In the early years, many people didn’t even know that Yunnan could produce coffee, not to mention whether Yunnan’s coffee tasted good or not. Because coffee is an imported product in my mind, it was by chance that a missionary planted a coffee bean in Yunnan, which ultimately started the history of coffee cultivation in Yunnan. In recent years, with the continuous development of specialty coffee, focusing on the place of origin is one of the key factors. This has also made Yunnan coffee gradually appear in the global spotlight, and its popularity has gradually increased. Although Yunnan coffee has always been the main raw material for Nestlé instant coffee, Yunnan coffee has always had potential to be explored. Front Street will share the story about Yunnan coffee with you today!
Yunnancoffee growing history
In 1892, a French missionary came to Yunnan to preach. The missionary’s name was Tian Deneng. The missionary location was in Zhukula Village. In order to be able to drink coffee, coffee seeds brought from Vietnam were planted next to the church. The coffee grew smoothly, and then more coffee trees were cultivated, and coffee cultivation began in Jukula Village.
arabica coffee producing area
Yunnan coffee is grown on high mountains at an altitude of 800-1800 meters, mostly in dry-hot valleys at an altitude of about 1100 meters. Due to the superior natural conditions and environmental climate, the coffee is of excellent quality, rich in flavor and moderate in body. The main planting and producing areas are: Baoshan, Lincang, Pu'er, and Dehong. Due to their low latitude, high altitude, and sufficient precipitation, they have become the preferred place for coffee cultivation in Yunnan.
Pu'er: Coffee cultivation has a history of hundreds of years. It is the largest coffee planting area in Yunnan and has unique geographical location, climate environment, soil and other conditions.
Baoshan: It is one of the best-quality coffee production areas in Yunnan. The average annual temperature is 21 degrees. The good climate conditions make this the best-quality coffee production area. The coffee particles are small and uniform, the flavor is fruity, and the taste is mellow and balanced.
Lincang: Located in the southwest of Yunnan, between the Tropic of Cancer, the annual average temperature is between 16 degrees and there is ample sunshine. The climate is similar to that of Colombia, and the planting altitude is above 1,000 meters, which breeds a rich sour aroma and sweet taste. FrontStreet Coffee's own coffee estate is also grown in Lincang.
Dehong: It has a typical South Asian tropical rainforest climate, with a planting height of more than 1,000 meters.
Yunnan arabica coffee varieties
Typica: It is an ancient native species of Arabica and has high-quality coffee flavor genes.TypicaThe characteristic of the coffee tree is that there are red copper-colored young leaves on the top leaves of the coffee tree, which is one of the characteristics of the Typica variety. Typica is one of the globally recognized specialty coffee varieties, but its disease resistance is not high and it is easily attacked by pests and diseases, requiring more manpower management. The variety has a rich flavor, obvious sweetness, and a sweet and smooth taste.
Bourbon: A genetic mutation of Typica that spread after Bourbon was planted. The Bourbon variety has a relatively higher yield and growth capacity than Typica, and it has a better flavor when grown in high-altitude areas. As a mutant of Typica, it also does not have good disease resistance, so it has to rest for a year. The variety has a rich aroma and smooth taste, with a pronounced sweetness and fruity taste.
Catimo: It is a mixed hybrid of Timo and Catura. Because Timo is a Robusta variety, Catimo, as a hybrid, does not have pure Arabica blood and is destined to have a lower flavor quality than traditional Arabica varieties. The Katim variety was developed to improve disease resistance and yield. Although Katura is an Arabica variety, the hybrid Katim completely masks the characteristics of the Arabica variety. The aroma and flavor of the variety are bland, with a pronounced bitterness.
Treatment method
Water washing treatment is mainly used, and honey treatment and anaerobic treatment have been involved in recent years. First, the freshly picked coffee cherries are screened to select high-quality coffee cherries, and then the coffee peel is removed by machine and the coffee seeds are separated. The coffee seeds are then placed in a pool of water for soaking and fermentation to break down the pectin adhering to the seeds. Finally, the fermented coffee seeds are dried. Washed coffee is characterized by bright fruit acids and a clean taste.
Because the Arabica variety grown in Yunnan is small in appearance, it is also called arabica coffee. Although the Typica variety is grown, the Catim variety is mainly grown, favored by coffee farmers because of its strong disease resistance and high yield.
The Yunnan Tiepica coffee beans grown on Front Street are sun-dried. This is because the picked and selected coffee fruits will be slightly fermented under the nurturing of the sun. The pulp and pectin part will be slightly fermented, giving the coffee beans a fermented aroma and smooth taste. At the same time, the sugar in the pulp will be absorbed by the coffee beans, forming a sweet flavor after roasting. Therefore, after being sun-dried, Front Street’s Yunnan Tiepica coffee beans have plum-like acidity, black tea tea flavor and brown sugar aftertaste.
Finally, I would like to share with you the brewing of Front Street, the sun-dried iron pickle from Yunnan Front Street Coffee Manor.
Front Street 2013 Yunnan Sunshine Iron Pickup
Production area: Lincang, Yunnan, China
Variety: Typica
Altitude:1300m
Treatment: Sun exposure
How to brew delicious Yunnan Tiepica coffee beans?
The amount of coffee powder is 15 grams, the ratio of powder to water is recommended to be 1:15, if you want a clearer flavor, you can use 1:16, the filter cup is v60, the brewing water temperature is 88 degrees Celsius, the purpose is to make the acidity softer, and the grinding degree is medium (Chinese standard No. 20 sieve pass rate is about 78%).
Three-stage extraction method: first inject 30 grams of water and steam for 30 seconds. Then, the small flow of water is poured in a circle until it reaches 125 grams. When the water level drops and the powder bed is about to be exposed, continue to pour water until 225 grams. Stop pouring water. When the water level drops and the powder bed is about to be exposed, remove the filter cup. (The steaming starts timing) The extraction time is 2'10".
The brewed coffee has the acidity of plums, the tea flavor of black tea and the aftertaste of brown sugar.
Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow the WeChat public account: FrontStreet Coffee
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
