Introduction to Yunnan Premium Coffee Bean Varieties and Basic Knowledge - Characteristics and Pour-Over Flavor Description of Yunnan Small Bean Coffee

China is known as the homeland of tea, but coffee has also been cultivated in China for quite some time. It's hard to imagine that over a century ago, deep in the mountains of Yunnan, drinking Western coffee was as commonplace as drinking Eastern soy milk. The rich aroma of coffee has wafted around the firesides of every household in this small mountain village for over a century. Coffee originated from abroad and is considered an "imported product." One might assume that coastal cities were the first places in China to encounter coffee, but quite the opposite is true. Yunnan, in southwestern inland China, was the first to encounter the mellow richness that originated from the distant African continent.

The Rise of Coffee Culture

As people's love for coffee grows, more enthusiasts are pursuing the joy of brewing coffee at home. As one of the world's most popular beverages, coffee's rich aroma fills every moment of life, always evoking leisurely and romantic scenarios. Whether at home, in the office, or at various social occasions, people are savoring coffee. It has gradually become associated with fashion, modern life, work, and leisure entertainment. Every coffee enthusiast has their own preferences when choosing coffee.

Yunnan's Coffee History

The history of Yunnan coffee can be traced back to 1892, when a French missionary brought coffee seeds from abroad into Yunnan and successfully planted them in a valley in Zhukula Village, Binchuan County, Yunnan Province. Today, among the tens of thousands of coffee trees in the village, 24 are over 100 years old, and 1,325 are over 70 years old. Zhukula coffee is known as the "living fossil" of Chinese coffee.

Yunnan's coffee cultivation history, specifically for Yunnan small beans, can be traced back to 1904 when French missionary Tian Deneng brought coffee seeds (Typica) from Vietnam to Yunnan and successfully planted them in Zhugula Village, Binchuan County, Yunnan Province. This marked the beginning of Yunnan coffee, generally called small-seed coffee, commonly known in China as Yunnan small-bean coffee. Small-bean coffee refers to Arabica coffee beans. Because the coffee beans are relatively small in size, they are also called small-fruit coffee. Robusta coffee is called medium-fruit coffee, while Liberica belongs to large-fruit coffee. Morphological characteristics: Small trees or large shrubs, 5-8 meters tall. Usually multi-branched at the base, with old branches grayish-white. Nodes are swollen, young branches are hairless. Leaves are thinly leathery, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, with long gradual tips at the apex, wedge-shaped or slightly obtuse at the base, entire or shallowly wavy margins, hairless on both surfaces. Several cymes cluster in leaf axils, with white, aromatic corollas. Berries are broadly elliptical when mature, red, 1.2-1.6 cm long, seeds 0.8-1.0 cm long. Flowering period is March to April.

Yunnan doesn't have four distinct seasons, only dry and rainy seasons. Most coffee-producing regions have similar conditions, which is a fundamental reason why some regions use the natural processing method. June marks the beginning of the rainy season in the producing areas, and the next three to four months will see rainfall, making it the most favorable period for growing coffee. Only by planting seedlings at this time can they develop a well-developed root system under the nourishment of rainfall over several months to survive the first half-year dry season.

Major Coffee-Producing Regions in Yunnan

The western and southern parts of Yunnan Province are located between 15°N latitude and the Tropic of Cancer. Most areas have elevations between 1000-2000 meters, with terrain dominated by mountains and slopes that have significant variations. The fertile soil, abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and large temperature differences between day and night create the unique characteristics of Yunnan small-bean coffee—rich without being bitter, fragrant without being overpowering, with a slight fruity note.

In southern and western Yunnan, places like Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Wenshan, Baoshan, Dehong, and Lincang are all distribution areas for Yunnan small-bean coffee cultivation.

Dehong

Known as the "Hometown of Chinese Coffee." The coffee cultivation altitude in Dehong Prefecture is all above 1000 meters, with 30,000 mu planted on mountainous areas above 1600 meters elevation. Additionally, Dehong Prefecture primarily uses organic fertilizers and organic pesticides for coffee cultivation, resulting in higher-quality coffee that makes it one of the world's rare premium coffee-producing regions.

Baoshan

Coffee cultivation in Baoshan began in the mid-1950s. The first coffee seedling was introduced from Southeast Asia by the late patriotic overseas Chinese Mr. Liang Jinshan. In recent years, with the expansion of international trade, the small-bean coffee from Lujiang Basin has become renowned. European, American, and Arab countries, especially Britain, the United States, Egypt, and merchants from Hong Kong and Macau, all consider it premium coffee, with demand exceeding supply. 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-Bean Coffee."

Lincang

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

FrontStreet Coffee has established its own estate in Yunnan's Lincang producing region. FrontStreet Coffee selected and bred the Typica variety, which is a pure Arabica variety with superior flavor compared to the Catimor variety currently grown in Yunnan. From seedling to first fruit-bearing takes at least 4-5 years, which is why Yunnan's coffee farmers, despite knowing that Catimor has inferior flavor, are reluctant to uproot and replant. The first batch of self-produced Yunnan coffee beans from FrontStreet Coffee in 2020-21 was named "FrontStreet Coffee 2013" and received unanimous praise.

