Is Yunnan Coffee From Four Cats Really What It Claims to Be?

Four Cats Yunnan small-bean coffee is known for an aroma that is prominent without being harsh and a body that is rich without obvious bitterness. Small-bean coffee, also called fragrant coffee, grows as a shrub or small tree reaching 5 to 8 meters, with thinly leathery leaves and white, fragrant flowers. Its berries ripen red and hold seeds about 0.8 to 1.0 cm long.

The variety originated around the Red Sea region and is now grown in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Yunnan's geography and climate give the cup a slight fruity note. Claims about a Four Cats coffee scam are worth checking against the plant's actual botanical traits and growing conditions rather than repeated online assertions.

Yunnan small-bean coffee is famous for its unique flavor—aromatic without being harsh, rich without being bitter—and Si Zhi Mao, as one of its representative brands, has its authenticity and quality frequently compared with Nescafé. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the botanical characteristics and growing environment advantages of Si Zhi Mao Yunnan small-bean coffee, explains the siphon brewing steps in detail, and clarifies common misconceptions about the "Four Cats Coffee scam." Whether you are a coffee enthusiast or a beginner just getting to know Yunnan beans, you will gain practical knowledge and learn about related recommendations from the Front Street brand.

Si Zhi Mao Yunnan small-bean coffee

Small-bean coffee belongs to the coffee family, and its seeds are relatively small, which is why it is also called fragrant coffee. Its flavor is characterized by a prominent yet non-irritating aroma, moderate strength, and no obvious bitterness. This coffee originated in the region around the Red Sea and is now widely cultivated in southern China.

● Morphological characteristics

Small-bean coffee is a small tree or large shrub, with plants reaching a height of 5 to 8 meters. The base of the stem often produces multiple branches, and older branches are grayish-white. The nodes are somewhat swollen, and young branches are smooth and hairless on the surface. The leaves are thinly leathery, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate in shape, with a long acuminate tip, a wedge-shaped or slightly obtuse base, and entire or slightly wavy margins; both sides of the leaves are hairless. Cymes are clustered in the leaf axils, and the corolla is white and fragrant. The berries are broadly elliptical when ripe, red in color, about 1.2 to 1.6 cm long, with seeds about 0.8 to 1.0 cm long. The flowering period is concentrated in March and April.

● Origin and distribution

This variety originated in Ethiopia or the Arabian Peninsula. It is cultivated in China in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan.

● Growing environment of small-bean coffee

Yunnan coffee benefits from the region's unique geographical location and climatic conditions, creating its signature flavor—rich without being bitter, aromatic without being harsh, with a slight fruity note. World-class coffee experts have praised it as the best coffee in the world, and its cultivation techniques and per-unit yield have also reached world-leading levels.

Coffee is rich in protein, fat, sucrose, starch, caffeine, and other components. Once brewed into a beverage, it has a strong aroma, pleasant taste, and rich nutrition, which is why it is ranked alongside tea and cocoa as one of the world's three major beverages—and tops the list. Yunnan coffee is a variant of the original Arabica species, formed through long-term cultivation and domestication, and is commonly called Yunnan small-bean coffee; its cultivation history spans more than a hundred years. Why is it said to have the best quality in the world?

Coffee quality depends on multiple factors such as growing environment, climatic conditions, and cultivation management techniques. The most ideal growing environment is low latitude, high altitude, abundant rainfall, and suitable sunlight, which is why the zone between 15°N and the Tropic of Cancer is an ideal coffee-growing belt. However, other regions in this same belt, such as Hawaii in the United States and Saudi Arabia, either have too low an altitude or a desert climate with little rain, both of which are unfavorable for coffee growth. Only southern Yunnan happens to lie within this belt and simultaneously possesses all the favorable conditions. According to expert assessments, small-bean coffee is suitable for planting on mountain slopes at an altitude of 800 to 1,800 meters; too high an altitude leads to pronounced acidity, while too low an altitude increases bitterness. Most Yunnan coffee is grown in dry-hot river valley areas at an altitude of about 1,100 meters, so it has moderate acidity, a rich aroma, and a mellow taste. In terms of climatic conditions, southern Yunnan has sufficient sunshine, which is beneficial to plant growth and photosynthesis, and the large temperature difference between day and night, with lower nighttime temperatures, is conducive to the accumulation of nutrients in the coffee. Therefore, Yunnan small-bean coffee contains more effective nutrients than other coffee varieties from abroad. Small-bean coffee is susceptible to rust disease, and once infected, both yield and quality are severely affected. The hot regions of Yunnan have distinct dry and wet seasons, and the annual period when the fresh fruit ripens red happens to fall in the dry season, when relative humidity is low, which is unfavorable for the formation and growth of rust spores. Because of the excellent quality of Yunnan coffee, it entered the London market in the 1960s as "Lujiang No. 1" and was rated as first-grade. In recent years, world-famous coffee companies such as Nestlé and Maxwell have successively come to Yunnan to establish raw material bases, and products from Yunnan have gradually gained fame at home and abroad. At present, the average per-unit yield of coffee in Yunnan Province has reached 96.4 kilograms, and a family-contracted plot in Lujiang even set a world record of 400 kilograms. A chief coffee expert from the United Nations Development Programme, Stace, said after visiting the coffee plantation at Lujiang Farm: "I have seen countless coffee plantations in the world, but the management here is first-class, and the per-unit yield is also the highest."

