What Makes Typica Coffee From Yunnan Distinct?
Typica is the ancient native variety that built Yunnan small bean coffee's reputation. A French missionary brought seeds into Yunnan in 1904 and planted the first trees at Zhukula. Before the 1980s, Typica and Bourbon were the two small-bean varieties grown widely there, and Typica is known for rich layers, fruity acidity and a delicate mouthfeel.
The trade-off is a low yield per plant and weak disease resistance, so Typica is easily hit by leaf rust, coffee berry disease and nematodes, and needs more labor in the field. Yunnan Typica shows different expressions by site and process, such as Baoshan washed and Lincang natural lots, which can be pulled as pour-over or as a small-bean SOE Americano.
The label most frequently associated with Yunnan coffee is "small bean coffee," and Typica is precisely the ancient native variety that made Yunnan small bean coffee famous far and wide. This article begins with the history of how Typica was introduced to Yunnan, sorts out this variety's flavor characteristics and cultivation difficulties, and focuses on two Front Street bean list products—Baoshan washed Typica and Lincang natural Typica—presenting their respective terroir expressions and processing method differences. The article also records Front Street's specific parameters and operating procedures for extracting Yunnan natural Typica by pour-over and espresso machine, including details such as coffee dose, liquid weight, and time, for coffee enthusiasts' reference.
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When talking about Yunnan coffee, the word that appears most frequently is none other than "small bean coffee." In the early development stage of Yunnan coffee, it was by relying on the oldest native variety—Typica—that it gradually built up its reputation. Today Front Street will explore what characteristics Typica coffee beans grown in the Yunnan producing region possess.
How did Typica coffee come to the Yunnan producing region?
The origin of Yunnan coffee can be traced back to 1904. At that time, a French missionary brought coffee seeds from abroad into Yunnan and planted the first batch of coffee trees in a place called Zhukula. Before the 1980s, the varieties planted on a large scale in Yunnan were two ancient small-bean species: Typica and Bourbon. So-called small bean refers to Arabica varieties with relatively small beans, in contrast to the medium-bean Robusta coffee beans produced in Hainan.
Typica has rich flavor layers and can display a variety of fruity acidity and a delicate mouthfeel. It is recognized by the industry as a high-quality variety and is world-renowned; Blue Mountain coffee and Hawaiian Kona coffee both belong to Typica. In appearance, the Typica tree is upright, and its cold resistance is good, but the yield per plant is relatively low, and its ability to resist disease is weak, making it extremely susceptible to leaf rust, coffee berry disease, and nematode disease. This means more manpower must be invested in management. In addition, the market price of this variety does not have an obvious advantage, so many Yunnan coffee farmers have turned to alternative varieties with higher yields.
Although Yunnan currently has Catimor as the mainstream variety, some growers still insist on planting the ancient high-quality variety Typica in pursuit of better flavor expression. For example, on Front Street's bean list there are two Yunnan coffees that use the Typica variety: one is Huaguoshan Coffee produced in Baoshan, and the other is Front Street 2013 Coffee.
Typica coffee from Baoshan, Yunnan
Baoshan is one of Yunnan's earliest coffee-producing regions. Lujiangba has the largest coffee planting base in the country, and Xinshai Village, known as "China's No. 1 Coffee Village," is located here. Every household's mountain is covered with coffee trees, coffee beans are dried in the courtyards, and the aroma of coffee fills the houses. The local warm climate with no frost throughout the year allows coffee trees to grow robustly in a nourishing and comfortable environment. Fertile soil combined with just the right rainfall provides sufficient irrigation for crops. The conditions of good mountains and good water make the coffee beans here have less pulp and a fresh, sweet taste.
Each year from November to March of the following year is the concentrated harvest period. Coffee cherries gradually mature and turn red in the mountains, and busy harvesters can be seen everywhere on the hills. Most Yunnan coffee farmers have limited conditions and do not possess expensive processing equipment, so the vast majority of Yunnan coffee beans use natural processing methods, namely washed and natural. Yunnan is rich in freshwater resources, and the harvest season is also prone to rainfall, so it is more suitable to produce by washed processing. Washed processing is also currently the most common method of processing green beans in Yunnan.
This Baoshan Huaguoshan Coffee from Front Street uses washed processing. Before drying, the coffee pulp is thoroughly removed through depulping, soaking, and fermentation. In terms of flavor, it presents the clear, quiet aroma of Typica coffee beans themselves, as well as a round and smooth mouthfeel, while also possessing rich fruity notes. Front Street believes that washed coffee beans have better cleanliness and can express the basic flavor tone of the producing region, which is also a natural processing method that Front Street particularly loves.
Typica coffee from Lincang, Yunnan
In order to explore more coffee knowledge, Front Street went to Lincang, Yunnan in 2013 and began the chapter of planting coffee. From site selection, seed selection, seedling cultivation, planting, harvesting, processing, to roasting, all were handled by Front Street colleagues, and from this they also summarized a great deal of experience and knowledge about varieties, altitude, and processing methods.
