Yunnan Coffee Tree Growing Conditions | Where Can Coffee Trees Be Planted in China | Is Yunnan Coffee Good?

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Currently, most single-origin coffee beans in the specialty coffee market come from abroad. So where in China can coffee trees be cultivated? According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, regions in China suitable for coffee tree cultivation include Yunnan, Fujian, and Guangdong. Among these, Yunnan coffee beans are the most famous, with the highest quality flavors. Therefore, in recent years, Yunnan coffee has also become active in the specialty coffee market with unlimited potential. For instance, FrontStreet Coffee has established a dedicated plantation in Baoshan, Yunnan, specifically cultivating Typica variety coffee trees. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will provide an overview of the growing conditions in Yunnan's coffee-producing regions and the flavor characteristics of its coffee.

History of Coffee Cultivation in Yunnan's Coffee-Producing Regions

Although Yunnan coffee has only gained fame in recent years, it is currently China's largest coffee-producing region, with a cultivation history spanning one century.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, Yunnan's coffee cultivation history can be traced back to 1892. Over 100 years ago, French missionary Father Tian Deneng planted the first coffee tree in Zhukula Village, Binchuan County, Dali City—this is generally traced as the earliest record of coffee introduction to Yunnan. In the following 100 years, coffee trees did not proliferate widely in this region.

It wasn't until 1904 that French missionary Tian Deneng brought coffee seeds from abroad into Yunnan, successfully planting the first coffee tree in a village called Zhukula (now within Binchuan County, Dali). This can be considered the beginning of Yunnan's coffee cultivation history.

After 1930, the renowned overseas Chinese leader Mr. Liang Jinshan brought coffee to Pupiao and Luoming for cultivation, continuing until after the founding of New China.

After 1952, under the guidance of expert Ma Guojin from the Baoshan Tropical Crop Research Institute, areas like Lujiang began large-scale coffee cultivation. The history of large-scale cultivation now spans nearly 60 years. At this time, all coffee varieties cultivated in Yunnan were Typica.

In 1992, with further reform and opening up, foreign companies including Nestlé entered Yunnan to develop the coffee industry. At that time, large-scale cultivation of the Catimor variety provided by Nestlé began. This variety is known for its high disease resistance and high yield, quickly replacing the position of Typica, which had excellent flavor but was delicate and weak. Catimor became Yunnan's primary coffee variety. Therefore, during that period, Yunnan coffee's main use was selling to Nestlé as raw material for instant coffee.

By the end of 1997, Yunnan's coffee cultivation area had reached 7,800 hectares. To this day, FrontStreet Coffee understands that Yunnan's coffee cultivation area accounts for 70% of the national total, with production accounting for 83% of the country's total. Therefore, in terms of cultivation area and coffee bean production, Yunnan coffee has established its dominant position in China's domestic coffee market.

Growing Conditions in Yunnan's Coffee-Producing Regions

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, the reason Yunnan can dominate China's coffee market is that the western and southern parts of Yunnan Province are located between 15°N latitude and the Tropic of Cancer. Most areas have elevations between 1,000-2,000 meters, with predominantly mountainous and sloped terrain. The region features significant elevation changes, fertile soil, abundant sunshine, rich rainfall, and large day-night temperature differences—making it extremely suitable for Arabica coffee bean cultivation.

FrontStreet Coffee's previous articles have mentioned that an excellent coffee bean's flavor depends on its growing region, variety, and processing method. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will provide detailed information about Yunnan's high-quality coffee-growing regions!

Yunnan's Coffee-Producing Regions

Currently, Yunnan coffee is mainly cultivated in the southern and western parts of Yunnan: Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Wenshan, Baoshan, Dehong, and Lincang.

Dehong: Known as the "Coffee Town of China." Coffee cultivation in Dehong Prefecture is all at elevations above 1,000 meters, with 30,000 mu cultivated on mountainous areas above 1,600 meters. Additionally, Dehong Prefecture primarily uses organic fertilizers and organic pesticides for coffee cultivation, resulting in high-quality coffee that ranks among the world's finest premium coffee-producing regions.

Baoshan: Coffee cultivation in Baoshan began in the mid-1950s, with the first coffee seedlings introduced from Southeast Asia by the late patriotic overseas Chinese Mr. Liang Jinshan. In recent years, with the expansion of international trade, Lujiangba's small-seed coffee has become renowned. European, American, and Arab countries, especially merchants from Britain, America, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Macau, consider it premium coffee, with supply unable to meet demand. 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-Seed Coffee."

The reason FrontStreet Coffee chose to cultivate coffee at the border of Yunnan's Baoshan and Myanmar is that Baoshan has an average temperature of 21.5°C, reaching up to 40.4°C at its highest, with basically no frost throughout the year, making it a recognized optimal region for small-seed coffee. The small-seed coffee cultivated here is renowned both domestically and internationally for being rich but not bitter, aromatic but not intense, with small and uniform grains, rich mellow aroma, and fruity notes. Yunnan Baoshan small-seed coffee has a long cultivation history and can be considered a national geographical indication product.

