Which arabica varieties are grown in Yunnan coffee?

Yunnan coffee is planted mostly with Catimor, with small amounts of Typica and Bourbon still kept in the Baoshan area. The two main varieties taste quite different: Typica tends toward citrus, while Catimor leans toward herbs and chocolate. Yunnan Arabica accounts for about 98 percent of China's total coffee output, so it essentially defines the country's coffee sector.

Growing areas sit in the south and west of the province, where a subtropical plateau monsoon climate, mid-altitude terrain from 1,000 to 3,500 meters and large day-night temperature swings suit arabica coffee varieties. Development has been short, but the combination of altitude, rainfall and processing methods has drawn increasing attention from the specialty coffee market.

Yunnan coffee has frequently appeared in the specialty coffee market in recent years, and although its development history is short, it contains enormous potential. Front Street Coffee owns an exclusive plantation at the border between Yunnan and Myanmar. This article will systematically review the full picture of Yunnan coffee, from growing conditions, the four major production regions, and variety characteristics to processing methods and brewing suggestions. Yunnan Arabica coffee is mainly cultivated with Catimor, and a small amount of Typica and Bourbon is still retained in the Baoshan region. What flavor characteristics does the Catimor variety actually present? What makes Typica unique? Front Street Coffee's two Yunnan beans — 2013 Typica and Yunnan Arabica — respectively show flavor directions of citrus and nuts and of herbs and chocolate, and this article will unfold them one by one.

In recent years, Yunnan coffee beans have frequently appeared in the specialty coffee market, but the development of Yunnan's coffee industry has been short. Front Street Coffee therefore judges that it holds great potential. For this reason, Front Street Coffee specially operates a plantation for growing Yunnan coffee beans in the border area between Yunnan and Myanmar. In the article below, Front Street Coffee will discuss the unique characteristics of Yunnan coffee.

China Yunnan Coffee Growing Conditions

Yunnan is located in southwestern China, and the Tropic of Cancer passes through southern Yunnan. The terrain is mainly mountainous and plateau, with the mid-altitude zone of 1,000 to 3,500 meters covering nearly ninety percent of the province's land area. Yunnan has a subtropical plateau monsoon climate, with significant temperature differences between day and night and abundant rainfall. As Front Street Coffee stated in previous articles, Arabica coffee trees need to grow in high-altitude areas, and both temperature and rainfall must be just right for them to produce high-quality coffee cherries.

At present, the vast majority of coffee circulating on the Chinese market is produced in Yunnan. Yunnan coffee accounts for 98% of the country's total output, and it can be said to basically represent the overall face of China's coffee-growing industry.

Yunnan Coffee Production Regions

The growing areas for Yunnan Arabica coffee are mainly concentrated in the south and west, among which Pu'er, Baoshan, Dehong, and Lincang are relatively famous. The Yunnan coffee produced by Front Street Coffee's estate comes precisely from Baoshan, Yunnan, and Front Street Coffee believes that the coffee beans produced there have a rich flavor without bitterness, abundant aroma without sharpness, and a distinct regional character. Next, Front Street will briefly outline the characteristics of these Yunnan production regions.

Dehong: It enjoys the reputation of "Home of Chinese Coffee." The coffee-growing altitude in Dehong Prefecture is entirely above 1,000 meters, of which 30,000 mu is distributed in mountainous areas above 1,600 meters. In addition, coffee cultivation in Dehong Prefecture mainly uses organic fertilizers and organic pesticides, and the coffee produced is of superior quality, making it one of the rare high-quality coffee-producing areas in the world. Baoshan: The history of coffee cultivation in Baoshan can be traced back to the mid-1950s, when the earliest coffee seedlings were introduced from Southeast Asia by the late patriotic overseas Chinese Mr. Liang Jinshan. In recent years, with the continuous expansion of international trade, the Arabica coffee of Lujiangba has become widely known. Merchants from Europe, America, and Arab countries, especially those from the United Kingdom, the United States, Egypt, and Hong Kong and Macao, regard it as a premium coffee, and the product has long been in short supply. In December 2010, upon review by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, it was decided to implement national geographical indication product protection for "Baoshan Arabica Coffee." Lincang: Relying on its unique geographical location and climatic conditions, Lincang has become the focus of attention for many coffee enterprises. The local area has successively established high-quality coffee seedling bases of 200 mu and 100 mu in Mengding Town of Gengma Autonomous County and Lincang Xingfu Farm, and has promoted coffee cultivation in Gengma, Zhenkang, Yunxian, Cangyuan, Yongde, and other places. Pu'er: Pu'er, a tea hometown, has cultivated coffee for 150 years. In the early 1990s, Pu'er City began to cultivate the coffee industry as an advantageous backbone industry for adjusting the industrial structure and helping farmers increase income and become prosperous.

