COFFEE FROM CHINA
We have a new coffee from China in our assortment! When you think of Asian specialty coffee, China is admittedly not the first country of cultivation that comes to mind. If you look at the Asian continent, countries such as Indonesia or Papua New Guinea have rather climbed to the top of Asian specialty coffee in recent years. But China is catching up, and fast! Climatically and geographically, this comes as no surprise. Many regions of this huge country offer ideal conditions for specialty coffee cultivation. The southern Chinese province of Yunnan, in particular, is now considered one of the best coffee regions in Asia. Actually, this region is known for the cultivation of the world's finest teas. Many people are certainly familiar with "Pu-Erhâ", a type of tea that develops its typical and full aroma only after several years of fermentation. But the cultivation of Arabica coffee is also very widespread and is mainly done on an industrial scale for food companies like Nestlé or Starbucks. China produced over 140,000t of Arabica coffee in 2014/15 (as much as Kenya, El Salvador and Costa Rica combined!), 95% of which was grown and harvested in Yunnan. But in recent years, the province is also increasingly mentioned in the context of gourmet coffee culture. One more reason to take a closer look at the current Specialty Coffee development in Yunnan.
Yunnan - coffee history and development
Yunnan province is located at the foot of the Himalayas at an altitude of 1000 to 2000 meters above sea level. This altitude causes a temperate climate, the sun shines almost all year round, but it rarely gets tropically hot, but not too cold either. The climate on the mountain slopes is ideal for the cultivation of high-quality Arabica coffee plants. The Arabica plant was brought to Yunnan by French missionaries at the beginning of the 20th century, but it took several decades before it was cultivated. It was only after the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 1980s that the Arabica plant, especially the resistant and high-yielding Catimor variety (a hybrid of Caturra and Typica), began to be cultivated on a large scale. Since then, large food companies such as Nestlé or Starbucks have been satisfying their immense demand for coffee beans for the Asian market in Yunnan.
Specialty Coffee Movement - Made in China
But a transition towards extensive production of high quality specialty coffee has also been noticeable in recent years. Quality instead of mass. In the meantime, a large number of farmer cooperatives and farms have emerged that grow and process their cherries with high standards and know-how, and have made a name for themselves on the international Specialty Coffee market. High Score coffees can be found in the Yunnan region and a young coffee scene of Specialty Roasters and Third Wave Coffee Shops is developing in the cities of the province. In January 2018, the first International Specialty Coffee Expo will be held, which will surely bring more global attention to Chinese specialty coffee. Compared to the huge amount of Arabica coffee China exports to the world market every year, the Specialty Coffee movement is still in its infancy. But the coffee producers from Yunnan are doing their part to ensure that "Made in China" can soon be regarded as a quality criterion for really good coffee from China.
XINGANG COFFEE FROM YUNNAN
Therefore we are very happy to present you our first coffee from China, our CHINA - Yunnan Xingang filter coffee. The beans from the Menglian region grow at 1600m above sea level. The plants are cared for by Yenai and her eldest daughter Zhaomei on the Xingang farm. There grow the two varieties Catimor P3 and P4, which were processed with the Natural Method after harvesting, between December and April. Very special is the double fermentation process of the beans. They are fermented in bags for three days before drying and then spread out on drying tables for two days. This is followed by another fermentation phase, which lasts until the aromas of the beans have matured. Finally, the last drying phase follows, which lasts about one month. This precession can also be tasted and evaluated. In the Menglian Coffee Competition 2019, the coffee achieved a fabulous score. Coffee has been grown at Xingang Farm for over 20 years, but not only that, tea bushes, cherry trees, and watermelons grow alongside. This fruity combination is also found in our cup. Our coffee tastes of juicy cherries, guava and dried watermelon. Fruity, sweet, exotic. You can buy the coffee in our Online Store.