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

Pu'er: The tea region of Pu'er has a 150-year history of coffee cultivation. In the early 1990s, Pu'er City began to cultivate coffee as an advantageous backbone industry for adjusting industrial structure and increasing farmers' income.

Yunnan Coffee Bean Varieties—Small-Seed Coffee Varieties

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, because Yunnan's coffee cultivation history lags behind many other countries, it has cultivated many coffee varieties, including Catimor, Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai. However, almost all coffee found on the market is Catimor because it has the highest productivity. Compared to other more difficult-to-cultivate coffee varieties, more farmers choose to cultivate the cost-effective Catimor coffee trees.

Typica

Typica is currently the oldest Arabica native variety in the coffee market, and almost all Arabica coffee bean varieties are derived from Typica. Typica has elegant flavor but is physically weak, with low disease resistance and susceptibility to leaf rust. Therefore, coffee bean production is low and cannot meet economic benefits. In recent years, Typica in Central and South America has gradually been replaced by Caturra and Catuai. As a result, Typica has become increasingly rare. Although Typica has elegant flavor, it is not as widespread as Bourbon.

The reason FrontStreet Coffee's plantation in Yunnan primarily cultivates Typica variety coffee trees is that Typica coffee has its unique clean and subtle flavor, as well as balanced characteristics with high flavor clarity. Therefore, although Typica variety coffee trees are difficult to cultivate, FrontStreet Coffee still hopes to let coffee enthusiasts taste the best flavors that Yunnan coffee can present.

Catimor

Catimor is a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta species. Robusta has good leaf rust resistance and rich oils, with high yield and easy cultivation. Therefore, after hybridizing with Arabica's Typica, Catimor acquired 25% Robusta genes, improving leaf rust resistance while retaining rich oils and maintaining some of the rich flavor of the original Typica variety.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee currently offers two Yunnan coffee bean varieties in its shop: one is washed Typica, and the other is Catimor coffee beans. Yunnan Typica is labeled as Yunnan specialty coffee, while Yunnan Catimor coffee beans are correspondingly labeled as Yunnan small-seed coffee according to market customs. FrontStreet Coffee roasts both Yunnan coffees to medium roast because Yunnan is not an acidic region—coffee bean flavors are relatively balanced, with nutty and brown sugar as base notes.

Yunnan Coffee Processing Methods

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, many processing methods have been used for Yunnan coffee beans, but FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan coffee beans currently primarily use the washed processing method. The washed processing method best showcases a coffee bean's original flavor while making the coffee bean's flavor cleaner and brighter, reducing off-flavors. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee uses the washed processing method for coffee beans, aiming to let coffee enthusiasts visiting FrontStreet Coffee's shop taste the most authentic and original Yunnan coffee bean flavors.

However, for Catimor variety coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses the natural processing method. Natural-processed coffee beans have more intense flavors and richer layering due to prolonged sun exposure, with wine-like fermentation notes and higher sweetness.

However, the drying degree of coffee cherries is also difficult to control, and if the drying grounds are not clean, it's easy for coffee beans to absorb impurities, leading to increased defective beans. During the drying process, coffee cherries remain with their fruit and pulp intact, making them prone to mold and spoilage.

Fortunately, with technological development, coffee farmers pursue higher-quality natural coffee beans and have begun using instruments and manpower to closely monitor fermentation and drying degrees, removing any coffee that shows abnormalities. Although this operation costs more, it's more meticulous and therefore called "fine natural." Many coffee enthusiasts still prefer naturally processed coffee beans, so FrontStreet Coffee still offers this Yunnan natural Catimor, allowing for flavor comparison with washed Yunnan small-seed coffee using different processing methods.

Yunnan Coffee Grading System

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Yunnan coffee beans, like coffee-producing countries abroad, have their own set of coffee grading standards. However, due to the relatively short coffee cultivation history, overall development is still immature. Therefore, its grading system is also rather disorganized.

(1) Common International Grading Standards:

Coffee beans are graded by size using round-hole grading screens. International standard small-seed coffee sizes range from grades 10-20, where the number represents a fraction with the number as the numerator and 64 as the denominator, in inches. For example: Grade 14 refers to green coffee beans that can pass through a screen with 14/64 inch diameter holes, while Grade 19 refers to green coffee beans that can pass through a screen with 19/64 inch diameter holes. (1 inch ≈ 2.54 cm)

(2) Common Domestic Coffee Grading Standards:

Divided into five grades according to screen holes of 6.5mm, 6.0mm, 5.5mm, and 5.0mm.

Grade 1: Above 6.5mm, full and complete grains.

