Flavor Profile, Taste Characteristics, and Grind Settings for Yunnan Small Bean Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Flavor Description, Taste Characteristics, and Grind Settings for Yunnan Small Bean Coffee

Siphon Coffee Brewing Steps

1) Add an appropriate amount of pure water to the bottom chamber of the siphon pot. You can use pre-heated pure water to shorten the boiling time. In this operation, the water amount is 2.5 cups, approximately 280 milliliters. Two cups are for guests or friends, with an additional half cup reserved for the brewer to taste beforehand, so that anything unusual can be caught before serving.

2) With enough fuel in the alcohol lamp, light it and place it directly beneath the bottom chamber of the siphon pot.

3) Secure the filter equipped with filter cloth or filter paper onto the top chamber of the siphon pot, making sure the filter sits in the center; if it is off-center, you can adjust it with a bamboo stir stick.

4) Pour an appropriate amount of coffee grounds into the top chamber. 2.5 cups of water correspond to approximately 37 grams of coffee grounds, adjusted to personal preference. Gently shake the top chamber a few times so the grounds settle evenly over the filter.

5) Insert the top chamber into the bottom chamber diagonally, but do not seat it tightly. If you insert the top chamber after the water has boiled, the boiling water might suddenly spray out, which is quite dangerous, so keep this in mind.

6) After the water in the bottom chamber has fully boiled, move the alcohol lamp aside for about 10 seconds, then move it back, but do not place it directly beneath the bottom chamber - set it slightly off-center. This serves two purposes: it lets the water temperature drop to the most suitable level, around 95 degrees Celsius, and it reduces the flame intensity, since alcohol lamps are not convenient for adjusting flame strength. Some people alternate between two alcohol lamps or use an adjustable gas stove for this reason.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yunnan small bean is another name for Arabica, so called because it bears the smallest fruit of the three original coffee species. The story goes back to 1904, when a French missionary carried coffee seed - Typica - from Vietnam into Yunnan and planted the first coffee tree in Zhugula village, Binchuan county, and the province's favorable geography and climate made the crop a success. FrontStreet Yunnan Small Bean comes from the Baoshan region, is washed and medium roasted, and brews with soft nut and chocolate sweetness plus a slight plum acidity, making it an accessible first taste of Yunnan coffee at a friendly price. Coffee prefers warmth and tolerates heat but not cold, with the best growing temperatures between 16 and 21 degrees Celsius, and Yunnan sits right on the world's coffee belt around 25 degrees north; much of the province lies at roughly 1,000 meters, with fertile sloping soil, ample sunlight, generous rainfall, and wide day-night temperature swings, all of which favor the trees. Planting is concentrated in the southwest - Baoshan, Dehong, Pu'er, and Lincang - and FrontStreet's two Yunnan specialty beans come from Baoshan and Lincang.

For a clearer, more defined Yunnan flavor, FrontStreet 2013 Natural Typica is the step up. FrontStreet built its own estate in 2013 and planted Typica there, partly because it is one of the oldest coffee varieties, carrying pure Arabica genetics and an elegant, clean flavor long recognized as a specialty variety, and partly because the first coffee trees planted in Yunnan were also Typica, brought in by that French missionary, so FrontStreet wanted to recover that original sense of place. The estate uses only fully ripe red cherries, dries them naturally, and roasts to a medium level for a more balanced cup with brighter sweet-tartness, so the coffee shows dark berry notes, caramel sweetness, chocolate, and a touch of dried apricot, with a black tea finish.

To taste Yunnan in espresso form, FrontStreet Black Cocoa Blend, a blend of Yunnan small bean and Brazil Cerrado, is the pick many baristas recommend: the Brazilian coffee supplies a mixed-nut aroma and a balanced body, while the Yunnan small bean plays the role of chocolate and citrus. The americano it makes is balanced across sweet, tart, and bitter, with nut and brown sugar sweetness, and as a latte it brings the smooth, creamy texture of almond. Either way, a medium roast keeps the cup balanced and lets the sweet-tart side of the Yunnan terroir come forward.