The History of Coffee Cultivation in Yunnan

As Front Street mentioned above, it has not been long since Yunnan coffee embarked on the specialty path and gained recognition from coffee lovers around the world, but according to Front Street's understanding, the history of coffee cultivation in Yunnan is actually quite long and can be roughly divided into four stages. Next, Front Street will discuss the cultivation history of Yunnan coffee beans.

The first stage: In the 1880s, the Qing government was forced to sign a treaty with France, the Sino-French War ended, and Mengzi (Mengzi County, Honghe Prefecture) was opened as a trading port. In 1889, the Mengzi Customs House officially opened, thus beginning the opening of the southwestern border region to communication with the outside world. For a time, foreign merchants gathered and foreign firms arrived one after another.

The second stage: In 1902, a French missionary with the Chinese name Tian Deneng brought coffee from Vietnam into Zhukula, a mountain village in Binchuan County, Dali, Yunnan, and planted it there. To this day, the descendants of that batch of coffee are still alive.

The third stage: In 1952, experts from the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences distributed 80 kilograms of coffee seeds to farmers in Lujiangba, Baoshan, and several years later guided large-scale planting, which is how the coffee trees later swaying along the Yunnan-Myanmar Highway came to be. Because of the huge demand for supply to the Soviet Union, Yunnan's coffee cultivation experienced a period of rapid development.

The fourth stage: In 1988, Nestlé established a joint venture in China and supported the development of the local coffee industry in Yunnan through means such as launching coffee planting projects, and Yunnan coffee rose again as a result. Starting in 1992, Nestlé set up a coffee agriculture department to specifically guide and study the improvement and cultivation of Yunnan coffee and to purchase coffee with reference to U.S. spot market prices. Up to now, coffee giants such as Nestlé, Maxwell, Kraft, and Starbucks all conduct coffee business in Yunnan, and local coffee enterprises have also gradually grown stronger.

It was precisely after experiencing the above four stages that Yunnan began to systematically study coffee cultivation. Today, coffee farmers in Yunnan production regions mainly cultivate Arabica coffee, so Yunnan coffee is also called Yunnan Arabica coffee. Next, Front Street Coffee will explain the coffee varieties currently grown in Yunnan.

Yunnan Coffee Bean Varieties

The most widely planted coffee bean in Yunnan at present is Catimor, but a small amount of Typica and Bourbon cultivation is still retained in the Baoshan region. Although broadly speaking they all belong to the Arabica species, these varieties still have significant essential differences.

Typica

Typica is the oldest native Arabica variety on the current coffee market, and almost all present-day Arabica coffee varieties are derived from Typica. Typica has an elegant flavor, but the plant is weak in constitution and poor in disease resistance, and is susceptible to leaf rust. Therefore, coffee bean yields are relatively low, making it difficult to generate ideal economic benefits. In recent years, Typica in Central and South America has also gradually been replaced by Caturra and Catuai, and Typica has therefore become increasingly rare. Although Typica has an elegant flavor, its popularity is less than that of Bourbon.

The coffee trees that Front Street Coffee's estate mainly grows in Yunnan are precisely of the Typica variety. Typica coffee has a uniquely quiet and clean flavor and balanced characteristics, with high cup cleanliness. Although coffee trees of the Typica variety are more difficult to cultivate, Front Street Coffee hopes that the Yunnan coffee tasted by coffee lovers can present the best flavor.

Bourbon

Bourbon is a secondary variety produced by a mutation of Typica, and together with Typica it is one of the oldest extant coffee varieties. Its green cherries turn bright red when ripe. Compared with Typica, Bourbon has broader leaves and grows more densely. Although its yield is higher than Typica, its harvest cycle is also two years, and it is likewise a relatively low-yield variety. However, Bourbon has a high-quality taste, with acidity reminiscent of red wine and a sweet aftertaste.

The Catimor Coffee Variety

Catimor is a combination of the Arabica species and the Robusta species. Robusta has good resistance to leaf rust and abundant oils, high yield, and ease of cultivation. Therefore, after hybridizing with Typica of the Arabica species, Catimor obtained 25% Robusta genes, which not only improved resistance to leaf rust and retained abundant oils, but also inherited part of the rich flavor of the original Typica species. Yunnan Coffee Processing Methods

According to Front Street's understanding, Yunnan coffee beans have so far tried many processing methods, but the Yunnan coffee beans produced by Front Street Coffee currently all use the washed processing method. The washed processing method can best reveal a coffee bean's most original flavor and can also make the coffee bean's flavor cleaner and brighter while reducing off-flavors. Therefore, when Front Street Coffee processes coffee beans, it uses the washed processing method in order to let coffee lovers who visit Front Street Coffee's stores drink the most authentic and most original flavor of Yunnan coffee beans.

