to begin breeding and cultivation, establishing China's first small bean coffee plantation base there.

Thanks to Yunnan's superior geography and suitable climate, the cultivation of small bean coffee was highly successful, evolving a unique flavor profile described as "rich but not strong, fragrant but not bitter, with a hint of fruitiness," which was well-received in the international market. At this time, during the planned economy development period after the founding of the People's Republic of China, China existed as a coffee supply region for the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries (with Cuba being the sugar supplier), which promoted the development of Baoshan coffee, with cultivation area reaching over 50,000 mu. From this point, Yunnan small bean coffee gained fame, and during this period, what people referred to as "Yunnan small beans" were Arabica varieties like Typica and Bourbon planted in Yunnan.

However, this prosperity didn't last long. With the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations in the 1960s and 1970s, the role as a coffee bean supplier for the Soviet Union disappeared, and Yunnan's coffee cultivation industry gradually faded. The term "Yunnan small bean coffee" began during this period.

Even today, the "old varieties" of Yunnan coffee are rarely seen on the market, replaced by "new varieties" that have inherited the title of "Yunnan small bean coffee."

In the 1980s, the world's major coffee industry suffered large-scale production reductions due to rust disease, and major coffee consumers needed to develop new, untapped coffee origins. In 1988, Nestlé hoped to purchase a batch of cheap coffee beans as raw material for instant coffee, so they vigorously promoted the development of Yunnan's coffee agriculture. They introduced Catimor 7963 from the Coffee Rust Research Center (CIFC) in Portugal for trial planting, and in the following years, continuously introduced different Catimor varieties for cultivation attempts, but the yield of later Catimor varieties never matched that of the original 7963.

These Catimor varieties were originally developed for disease resistance and as raw material for instant coffee, so there weren't high requirements for flavor. Consequently, when discussing flavor, descriptions almost always revolve around less ideal terms like low acidity, nuts, cocoa, and earthy flavors. In exchange, they offered extremely high yields and strong disease resistance. Under the same management level, Typica yield is only about one-third of Catimor's, which is why many Typica and Bourbon coffee beans are priced higher.

Catimor is a hybrid of Caturra and Timor. Caturra is a pure Arabica variety, while Timor is a natural hybrid of Arabica and Robusta. Therefore, from a genetic identification perspective, Catimor, which has 3/4 Arabica bloodline, naturally belongs to the Arabica species. It's precisely because of its 1/4 Robusta genes that it produces more fruit than typical Arabica varieties, is easier to cultivate, and less prone to disease. The disadvantages are also obvious: the book "Specialty Coffee Association" mentions that coffee from Asian production regions has a hint of "devil's aftertaste," and this is precisely the reason.

This wave of replacement peaked between 2010-2011 when Brazilian coffee bean prices reached their highest point. During this period, Yunnan coffee beans reached their historical peak but quickly faded. To this day, Catimor accounts for 95% of Yunnan's total production. The current "Yunnan small beans" have completely inherited the name from the original old Yunnan Arabica varieties, becoming synonymous with Yunnan Catimor. The coffee farmers who still insist on planting "old varieties" like Typica and Bourbon today are mostly due to chance occurrences during this variety transformation.

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