Flavor Profile of Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee: Introduction to Typica Coffee Characteristics, Estates, and Growing Regions

Introduction to Yunnan Coffee

Although Yunnan coffee from China can now be found in cafés everywhere, many friends may not yet know what Yunnan coffee tastes like. Yunnan coffee belongs to the Asian bean category, naturally featuring herbal and pine notes, but it also incorporates the unique flavor characteristics of its local growing regions, such as brown sugar, tea-like qualities, and plum acidity. FrontStreet Coffee also loves Yunnan coffee because it represents China's own coffee heritage.

The Influence of Coffee Varieties

The flavor of coffee is inseparable from its variety. The coffee variety is fundamental and basically determines the general flavor characteristics of the coffee. For example: Arabica variety coffees mostly appear as specialty coffees, while Robusta variety coffees often appear in the form of Italian-style blends. This means that Arabica variety coffees generally taste better than Robusta varieties, but it's not to say that all Arabica variety coffees taste better than all Robusta varieties. Yunnan small-grain coffee was previously Arabica, also called Yunnan small-grain coffee. In terms of taste, it belongs to a relatively neutral category—neither too acidic nor too bitter. It's truly a coffee that is fragrant but not bitter, rich but not intense, with a comfortable, slight acidity. It's also quite suitable for popular tastes. However, currently most Yunnan small-grain coffee is of the Catimor variety.

The western and southern parts of Yunnan Province are located between 15°N and the Tropic of Cancer. Most areas have elevations between 1000-2000 meters, with predominantly mountainous and sloped terrain that features significant elevation changes. The soil is fertile, with abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and significant day-night temperature differences. Yunnan's geographical and climatic conditions are excellent, providing ideal conditions for coffee cultivation.

Origin of Yunnan Small-Grain Coffee

In 1892, French missionary Father Tian Deneng was preaching in Binchuan, Dali. In order to drink coffee, he planted coffee trees near the church in Zhukula Village, Binchuan County, and taught local villagers how to grow and drink coffee. To this day, 24 coffee trees over 90 years old still grow in Zhukula Township, and welcoming guests with coffee remains the local custom. Zhukula Village belongs to Zhukula Village Committee, Pingchuan Town, Binchuan County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is located on the bank of the Yupao River, a tributary of the Jinsha River, at the junction of Dali Prefecture, Chuxiong Prefecture, and Lijiang City.

In the 19th century, Zhukula was called "Ruo Ke Lai" (in Yi language), which means winding mountain roads. In 1892, due to the arrival of French missionary Father Tian, the essence of Yi language was combined with French romance, giving rise to the name Zhukula. Later generations translated Zhukula to mean "paradise on earth." The earliest Zhukula coffee in mainland China thus became famous.

Yunnan Coffee Varieties

Previously, Yunnan coffee was called "Yunnan small-grain coffee." In fact, "small-grain variety" refers to an alias for Arabica coffee.

Arabica coffee, also known as small-grain coffee, originates from wild coffee produced in Africa. It was later introduced to Europe through Arabia and became widely known, hence its name. It was introduced to Zhukula, Binchuan County, Dali, China in the 1890s, and has since taken root and developed in mainland China. Yunnan has become representative of Chinese coffee, so Yunnan coffee is also called "Yunnan small-grain coffee."

Arabica coffee has very high requirements for its growing environment and is typically more suitable for cultivation in mountainous areas with abundant rainfall and significant day-night temperature differences. Some specialty coffees, in addition to focusing on bean variety, estate, and processing method, even indicate the altitude of cultivation on their packaging. Furthermore, Arabica coffee has many varieties, such as common Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, etc. (similar to varieties like Hongmeiren, Aiyuan, and Zhizhihuo among citrus fruits). These are all names of coffee tree varieties.

The most classic high-quality Arabica variety is Typica. This coffee tree has strong adaptability, and many well-known coffee varieties are its variants: for example, Blue Mountain coffee is a variant of Typica grown in Jamaica, Kona coffee is a variant of Typica grown in Hawaii, and Mandheling is a variant of Typica grown in Sumatra.

Typica coffee beans originate from Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan, and are one of the oldest coffee varieties among many Arabica species, also called old-variety small-grain coffee. Typica coffee trees are quite tall and have conical branches. The mother branches of Typica coffee trees tilt at approximately 60 degrees, and the leaves usually have a deep bronze color, with terminal leaves being copper-colored, earning it the name red-topped coffee. Typica coffee trees are very tall and produce less yield than other varieties, making cultivation difficult. This means obtaining this high-quality coffee is often challenging. Despite the low coffee bean yield, cupping scores are extremely high, and the coffee flavor shows diverse fruity aromas.