Washed Processing Method Procedure

1. First, the coffee farmer pours all the harvested coffee cherries into water. Defective coffee beans will float to the surface, and those that sink to the bottom are coffee cherries of acceptable quality. This operation also greatly reduces the time spent selecting them one by one.

2. The selected coffee cherries are sent into a depulper to remove the skin and pulp. After removal, a layer of sticky pectin remains on the surface of the coffee cherries, so a large amount of clean water is needed to wash the sticky substance off the surface of the coffee cherries.

3. Next, fermentation is used to completely remove the pectin, and this process takes about 18 hours. After fermentation is complete, fermentation bacteria will adhere to the surface of the coffee cherries, so they still need to be washed again with a large amount of clean water. For this step alone, obtaining 1 kilogram of coffee beans requires consuming 40 to 50 kilograms of clean water. Front Street believes this is a considerable number, and this is precisely why arid countries cannot adopt washed processing.

4. Once cleaned, the coffee beans can be dried. Some regions dry them directly outdoors, while some more developed production areas send them to processing plants for machine drying, reducing the coffee's moisture content to about 11%.

5. Finally, the dried coffee beans are stored and packaged, and can then be sold for export.

Next, Front Street Coffee will introduce to coffee lovers all of Front Street Coffee's current Yunnan coffees.

Front Street Coffee Front Street 2013 Typica Coffee Beans

Country: China

Production Region: Baoshan, Yunnan

Altitude: 1450-1550m

Variety: Typica

Processing Method: Washed Processing Flavor: Citrus, nuts, plum, melon and fruit aroma, brown sugar, black tea sensation

Front Street Coffee Yunnan Arabica Coffee Beans

Country: China

Production Region: Baoshan, Yunnan

Altitude: 1200m

Variety: Catimor

Processing Method: Washed Processing

Flavor: Herbal, nutty aroma, chocolate, caramel

Before Front Street Coffee releases each new coffee bean, it conducts roasting and brewing flavor tests in order to select the best flavor curve, making it convenient to brew for coffee lovers who visit Front Street Coffee in the future. Next, Front Street will share Front Street Coffee's roasting and brewing data for these two Yunnan coffee beans.

Front Street 2013 Typica Coffee Roasting Suggestions

The bean moisture content is 10.9%, so the roasting plan is to charge the beans at 200°C, then use high heat and a small airflow door to speed up dehydration. After the dehydration stage ends, open the airflow door to medium and use medium heat so that the Maillard reaction time is not too rushed, and develop for 3 minutes after first crack before discharging. Turning point: 1:32, 92.5°C; yellowing point: 5:40, 148.5°C; first crack: 8:59, 188.0°C; develop 3 minutes and discharge: 12'00, 196°C.

Front Street Yunnan Arabica Coffee Roasting Suggestions

Charge into the drum at a drum temperature of 190°C, with heat at 120 and airflow door set to 3; turning point at 1'40", when the drum temperature is 145°C open the airflow door to 4 while keeping the heat unchanged; when the drum temperature is 166°C the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and it enters the dehydration stage; when the drum temperature reaches 188°C, adjust the heat to 60°C and the airflow door to 5; at 8'37", wrinkled folds and dark stripes appear on the bean surface, and the toast aroma clearly turns into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen clearly for the sound of the first crack point; at 9'00" first crack begins, the airflow door remains unchanged, and after first crack develop for 3 minutes and discharge at 198°C.

Front Street Coffee's Brewing Suggestions for the Two Yunnan Coffee Beans

Front Street recommends using a V60 conical dripper. The V60 has a larger opening, and together with its unique spiral curved ribs, it allows air to escape more easily, thereby improving extraction quality. The body may not be thick enough, but the Yunnan coffee's fruit acidity and distinct aroma brought out by its high concentration are a major feature.

Dripper: V60

Water temperature: 90-92°C

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: medium-fine grind, that is, the coarseness of fine granulated sugar (VARIO 5O: 57% passing through China standard No. 20 sieve) Brewing method: Pulse pouring extraction. Use 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in a small stream in circles until 124 grams for a pulse, and when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 227 grams and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Start timing from the beginning of the bloom.) The extraction time is 2 minutes.

Huaguoshan brewing flavor description: Strong but not bitter, aromatic but not sharp, floral aroma, melon sweetness in the middle, black tea sensation in the finish. Arabica coffee brewing flavor description: It smells strongly of nuts, with herbs, chocolate, caramel, and a finish with a slight, faint fruit acidity.

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