What are the main Yunnan coffee varieties grown today?

Yunnan coffee, often called Yunnan small-bean, is grown on a large scale in three main varieties: Catimor, Typica, and Bourbon. The beans are uniform, plump, and moderately full-bodied. Typica arrived first, brought from Vietnam by French missionary Tian Deneng in 1904 and trial-planted in Zhugula Village, Binchuan County, which is treated as the starting point of Yunnan coffee.

After 1930, planting spread to the Pupiao and Luoming areas, and from 1952 large-scale cultivation expanded through Lujiang and nearby regions under the guidance of expert Ma Guojin, continuing for nearly sixty years. Today's typica coffee plants in Yunnan mostly descend from that earlier planting, while Catimor dominates current volume and Bourbon remains limited in cultivation.

Yunnan coffee, also known as Yunnan small-bean, is famous for its plump and even beans and its mellow, moderate taste. Front Street Coffee has always paid attention to China's own coffee, hoping that through a deeper understanding of varieties and flavors, more people will rediscover Yunnan beans. At present, the varieties that can be produced on a large scale in Yunnan mainly include Catimor, Typica, and Bourbon. This article will sort out the introduction history and evolution of these three varieties in Yunnan, and, using Front Street Coffee's Huaguoshan Typica and Yunnan small-bean Catimor as examples, present complete information from roasting curves, cupping flavors, to brewing parameters, while also introducing the current state of Bourbon cultivation in Yunnan, providing coffee lovers with a practical guide to Yunnan coffee varieties.

Yunnan coffee is often called Yunnan small-bean among the public; the beans are uniform in size, highly plump, and taste moderately full-bodied. The reason Front Street favors Yunnan coffee is that it belongs to China's own coffee, and Front Street has always hoped to change more people's preconceptions about Yunnan beans. Front Street deeply understands that variety plays a key role in flavor direction. At present, the varieties in Yunnan with mass-production capacity include Catimor, Typica, and Bourbon. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will now sort out the evolution of Yunnan coffee varieties.

Yunnan Typica Coffee

The history of Yunnan Typica can be traced back to 1904. At that time, French missionary Tian Deneng brought coffee seeds (Typica) from Vietnam into Yunnan and successfully trial-planted them in Zhugula Village, Binchuan County. This is regarded as the starting point of Yunnan coffee, usually classified as small-bean coffee, and domestically habitually called Yunnan small-bean coffee.

After 1930, the well-known overseas Chinese leader Mr. Liang Jinshan introduced coffee to the Pupiao and Luoming areas for planting, and this situation continued until after the founding of New China. From 1952 onward, under the guidance of expert Ma Guojin from the Baoshan Tropical and Economic Crops Research Institute, large-scale coffee planting began in Lujiang and other areas, and large-scale cultivation has now lasted for nearly sixty years. The Yunnan Typica we can drink today mostly comes from plants planted during that period.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Yunnan Huaguoshan Region: Baoshan, Yunnan, China Altitude: 1200m Variety: Typica Processing method: Washed

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Roasting Analysis Front Street's roaster believes that a medium slow roast best highlights the smooth and rounded characteristics of this Huaguoshan bean, while not masking its rich floral and fruity aroma.

Roaster: Yangjia 600g semi-direct fire: when the drum temperature rises to 200°C, charge the beans, set the damper to 3, and after 30 seconds adjust the heat to 160°C, keeping the damper unchanged. The turning point appears at 1 minute 33 seconds. At 168°C, adjust the heat again; at this point the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell is gone, and the dehydration stage ends. Lower the heat to 130°C and open the damper to 4; at 8 minutes 45 seconds, unsightly wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly shifts to coffee aroma, indicating the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the cracking sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9 minutes 07 seconds; reduce the heat to 80°C and fully open the damper to 5 (be very careful when adjusting heat; it must not be so low that the cracking sound cannot be heard). Three minutes after first crack, discharge at 198°C.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Cupping Results Front Street 2013 Typica: abundant fruit aroma on entry, with melon and herbal plant notes, smooth mouthfeel, nut and milk chocolate in the middle, lively and bright plum acidity in the finish, good balance, medium body, full-bodied; from hot to warm, one can feel the layered changes in acidity and sweetness, first sweet then sour, apricot and citrus-toned acidity, with a finish of black tea and a little brown sugar.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Brewing Recommendation Take 15 grams of coffee grounds, recommended coffee-to-water ratio 1:15; if you want a clearer flavor, use 1:16. Choose a V60 dripper, water temperature 88°C, in order to make the acidity softer. Grind size medium-fine / caster sugar coarseness (80% passing a No. 20 sieve).

