How does Yunnan arabica coffee taste and how is it brewed?

Yunnan small-bean coffee is Arabica, named small-bean because its fruit is smaller than Robusta and Liberica. Strong results in international competitions have drawn more attention to Yunnan and helped accelerate China's coffee industry. Well-regarded growing areas sit in Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong and Nujiang at elevations of 1,000 to 1,500 meters, where wide day-night temperature swings slow ripening and build sugars.

In 2014 Yunnan accounted for more than 99% of China's planted coffee area and output. The Catimor arabica variety dominates local planting, while Front Street has experimented with Typica and Bourbon in Lincang and sells three beans with distinct cup profiles. Expect nutty, caramel and plum notes, brewed with a set dose, coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, grind size and staged pouring plan.

Yunnan small-bean coffee has frequently appeared in international competitions in recent years, with impressive flavor evaluation results, which has also accelerated the growth of China's coffee industry. This article focuses on Yunnan small-bean coffee, first explaining the identity and origin of small-bean coffee as Arabica, then sorting out core production areas such as Lincang, Baoshan, and Simao and the advantages of high-altitude cultivation, reviewing the background of Catimor's introduction, and introducing Front Street Coffee's experiments growing Typica and Bourbon in Lincang as well as the flavor differences among three beans currently on sale. Finally, it includes Front Street's recommended dose, coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, grind size, and staged pouring plan to help you more consistently brew the nutty, caramel, and plum notes of Yunnan beans.

In recent years, discussion of Yunnan small-bean coffee has continued to heat up, and whether in international competitions or flavor evaluations, it has delivered strong results. Yunnan coffee has thus gained more attention, and China's coffee industry is also accelerating its growth under the impetus of Yunnan coffee.

What is small-bean coffee?

What is often referred to in China as Yunnan small-bean coffee is essentially the Arabica variety. In earlier years, when coffee classification was not yet so detailed, Arabica had smaller fruit compared with Robusta (a medium-fruit variety) and Liberica (a large-fruit variety), hence names such as small-fruit coffee and large-fruit coffee.

Yunnan coffee-growing regions

Any Arabica grown in Yunnan can be included within the scope of Yunnan small-bean coffee. The better-quality Yunnan coffee-growing areas are mainly concentrated in regions of Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong, Nujiang, and other places at elevations of 1,000–1,500 meters. The higher the elevation, the more pronounced the temperature difference between day and night, the slower the growth rhythm of the coffee tree, the more nutrients it can accumulate, and the richer its sugars and aroma compounds, ultimately resulting in better flavor expression in the beans.

Yunnan's superior natural conditions have allowed its coffee industry to expand very quickly. In 2014, whether in terms of planted area or output, Yunnan accounted for more than 99% of the national total. The average annual temperature in Lujiangba, Baoshan, is 21.5°C, with an extreme high of up to 40.4°C, and there is basically no frost period throughout the year.

Yunnan small-bean coffee varieties

At present, the most widely planted variety in Yunnan is Catimor, while a small number of areas also grow Typica, Bourbon, and Geisha.

In the 1970s and 1980s, coffee leaf rust broke out in many countries in Central and South America, severely impacting production. To address leaf rust, the Portuguese coffee research institution CIFC crossed Timor, which carries Robusta genes, with the Bourbon variety Caturra in 1959, developing Catimor, which combines disease resistance and high yield. To alleviate the losses caused by leaf rust, and with the encouragement and promotion of coffee organizations, Central and South America began large-scale introduction in the 1980s.

In 1988, Nestlé took a liking to Yunnan as land suitable for coffee and distributed Catimor seedlings with greater resistance to leaf rust. Only then did the local area begin planting coffee again, supplying Nestlé over the long term.

Catimor carries Robusta genes, and its flavor performance is not entirely satisfactory; drunk on its own, it is not particularly appealing, so many people's impression of Yunnan coffee once remained stuck at the level of raw material for instant coffee.

But Front Street Coffee believes that truly excellent Yunnan coffee, under traditional natural or washed processing, can fully present the coffee flavors unique to the Yunnan production area. If the unpleasant flavors in Yunnan coffee are to be removed, change must be made at the source of the variety.

So in 2013, Front Street Coffee began growing Typica and a small amount of Bourbon in Lincang, Yunnan, for experimental research, and after harvest sold them through Front Street Coffee's online and offline stores.

There are two reasons for choosing Typica: first, it is one of the oldest coffee varieties, with pure Arabica genes, elegant and clean flavor, and has long been regarded as a specialty coffee variety; second, the earliest coffee trees planted in Yunnan were also Typica, brought in by French missionaries.

Front Street Coffee's cultivation of Typica does not mean that Yunnan Catimor is bad. With the continuous promotion of specialty coffee culture, Catimor in Yunnan has now received more scientific cultivation and planting, and both flavor and quality have improved significantly.

Recommended Yunnan small-bean coffee beans

Front Street Coffee currently sells three Yunnan coffee beans: one is "Front Street 2013 Sun-Dried Typica Coffee Beans," priced at 40 RMB/100g; one is "Selected Production Area Everyday Beans - Yunnan Baoshan Washed Catimor Coffee Beans"; and another is "All-Red-Cherry Sun-Dried - Catimor Coffee Beans from the Lujiangba Production Area in Baoshan." They can be purchased at Front Street's Taobao store or Front Street's Tmall flagship store.

These three beans all carry the signature flavors of the Yunnan production area: nutty, caramel, and plum-like notes. The differences are that "Front Street Sun-Dried Typica" has a cleaner flavor, a better balance of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness, and a pronounced sweet aftertaste; "All-Red-Cherry Sun-Dried" has berry-like sweet acidity while retaining the characteristics of the Yunnan production area; and "Baoshan Washed Catimor" is a production-area bean selected by Front Street Coffee, allowing enthusiasts to experience at a higher cost-performance ratio the charm of Yunnan coffee's regional flavor as expressed under traditional processing methods.

How to brew Yunnan small-bean coffee so it tastes good?

Front Street Coffee suggests leaning toward balance when brewing these three Yunnan coffees; there is no need to deliberately amplify the acidity, nor to over-polish the finish.

Therefore, a recommended coffee dose of 15 grams and a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15; if you want a clearer flavor, you can use 1:16. Choose a V60 dripper, with a water temperature of 88°C, in order to make the acidity softer; the grind level is medium-fine, about the size of fine granulated sugar (75% passing through a No. 20 sieve).

Specific brewing method: first pour 30g of water and bloom for 30 seconds; for the second stage, pour in a slow circular stream up to 125g, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops by half before continuing to pour, then pour in a slow circular stream up to 225g, and wait for all dripping to finish. The total extraction time is about 2 minutes 10 seconds.

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