Pu'er

Pu'er, known as tea country, has a 150-year history of coffee cultivation. In the early 1990s, Pu'er City began to cultivate coffee development as a dominant backbone industry for adjusting industrial structure and helping farmers increase their income and achieve prosperity.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Coffee Bean Varieties

Currently, the most widely cultivated variety in the Yunnan region is Catimor coffee beans, with small amounts of Typica and Bourbon coffee beans also planted in the Baoshan area. Although they all belong to the Arabica species in the broad sense, these varieties have significant differences in essence.

Catimor Coffee Beans

Catimor is a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta species. Robusta has good resistance to leaf rust disease, rich oils, high yield, and is easy to cultivate. After hybridizing with Arabica's Typica, Catimor acquired 25% Robusta genes. It improved resistance to leaf rust disease, retained rich oils, and also maintained some of the rich flavor of the original Typica variety. Therefore, most Yunnan estates began large-scale cultivation of Catimor.

Why Yunnan doesn't grow Typica and Bourbon varieties: Catimor is too cheap and can only be sold as bulk commodity, at about 15-20 yuan per kilogram. The selling price can barely cover harvesting and fertilizer costs, so farmers are unwilling to manage it properly. Typica and Bourbon have low yields and are susceptible to disease, with high management costs and longer exploration times needed to develop unique flavors. On one hand, coffee farmers lack awareness of specialty coffee; on the other hand, even if they know, cutting down old trees and spending several years replanting is something farmers would rather avoid.

Typica Coffee Beans

The most classic high-quality Arabica variety, from which many commercial improved varieties originate. Typica coffee beans are characterized by excellent flavor expression and are recognized as a specialty coffee variety, but they have extremely low yields and are susceptible to rust disease, requiring more human management. Typica coffee beans originate from Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan and are the most widely cultivated coffee variety in the Western Hemisphere. The plants are relatively robust but not tolerant to strong light, with higher yields in Hawaii. The top leaves of Typica are bronze-colored, earning it the name "red-top coffee."

Bourbon Coffee Beans

This variety originates from Typica coffee beans and was expanded after being planted by the French in 1708 on Bourbon Island (now Réunion Island). Bourbon also has wonderful aroma and rich flavor, with higher yield and growth vigor compared to Typica, suitable for cultivation in areas between 1200-2000 meters altitude. However, it has weaker disease and pest resistance and is more sensitive to strong winds and heavy rainfall. Bourbon coffee is the second most important variety in small-bean coffee after Typica. The main branches initially grow upward at a 45-degree angle to the trunk, drooping as fruit loads increase. Side branch nodes are denser, with more fruit and higher yields. However, berries are smaller and mature more slowly. Bourbon's terminal buds and young leaves are green, earning it the name "green-top coffee."

Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Yunnan coffee includes both washed and natural processing methods. Whether natural or washed, each has its own flavor characteristics. If possible, FrontStreet Coffee suggests trying both!

Washed Processing Method

Coffee farmers first pour harvested coffee cherries into large water tanks. Underdeveloped inferior beans will float to the surface, while mature, full fruits will sink to the bottom. At this point, the defective beans (fruits) floating on the surface are removed. Then a pulp remover is used to remove the outer skin and pulp of the coffee fruit. At this point, the coffee beans still have a slippery layer of mucilage attached. The coffee beans with mucilage are placed in fermentation tanks for 16-36 hours. During this process, microorganisms break down the mucilage. After fermentation is complete, large amounts of clean water are used to wash away the mucilage residue from the coffee beans. Finally, the cleaned coffee beans are dried in the sun. The washed processing method yields coffee with both gentle and bright acidity, appropriate body, and sweet, spicy fragrance.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations for Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using the V60 conical dripper. The V60 has a larger opening, and its unique spiral rib design allows air to be discharged more easily, thereby improving extraction quality. The body might not be as rich, but its high concentration that brings out Yunnan coffee's fruit acidity and distinct aroma is its major characteristic.

Dripper: Hario V60, Water Temperature: 88°C, Coffee Amount: 15g, Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15, Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (75% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee 2013 Natural Typica Coffee Flavor

Rich body, prominent sweet and sour notes, with citrus and berry tones, a hint of fermented wine aroma, caramel-like sweetness, creamy aftertaste, and black tea-like mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee Washed Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee Flavor

Herbal, nutty aroma, chocolate, caramel.

FrontStreet Coffee Natural Yunnan Catimor Coffee Flavor

Flavor profile: Nuts, chocolate, spices, caramel, plum.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Suggestions

To brew a good cup of coffee, besides the coffee variety, the freshness of the coffee beans is also crucial. FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee bean freshness is a very important part of brewing. All coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that coffee bean freshness has a significant impact on flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee degassing period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at peak flavor.

Of course, some customers need FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans for them, which is also fine. However, FrontStreet Coffee must remind you: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a degassing period, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide buildup in the packaging can also help round out the coffee flavor, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, because coffee grounds oxidize relatively quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate more quickly, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh for each brew to better appreciate the coffee's flavor.

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Important Notice :

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