Brewing method: first bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds. In the first pour, stop when the water reaches 125g, keeping a vertical stream and slowly circling with a small flow; in the second pour, continue to 225g, with the flow and circling speed slightly faster to avoid clogging the dripper with grounds and causing over-extraction. (Start timing from the bloom.) Total extraction time 2 minutes.

Yunnan Catimor Coffee

In 1959, the Portuguese brought the Brazilian Bourbon mutant Caturra to East Timor and crossed it with Timor, which carries Robusta lineage, unexpectedly producing Catimor with extremely strong disease resistance and productivity. Because leaf rust swept through coffee-growing regions worldwide, under the promotion of international organizations, producing countries vigorously promoted Catimor to resist leaf rust and increase yields.

Starting in 1992, Nestlé established a coffee agriculture department specifically to guide and study the improvement and cultivation of Yunnan coffee, while introducing high-yield, strongly disease-resistant Catimor and purchasing coffee by reference to the U.S. spot market price. Catimor is not pure Arabica lineage; it is the hybrid offspring of Timor (a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta) and Caturra (a Bourbon variety mutant), and therefore carries about 25% Robusta lineage. This also determines its flavor shortcomings: the aroma is not rich enough, the overall bitterness is relatively heavy, and it is prone to astringency and a pungent musty taste.

At present, the most widely planted variety in Yunnan is Catimor and its improved varieties, which is what the market often calls Yunnan small-bean coffee (originally Yunnan small-bean referred to Typica, but later Catimor occupied more than half of Yunnan coffee, so what is called Yunnan small-bean today actually refers to Yunnan Catimor).

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee Region: Baoshan, Yunnan, China Altitude: 1200m Variety: Catimor Processing method: Washed

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Roasting Analysis Yunnan small-bean coffee: Yangjia 800N (300g batch size): charge at 190°C drum temperature, heat 120, damper opened to 3; turning point at 1 minute 40 seconds. When drum temperature is 145°C, open damper to 4, heat unchanged; when drum temperature is 166°C, the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and the dehydration stage begins. When drum temperature reaches 188°C, adjust heat to 60°C, damper to 5; at 8 minutes 37 seconds, unsightly wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly turns to coffee aroma, indicating the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the cracking sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9 minutes 00 seconds, damper unchanged, develop for 3 minutes after first crack, discharge at 198°C.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Cupping Results Yunnan small-bean coffee cupping: smooth on entry, with Asian herbal plant aroma, lively and bright acidity, salivation on both cheeks, soft acidity, good full-bodied balance, rich layers; in the finish, black chocolate, honey, and sucrose notes are obvious, and after completely cooling it shows brown sugar flavor.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Brewing Recommendation Take 15 grams of coffee grounds, recommended coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, choose a V60 dripper, water temperature 88°C, in order to make the acidity softer and highlight the pu'er tea-like feel and tea aroma. Grind size medium-fine / caster sugar coarseness (80% passing a No. 20 sieve).

Front Street's segmented brewing method: bloom with 30 grams of water for 30 seconds, pour in a small stream while circling to 125 grams, then pause; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225 grams and stop; when the water level drops again and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Start timing from the bloom.) Extraction time is 2 minutes 00 seconds.

Small-bean Catimor coffee offers nutty aroma, along with herbal, chocolate, and caramel notes, with a slight hint of fruity acidity in the finish.

Yunnan Bourbon Coffee

In 1952, experts from the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences distributed 80kg of coffee seeds (Typica and Bourbon) to farmers in Lujiangba, Baoshan. Several years later, they again guided planting on a large scale, which led to the coffee trees swaying along the Yunnan-Burma Road afterward. Because of the huge demand for supplying the Soviet Union, Yunnan coffee cultivation experienced a rapid development. A 1981 survey by Professor Ma Xijin showed that in the ancient coffee forest of Zhugula Village, Typica accounted for 31% and Bourbon for 69%.

Bourbon is a natural mutation of Typica, traceable at the earliest to Yemen's Mocha round bean coffee. In 1708, the French planted it on Bourbon Island (now Réunion), after which it gradually spread. Bourbon also has a beautiful aroma and rich flavor. Compared with Typica, it is somewhat higher in yield and vigor, and is suitable for planting at 1200–2000 meters, but its resistance to pests and diseases is weaker, and it is also relatively sensitive to strong winds and heavy rainfall. Bourbon is the variety second only to Typica among small-bean coffee. The main branches initially grow upward at 45 degrees to the trunk, then droop under the fruit load; the side branches have denser nodes, bear more fruit, and have higher yield. However, the berries are smaller and ripen more slowly. Bourbon's terminal bud and young leaves are green, so it is called green-tip coffee.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), in the Yunnan coffee bean plantation, mainly grows Typica and a small amount of Bourbon. Because it is not a main coffee variety, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s Bourbon is still in the experimental trial-planting stage.

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