Grade 2: 6.0-6.4mm, full and relatively uniform.

Grade 3: 5.3-5.9mm, relatively full, slightly less uniform.

Grade 4: 5.0-5.4mm, incomplete grains, with 75% or more complete.

Grade 5: Below 5.0mm, incomplete grains, with 30% or more complete.

(3) International Standards for Small-Seed Coffee Defect Inspection:

Graded according to the amount of defects present, often determined by counting defects in a given quantity of coffee beans. According to the International Organization for Standardization's prescribed method for identifying impurities and defective beans in coffee, 300g coffee bean samples are randomly selected to calculate impurities and defective beans for grading.

The above is the relevant information about China's single-origin Yunnan coffee beans compiled by FrontStreet Coffee, hoping to help coffee enthusiasts who want to understand related knowledge. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share several high-quality single-origin Yunnan coffee beans with everyone.

Single-Origin Yunnan Coffee Bean Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Beans

Country: China
Region: Yunnan Baoshan
Altitude: 1450-1550m
Variety: Typica
Processing: Washed Processing
Flavor: Citrus, nuts, plum, melon aroma, brown sugar, black tea sensation

The difference between FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Huaguoshan coffee beans and Yunnan small-seed coffee is that Huaguoshan is Typica variety, while Yunnan small-seed coffee is Catimor. Actually, both beans can be called small-seed coffee, but because Typica's floral and fruity acidity is gentler and richer, it was specifically named Huaguoshan to distinguish between the two varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Small-Seed Coffee Beans (Daily Bean)

Country: China
Region: Yunnan Baoshan
Altitude: 1200m
Variety: Catimor
Processing: Washed Processing
Flavor: Herbal, nutty aroma, chocolate, caramel

Yunnan small-seed coffee refers to small-seed coffee cultivated in Yunnan region. Coffee is an evergreen small tree of the Rubiaceae family, native to Africa. Currently, the main beverage plants cultivated are small-seed coffee and medium-seed coffee. Small-seed coffee cultivated in China's Yunnan traditionally refers to a mixed population of Bourbon and Typica varieties.

Small-seed coffee is the most widely cultivated species in the Coffea genus. Due to its strong cold resistance and ability to withstand short-term low temperatures, it can grow on mountains at 2,100 meters elevation in tropical regions, but is not drought-resistant; branches are relatively fragile and cannot withstand strong winds; disease resistance is relatively weak; fruits fall easily after ripening; after processing, the coffee taste is mellow and has lower caffeine content.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Natural Catimor Coffee Beans

Country: China
Region: Yunnan (Baoshan)
Altitude: 1450-1550m
Variety: Catimor
Processing: Red Cherry Natural Processing
Flavor: Caramel, dried fruit, cocoa, dark chocolate, herbal, woody

Currently, most of Yunnan's cultivation is Catimor, a hybrid of the Bourbon lineage branch Caturra from Arabica species and Robusta species. The reason for cultivating this variety is that Catimor has Robusta genes, making it more disease-resistant than single old varieties, with better yields. Compared to delicate old varieties with poor disease resistance and low yields, farmers naturally prefer planting Catimor, so a Catimor trend has now swept across Yunnan.

Is Yunnan Coffee Good to Drink?

As for whether single-origin coffee from Yunnan region tastes good, you probably already have your answer. Its potential is unlimited, otherwise it wouldn't be favored by so many coffee industry leaders. Before launching any new coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee conducts roasting and brewing flavor tests to select the best flavor profile, making it convenient for future brewing to share with coffee enthusiasts visiting FrontStreet Coffee. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share the roasting and brewing data for Yunnan Huaguoshan coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Roasting Recommendations

General coffee beans have a moisture content of 10.9%, so FrontStreet Coffee's roaster plans to charge beans at 200°C in the roaster, then use high heat and low airspeed to accelerate dehydration. After the dehydration phase ends, use medium airspeed and medium heat to avoid rushing the Maillard reaction time, with 3 minutes development after first crack. Return temperature: 1 minute 32 seconds, 92.5°C; Yellowing point: 5 minutes 40 seconds, 148.5°C; First crack: 8 minutes 59 seconds, 188.0°C; 3 minutes development after first crack: 12'00, 196°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Bean Pour-Over Recommendations

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

Filter cup: V60
Water temperature: 90-92°C
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: Medium-fine grind, equivalent to fine sugar granules (VARIO 50: 57% pass-through rate through China Standard No. 20 sieve)

Brewing method: Poured extraction.

Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then pour with small water flow in circular motion until 124g for segmentation. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 227g, then stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the filter cup. Extraction time (starting from bloom timing): 2 minutes.

Huaguoshan brewing flavor description: Rich but not bitter, aromatic but not intense, floral notes, mid-palate melon sweetness, finish with black tea sensation.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

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Tel:020 38364473