Introduction to Yunnan Specialty Coffee: Single-Origin Yunnan Coffee Growing Regions and Varieties

Yunnan coffee from China has become one of the frequently discussed topics among coffee professionals, particularly regarding the quality of Yunnan coffee. This article from FrontStreet Coffee will help you understand the quality of Yunnan coffee beans and discuss how FrontStreet Coffee's own Yunnan coffee tastes.

Where are Yunnan small-bean coffees grown?

So-called small-bean coffee refers to the comparison with the medium-bean Robusta variety grown in China's Hainan region. To put it simply, like many coffee-producing regions, it belongs to the Arabica variety. Currently, most coffee grown in Yunnan is of the Catimor variety.

Coffee, as an agricultural crop, thrives in warm environments. It is heat-tolerant but not cold-resistant, and sufficient sunlight is more conducive to its growth. The most suitable temperature for cultivation is between 16°C and 21°C. This has led to the formation of the "World Coffee Golden Cultivation Belt," centered around the equator and covering latitudes from 25°N to 25°S. China's Yunnan province happens to be located right on this golden belt. Most areas of Yunnan have elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 meters, with fertile sloped soil, abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and significant day-night temperature differences—all favorable conditions for coffee tree growth.

The cultivation of Yunnan coffee is mainly distributed throughout the southwestern part of the province, including four major producing areas: Baoshan, Dehong, Pu'er, and Lincang. The three Yunnan coffee beans on FrontStreet Coffee's menu are from Baoshan and Lincang respectively.

The history of coffee cultivation in Baoshan began in the mid-1950s, introduced by patriotic overseas Chinese Mr. Liang Jinshan. The warm, frost-free climate throughout the year is very suitable for the growth of small-bean coffee. Especially in the Lujiang Dam area, the unique dry-hot valley climate has little temperature variation throughout the year but significant day-night temperature differences, creating the unique aftertaste of Baoshan small-bean coffee. Coupled with reasonably low rainfall, this provides excellent conditions for coffee fruit production. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee has acquired Baoshan small-bean coffee and listed it as one of the representative daily coffee beans, allowing everyone to taste what Yunnan small-bean coffee is like.

What processing methods are used for Yunnan coffee beans?

In recent years, many Yunnan coffee beans on the market have adopted special processing methods to enhance the flavor of the coffee beans and create stronger aromas. Some friends might think this is the taste of Yunnan coffee. However, this is not the case. Most Yunnan coffee farmers face difficult conditions and do not have access to expensive processing equipment. Therefore, the vast majority of Yunnan coffee beans can only use natural processing methods, namely washed and natural processing.

Washed process steps: Coffee cherries are poured into a water tank, and with the help of water's buoyancy, impurities and unripe berries mixed in are removed. First, a pulping machine is used to remove the outer skin and most of the pulp. Then, the coffee beans are placed in a clean water tank for fermentation. The pectin layer ferments and produces acidic substances that separate the pectin layer. Then, clean water is used to wash away the residual pectin, obtaining raw beans with the inner skin still intact (parchment coffee). Finally, depending on weather conditions, the raw coffee beans are dried (or machine-dried) to reduce the moisture content to about 12%. Then, a hulling machine is used to remove the inner skin, resulting in green coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that to understand Yunnan coffee, one should start with the flavor of the coffee itself, rather than covering the original taste with novel processing methods. Therefore, the several coffee beans on FrontStreet Coffee's menu all use traditional washed and natural processing methods. The representative Yunnan small-bean daily coffee bean uses the washed method to present the unique coffee flavor of the region. FrontStreet Coffee also has a relatively popular coffee bean called "FrontStreet Coffee 2013." From the name, I believe you've already guessed that it's an exclusive product from FrontStreet Coffee. Produced from FrontStreet Coffee's own estate in Lincang, Yunnan, it is made from the elegant-flavored Typica variety and processed using the natural drying method to enhance the sweetness of the coffee.

Yunnan Coffee Beans Grown by FrontStreet Coffee

Years ago, during FrontStreet Coffee's exploration of coffee knowledge, the idea of growing their own coffee emerged. In 2013, they went to Lincang, Yunnan, to begin the chapter of planting coffee trees. From site selection, variety selection, seedling cultivation, planting, harvesting, processing, to roasting, all were handled by FrontStreet Coffee's colleagues. Through this process, they also accumulated considerable experience and knowledge regarding varieties, altitude, and processing methods.

Lincang, Yunnan, is influenced by the warm and humid airflow from the Indian Ocean and the southwest monsoon. The distinction between seasons is not obvious, but the dry and rainy seasons are distinct. There is abundant rainfall, long sunshine hours, short frost periods, and some areas are frost-free year-round. The three-dimensional climate is significant, making it very suitable for Arabica coffee cultivation. FrontStreet Coffee specifically chose the original Typica variety. Typica is known for its elegant and pure flavor, but it's also notorious for low yield and poor disease resistance. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee put considerable effort into cultivation and management. After 5-6 years of cultivation, FrontStreet Coffee finally harvested the first batch of results in 2020, which was processed using the natural method and named "FrontStreet Coffee 2013."

Whenever November arrives, the coffee fruits planted by FrontStreet Coffee also ripen successively. FrontStreet Coffee will arrange for workers to pick the red coffee cherries one by one and spread the fresh coffee cherries evenly under the sun for natural drying. Until the coffee beans dehydrate to a purplish-red color and reach the target moisture content, they are sent for hulling and roasting.

What Does FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Coffee Taste Like?

Referring to the corresponding flavor profile of Yunnan coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes that Yunnan coffee belongs to a balanced neutral flavor, which means it has both acidity and rich bitterness. Therefore, in terms of roasting degree, FrontStreet Coffee chose a medium roast. Through cupping this natural processed Typica, FrontStreet Coffee tasted aromas of plum, dried fruit, chocolate, nuts, and black tea. The various flavors are appropriately blended, and the sweetness is very noticeable.

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-over Parameters:

Dripper: Hario V60
Coffee amount: 15g
Water temperature: 90°C
Grind size: 75% pass-through rate on #20 sieve
Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15
Three-stage pouring: Wet the coffee bed with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds, forming a dome and bloom for 30 seconds. Then, use a small water stream to pour from inside to outside in circles until reaching 125g for the first stage. Wait until the coffee bed drops to half the height of the dripper, then continue with the same fine water stream to pour the third stage to 225g. Remove the dripper once all the coffee liquid has filtered through, with a total time of about 2 minutes.

Flavor performance of FrontStreet Coffee 2013 coffee beans: The dry aroma has a faint caramel and nutty fragrance. When tasted, it has a chocolate main tone with brown sugar sweetness and a slight fruit acidity. The aftertaste carries some black tea sensation. The overall flavor layers are quite rich.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473