● Si Zhi Mao coffee specific brewing steps

1) Add an appropriate amount of purified water to the lower bowl of the siphon (you may use heated purified water to shorten the boiling time. In this operation, the amount of water added is 2.5 cups, about 280 milliliters; two cups are for guests/friends, and the extra half cup is especially for the brewer to taste in advance—if the flavor seems abnormal at that point, do not serve it to guests, haha);

2) When the alcohol lamp has sufficient fuel, light it and place it directly beneath the lower bowl of the siphon;

3) Fix the filter with the cloth filter/paper filter onto the upper bowl of the siphon, and make sure the filter is positioned exactly in the center (if it is off-center, you can adjust it with a bamboo stirrer);

4) Pour an appropriate amount of coffee grounds into the upper bowl of the siphon (2.5 cups of water corresponds to about 37 grams of coffee grounds; adjust appropriately according to personal taste). Shake the upper bowl horizontally a few times so that the coffee grounds evenly cover the filter;

5) Insert the upper bowl diagonally into the lower bowl, but do not insert it too tightly (if you insert the upper bowl only after the water has boiled, the boiling hot water may suddenly spurt out, which is quite dangerous—remember this!);

6) When the water in the lower bowl is fully boiling, temporarily move the alcohol lamp away for about 10 seconds, then move it back, but do not place it directly beneath the lower bowl; it should be slightly off-center. This serves two purposes: first, it allows the water temperature to drop to the most suitable temperature—around 95°C; second, it weakens the flame of the alcohol lamp (as mentioned earlier, alcohol lamps are not very convenient for adjusting heat, which is also why some people alternate between two alcohol lamps or use a gas stove with adjustable heat);

7) Straighten the upper bowl and insert it into the lower bowl (a slight amount of force is enough);

8) At this point, the water in the lower bowl, having increased in pressure due to heating, will flow along the upper bowl's tube into the upper bowl. When only 1/3 of the water remains in the lower bowl, pour the ground coffee into the upper bowl, and use a bamboo stirrer to wet the coffee grounds from the edges toward the center;

9) After the coffee grounds are completely wet, start timing (do not stir the coffee mixture at this point; this stage is called "steeping");

10) After about 45 seconds, use a bamboo stirrer to quickly stir the coffee solution. Once a layer of foam appears on the surface of the liquid, stop stirring. Wait a few more seconds, then remove and extinguish the alcohol lamp;

11) Use a pre-prepared wet cloth to wipe the lower bowl and cool it down; wipe the bottom first, then the sides, and do not stay in one spot for too long, so that the lower bowl does not crack due to uneven cooling. If you are skilled, you can wipe the lower bowl with one hand while stirring the coffee solution with a stirrer in the other hand to speed up cooling.

12) After the lower bowl cools, the internal pressure drops, causing the coffee solution in the upper bowl to be drawn back into the lower bowl (this is also the origin of the name "siphon");

13) After the coffee solution in the upper bowl has been completely drawn back, remove the upper bowl, and pour the coffee liquid from the lower bowl into pre-warmed coffee cups.

When the coffee solution in the upper bowl is drawn down into the lower bowl, in the final stage, some foam will form above the liquid surface in the lower bowl. By observing the form of the foam, you can judge whether the heat and extraction are appropriate: if a large amount of fine foam appears, it indicates that the heat for brewing the coffee was too high, and the coffee will taste quite bitter; if there are large bubbles that disappear after a few seconds, it indicates that the heat is ideal; if there is almost no foam, it indicates that the heat is insufficient. If you find that the heat is not suitable, you can adjust it in future brewing by increasing or decreasing the "steeping" time and other methods.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.