Currently, the most widely planted variety in Yunnan is actually the Catimor coffee tree. This variety is a hybrid between Caturra from Arabica coffee and Timor from Robusta coffee. Catimor coffee trees have the strong disease resistance of Robusta coffee, but are slightly inferior to Typica coffee trees in terms of aroma and flavor richness. Of course, some coffee growers in Yunnan now also plant other specialty coffee varieties in small quantities, such as Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai. In espresso coffee, Catimor coffee beans can be a workhorse, but as pour-over single-origin coffee beans, they sometimes might not be ideal. Catimor became the main Yunnan coffee bean variety, and Yunnan small-grain coffee thus transformed into the Catimor variety.

Because the Catimor variety carries Robusta genes, while inheriting Robusta's strong disease resistance, it also inherited the flavor that Robusta is criticized for. Han Huaizong once described Catimor as having a "devilish aftertaste." With the development of cultivation techniques and variety improvement, Catimor's flavor has gradually become more elegant.

FrontStreet Coffee has two Yunnan coffee beans: the washed Yunnan small-grain coffee and natural Catimor coffee are of the Catimor variety, while FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Natural Typica is Typica variety coffee.

Yunnan Small-Grain Coffee Growing Regions

Yunnan small-grain coffee growing areas include: Pu'er City, Lincang City, Baoshan City, Dehong Prefecture, Nujiang Prefecture, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Dali Prefecture, Diqing Prefecture, and other cities and prefectures, and the growing areas and acreage continue to expand.

Dehong

The birthplace of Chinese coffee, this region has elevations from 1000 to 1600 meters, with coffee plantations covering 2000 hectares. More importantly, most coffee here is grown organically, making it one of the highest quality coffees in the world.

Pu'er

The capital of coffee. In 2012, Pu'er's planting area was 43,433 hectares, with a coffee harvest area of 18,000 hectares, producing 36,500 tons of coffee annually, of which 24,700 tons were exported. The Pu'er coffee industry has 70 registered enterprises, 30,000 households, and approximately 1 million people. Pu'er tea, renowned as the "city of thousand-year tea," is an important Chinese coffee-producing area with the largest planting area, highest production, and best quality, and is also an important distribution center for international coffee business.

Baoshan

Small-grain coffee is Baoshan's most famous coffee. This coffee took its first steps in the late 1950s and quickly received positive feedback from London. In 1980, it was recognized as "the crown of national coffee" at the National Coffee Conference. In December 2010, Baoshan small-grain coffee received A-level certification and passed the China National Standard Administration process, being considered a product reflecting China's national geographical indication. FrontStreet Coffee's daily supply bean, washed Yunnan small-grain coffee, comes from the Baoshan region.

Lincang

Lincang City is located in the southwestern part of Yunnan Province, with the Tropic of Cancer crossing its southern part. It borders Pu'er to the east, connects with Dali to the north, adjoins Baoshan to the west, and borders Myanmar to the southwest. It is named for its proximity to the Lancang River and is a brilliant pearl on China's southwestern border. Lincang's average annual temperature is between 16.8°C-17.2°C, with distinct wet and dry seasons and abundant sunshine. FrontStreet Coffee took a fancy to this "green pearl on the border" and, during the early establishment of FrontStreet Coffee, simultaneously established its own coffee estate in Lincang—one of Yunnan's main coffee-producing regions—planting the most ancient Arabica variety—Typica.

Yunnan Coffee Processing Methods

Yunnan's weather is rainy and foggy, so washed processing has become the most common processing method for Yunnan coffee. Of course, there are also natural processed ones, such as FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Catimor coffee and FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Natural Typica coffee. With the advancement of specialty coffee, Yunnan coffee beans have also developed some special processing methods, such as honey processing, etc. However, these processing methods still cannot fully cover the inherent flavors of Yunnan coffee beans, so FrontStreet Coffee chose coffee beans with the most traditional natural and washed processing methods.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Coffee Brewing Parameters

To preserve the acidity and tea-like characteristics of Yunnan coffee, FrontStreet Coffee roasts it to a medium-light level. When brewing, you can use a V60 dripper with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, medium grind (about coarse sugar size/80% pass-through rate with China #20 standard sieve), and 91°C water temperature.

Using segmented extraction, bloom with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds, i.e., bloom 30g of water for 30 seconds. The reason for needing the blooming process is to allow the coffee grounds to release internal carbon dioxide gas, thereby making the subsequent extraction more stable. With a small water flow, pour in circles until reaching 125g, then continue pouring until reaching 225g and stop. Wait until the water in the dripper has finished dripping before removing the dripper. Start timing from the beginning of pouring, with an extraction time of 2'00". Next, pick up the entire cup of coffee and shake it evenly, then pour it into a cup for tasting.

FrontStreet Coffee 2013 Natural Typica Flavor Profile

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

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Regarding coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans greatly affects the flavor of the coffee. Therefore, the coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days. 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 precisely at the peak of flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee warmly reminds: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for degassing, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide produced in the packaging can also make the coffee flavor become rounded. So you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, because after ground coffee comes into contact with air, it oxidizes relatively quickly, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate faster, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better appreciate the coffee's flavor.

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