The coffee varieties planted in Yunnan earlier were the ancient Typica and Bourbon. Later, Yunnan coffee suffered from a global leaf rust infestation, causing large-scale death of coffee trees and a sharp reduction in planting area. Afterward, with the support of several foreign companies, the high-yield and disease-resistant Catimor variety was introduced. This also established Catimor's position in replacing the ancient tree variety Typica and becoming the main variety of Yunnan coffee today. Because Typica coffee beans have low yields, are susceptible to disease, and have high management and protection costs, it means growers need to invest a longer exploration time, which is also the reason most Yunnan coffee farmers are unwilling to plant it.
Lincang, Yunnan is affected by the warm, humid air flow from the Indian Ocean and the southwest monsoon. The distinction between the four seasons is not obvious, but the dry and rainy seasons are distinct, rainfall is abundant, sunshine duration is long, the frost period is short, and some areas have no frost all year round. The vertical climate characteristics are significant, making it very suitable for Arabica coffee cultivation, so Front Street specifically chose the most primitive Typica. However, the delicate Typica is also notorious for low yield and poor resistance, so Front Street also put considerable effort into cultivation management. After 5 to 6 years of cultivation, Front Street finally harvested its first batch of results in 2020, produced them by natural drying, and named them "Front Street 2013."
After harvesting, the Typica coffee fruits planted by Front Street are immediately processed by natural drying to ensure the freshness of the coffee. Front Street first performs screening, and flotation is one commonly used screening method. After screening, the coffee fruits are placed under the sun for natural drying. Front Street arranges personnel to turn them regularly to avoid uneven heating of the coffee fruits, which could lead to excessive fermentation. When the coffee fruits dehydrate from bright red to dark purple and reach the target moisture content, they can be sent for hulling and roasting. Natural Typica presents a fuller fermented flavor than washed processing, with prominent sweetness and aromas of caramel, berries, and black tea.
Flavor characteristics of Yunnan Typica coffee
In terms of roasting, Front Street believes that the taste of Yunnan coffee should have both a mellow coffee aroma and a certain acidity, so Front Street uses a medium roast level. For daily store production, Front Street extracts by pour-over, hoping to present the coffee's own aroma for everyone to taste. Pour-over black coffee is not only the extraction method used in Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) baristas' daily production, but also a method that many coffee enthusiasts can easily operate at home.
Front Street takes into consideration that Yunnan Typica coffee leans toward a balanced mouthfeel, which means it should not have excessively high acidity or a heavy bitter sensation. Front Street tends to use a V60 dripper, with a medium-fine grind size and medium water temperature for extraction, to highlight the neutrality and balance in the mouthfeel of Yunnan Typica coffee beans.
Is Yunnan Typica suitable for making espresso?
In order to present the balanced tone of Yunnan coffee, Front Street presents this self-produced natural Typica with a medium roast, so after grinding it has aromas of brown sugar, chocolate, cream, and nut cookies, with balanced acidity, bitterness, and sweetness. Therefore, in addition to pour-over, it is also suitable for extraction with a moka pot and an espresso machine. Next, Front Street will use the store's production equipment to demonstrate how to make a delicious Yunnan SOE.
The coffee machine at Front Street's store is the commercial single-group "Lelit Bianca," which can adjust extraction by changing pressure, with a maximum pressure of up to 11 bar. A home coffee machine only needs to reach 9 bar of pressure to satisfy the functions of extraction and milk frothing, and with an espresso coffee grinder it is enough.
Front Street uses the capacity of a double portafilter basket, with a coffee dose of about 18 to 20 grams; for Front Street's production, 20 grams of coffee powder is used. Usually the ratio of coffee powder to coffee liquid is between 1:1.5 and 1:2.5. Front Street's extraction ratio is 1:2, that is, 20 grams of coffee powder extracts 40 grams of coffee liquid. Time is related to the flow rate of the coffee powder. Generally, a single extraction duration is controlled at 20 to 35 seconds, because within 20 seconds the coffee usually tastes thin, while exceeding 35 seconds makes it easy to over-extract and produce a burnt bitter taste. Front Street's espresso is mostly in the range of 28 to 30 seconds.
Front Street first wipes the portafilter basket dry, turns on the grinder, grinds out the amount for a double shot of coffee powder, and places it on an electronic scale to increase or decrease until it reaches 20 grams. Next, use a tool to distribute the grounds evenly and tamp the coffee puck firmly to ensure more stable coffee extraction. Then turn on the extraction switch to release water, moistening the brew head while also washing away the coffee grounds stuck on it, gently lock the portafilter onto the brew head, and begin pulling down the brew lever to extract. When the electronic scale shows that 40 grams of coffee liquid has been extracted, at about 30 seconds, the extraction switch can be pulled down. Pour the coffee liquid into an Espresso cup and it is ready to enjoy.
The taste and mouthfeel of Espresso are related to the coffee beans used, and today's Espresso made from Front Street's Yunnan natural Typica has moderate crema; on the palate there is the sweet aroma of chocolate and cocoa, as well as soft acidity, and the overall mouthfeel is relatively balanced.
In order to better feel the charm of this espresso, Front Street adds a certain proportion of hot water to make it into an Americano. According to a 1:4 ratio, add 160 ml of warm hot water to the espresso. On the palate there are flavors of plum, dried apricot, chocolate, and nuts, and the finish is a black tea sensation, making it very comfortable to drink.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
