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A Journey to Discover Coffee in Yunnan: FrontStreet Coffee's Latest News About Yunnan Coffee

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, It's been a week since returning from Yunnan, and I feel compelled to organize these reflections, at least to make the trip worthwhile and便于未来查阅。 This was actually my second visit to Yunnan; the previous time was a brief overview of Pu'er. I went with a multitude of questions and returned with even more. Since starting to roast coffee beans, I've gradually developed questions about coffee varieties. Beyond altitude and soil

A Journey Through Yunnan's Coffee Heritage

It's been a week since returning from Yunnan, and I feel compelled to organize these thoughts, at least to justify the journey and make it easier for myself to revisit these memories later.

Actually, this was my second visit to Yunnan. The previous time was a brief overview of Pu'er. I went with a pile of questions and returned with even more. Since starting to roast coffee beans, I've gradually developed questions about coffee varieties. Beyond factors like altitude, soil, and climate, I personally believe that variety is the key determinant of bean flavor. This time, heading south, I began coffee-hunting along the way... From 800 meters altitude at the base of the mountain to 1500 meters higher up, we kept stealthily picking fresh coffee cherries.

(Coffee variety collection)

Catimor vs. Heritage Varieties

Throughout this journey, I observed that most of what's currently grown in Yunnan is Catimor. This variety is a hybrid between the Caturra branch of the Bourbon lineage within Arabica and the Robusta species. The reason for planting this variety is that Catimor possesses Robusta genes, making it more disease-resistant than single heirloom varieties, and it also yields well. Compared to delicate heirloom varieties that are less disease-resistant and have lower yields, farmers naturally prefer growing Catimor. Thus, Catimor has become all the rage in Yunnan. But can it really be considered specialty coffee? I have a big question mark about this variety in my mind.

(One of the coffee tree's natural enemies: Coffee leaf rust)

(Typica tree)

The new leaves at the tips of the branches in the image above are copper-colored – this is a Typica coffee tree. Typica is one of the old varieties within the Arabica lineage. The well-known Hawaiian Kona is actually also a Typica variety. In a vast sea of Catimor, it's actually quite easy to recognize. After careful observation, you'll discover that each variety has its own appearance. Catimor leaves all droop downward, and the tree shape appears as if wearing a cloak. Meanwhile, Typica has upward-reaching branches, with copper-tipped new leaves growing at the crown.

(Catimor tree on the right)

Altitude Experiment and Processing

Finally, we selectively harvested Typica coffee cherries from three different altitudes: 800, 1200, and 1500 meters. I originally thought that climbing mountains to pick beans would be exhausting, but in reality, the subsequent processing work is the most grueling. From removing the pulp, soaking and cleaning, to drying and hulling – everything was done manually, I could forget about my fingertips... All this hardship just to experiment with comparing the flavors that Typica exhibits at different altitudes, and how this pure Arabica heirloom variety performs in Yunnan's soil. A few days ago, I had already roasted two of the processed batches. If you have time, you're welcome to come to the shop and try them.

Natural Processing Challenges

Additionally, I originally wanted to try natural processing with these beans, but Guangzhou's weather has been consistently poor – continuous light rain and very humid conditions. Fortunately, the sun has come out these past two days, but I'm not sure what the final natural-processed beans will turn out like. Interested friends can also come and try them later.

Reflections and Future Aspirations

As for me, besides wanting to understand the varieties on this Yunnan trip, I also wanted to take a closer look at Yunnan's land. Can we really grow high-quality specialty coffee like other coffee-producing countries? In reality, the hardware conditions are completely suitable – altitude is sufficient, soil is fine, and climate is acceptable too. The only significant challenge might be variety cultivation. What varieties are truly suitable for this soil? What varieties can truly shine here? Unlike roasting experiments where you can put in green beans, roast for about 10 minutes, then cup and immediately know the flavor, cultivation experiments are different. A seed planted takes at least 3 years to bear coffee fruit, then requires harvesting, processing, and roasting before you can finally know the result. I think that once you step into this mystery, you're truly committing to a lifetime of work... But if one can truly do one thing well and master it in a lifetime, perhaps that's a life worth living ^^