Yunnan Typica coffee beans

Yunnan small-grain coffee is a famous specialty of Yunnan. When traveling to Yunnan, besides flower cakes, you might also want to bring some Yunnan small-grain coffee for your family and friends. Currently, the Yunnan small-grain variety on the market mostly refers to the Catimor coffee variety, which is not the traditional high-quality Arabica small-grain coffee and was once infamous for its "devil’s tail" reputation.

Historically, Yunnan small-grain coffee was the Typica variety, known for its excellent flavor. It was once supplied to the Soviet Union and enjoyed an international reputation. Today, I’m bringing you Typica from Baoshan, Yunnan — known as “Flower and Fruit Mountain” on the Front Street Coffee bean menu. Let’s take a look together～

Yunnan is China’s main coffee-producing region, accounting for over 95% of the country’s coffee production, about 70% of which is for export. When we talk about Chinese coffee, we’re mainly referring to Yunnan coffee. The number of coffee drinkers in China is growing rapidly every day, especially among the younger generation, making coffee culture increasingly popular. Yunnan is a symbol of China’s coffee development and its global status in the coffee industry.

Commonly referred to as Yunnan small-grain, the Yunnan small-grain coffee circulating in the market is actually the Catimor variety, as 99% of coffee grown in Yunnan today is Catimor. The higher-quality older varieties, such as Typica, are less common due to more difficult cultivation and lower yields. They are mainly grown in Pu’er, Xishuangbanna, Wenshan, Baoshan, Dehong, and Lincang. Among these, Baoshan has the highest altitude.

This coffee bean, named Yunnan Flower and Fruit Mountain, is the old Typica variety from Yunnan. After cupping by Front Street Coffee, this coffee beanis strong but not bitter, fragrant but not overpowering, with floral notes, a mid-palate hint of melon sweetness, and a black tea-like finish. In addition to Flower and Fruit Mountain, there is another Typica coffee bean called Front Street 2013, grown inLincang, Yunnan, at the Front Street Coffee plantation. According to the Front Street website, the name of this coffee bean commemorates their first planting in Lincang, Yunnan, in 2013.

That’s an introduction to Yunnan Typica coffee. In recent years, in some Yunnan green bean competitions, Yunnan Typica has underperformed compared to the Catimor variety. Whether Typica can reclaim its historical glory remains something to observe and look forward to.