How are Starbucks Yunnan coffee beans delicious? the story behind Starbucks Yunnan coffee beans

Professional coffee knowledge exchange more coffee bean information please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

Starbucks coffee beans _ Starbucks coffee machine _ how much is Starbucks coffee _ Starbucks coffee price list

For Starbucks' senior fans, it was a memorable month from December last year to January this year. The Starbucks roasting workshop in Shanghai, which opened grandly at the end of 2017, is so popular that it is almost known throughout the universe, while the return of Starbucks Yunnan coffee beans in January 2018 seems to be more meaningful. Starbucks not only uses 100% of the high-quality Arabica coffee beans grown in China, but also realizes the complete journey from a raw bean to a cup of coffee in China for the first time.

It can be understood that Starbucks Yunnan is one of Starbucks' most Chinese coffee beans, because it is so special, Yunnan's single producing area and all Chinese genes determine its special significance, as a loyal fan of Starbucks, coffee severe patients, my interest in this bean is not only to taste, but also to go to the place of origin to see for myself.

two

I didn't come to Pu'er to find tea.

As a lifestyle self-media person, I and the media from all over the country came to Pu'er in Yunnan, where the famous Pu'er tea is produced, but we are not looking for tea. The "Starbucks Yunnan" coffee beans I am looking for are also produced here, you know, even coffee practitioners rarely have the opportunity to go to the coffee origin to experience it.

I know that coffee fans in Yunnan will be no stranger, because Yunnan contributes about 95% of China's coffee production, and Pu'er is an important coffee production city in Yunnan. The high altitude and the huge temperature difference between day and night bring unique growth advantages to coffee beans, which is one of the reasons why Starbucks chose Pu'er as its origin in China.

In fact, it is not easy to see coffee trees and coffee berries. It is not only a connecting flight from Kunming to Pu'er, but also an hour and a half drive from the center of Pu'er to one of Starbucks' partners in Yunnan. Because the mountain road is rugged and the terrain is complex, I barely use carsickness medicine to stop the pain, and it is conceivable that I have to travel hard to reach the "first ten feet" of coffee. A good cup of coffee is not easy to come by from the source.

However, when I really stood on the land of origin to taste "Starbucks Yunnan", my heart was still very excited, and the zero distance of the geographical location made me have a subtle psychological connection with this bean. Even the huge momentum felt by the media before the opening of Starbucks Shanghai Bakery is not as shocking as this cup.

From seed to planting, from picking to baking to selling, the full chain of Starbucks Yunnan is completed in China. This is Starbucks' first attempt, Starbucks' most landmark classic in China, and the pride of Chinese coffee fans. What does it taste like? Of course I tasted it for you. "Starbucks Yunnan" is full of bright sour, herbaceous flavor and unique flavor, which surprised me very much.

three

I ate a coffee berry.

Starbucks Yunnan first entered the Chinese market in January 2017, but the Starbucks Yunnan grower support Center entered Pu'er in December 2012. this special independent organization was set up in Asia for the first time. Using a five-year preparation period to deeply cultivate a bean from the origin makes me interested in this team of experts with an agronomist background. What makes me feel more cordial is that Tong Yalun, the center director on the far left of the picture above, is also from Tianjin.

Following in the footsteps of the experts, we entered the coffee growing area. Unlike what I expected, large areas of coffee trees are not like farms, where plants are planted on flat land, and the coffee trees here are densely planted on the hillside. We went along the rather steep slope and soon became out of breath.

You may not know that from sowing seedlings to hanging attractive berries, it takes coffee farmers 4-5 years to harvest a high-quality Arabica coffee bean, which is also the five years that Starbucks team worked silently in Pu'er. The coffee plants selected by Starbucks also have their own strict standards, including more than 5 years old, consistent plant type and full red fruit picking.

So there are precise requirements behind every Starbucks coffee bean, and the guidance provided by the Starbucks grower support center plays a vital role in enabling local farmers to become suppliers according to these production standards.

Helping farmers standardize their cultivation is also Starbucks' strategy to improve the quality of Yunnan coffee beans from the source. To this end, Starbucks introduced coffee and grower equity norms (C.A.F.E. Practices) to Yunnan. The specification requires that farmers must meet the requirements in the four aspects of product quality, economic responsibility, social responsibility and environmental protection, and must be strictly certified by third-party organizations in order to become a supplier of Starbucks. At present, there are 1678 certified coffee farms in Yunnan, with a total planting area of 16000 hectares.

In order to experience more, I dived into the coffee bushes. The coffee trees are actually very dense, and there are shade trees around the coffee trees, which is in accordance with the requirements of Starbucks agronomists. Because it is the late stage of picking, only a small part of the coffee berries are still hanging on the trees, and they grow evenly on the branches and leaves like small grape clusters. They vary in color and quality, and only ripe red berries in good shape can become high-quality coffee beans, and each berry needs to be picked manually, and the intensity of the work can be imagined.

The purplish red coffee berry looks like a small cherry. Peeling off the outer skin can reveal the white flesh inside. I put it in my mouth, but it has no taste of coffee, but it is sour and sweet. I bite the whole berry open, and there are two hard "shells" hidden inside. It turned out to be the two most primitive coffee beans.

Picking coffee berries seems to be a long process away from raw beans.

After a large number of berries have been collected, it is very important to distinguish between the good and the bad. They will enter the large washing pool for primary cleaning, and the pool deep enough will automatically screen out the good fruit by taking advantage of the gravity of the berry itself. It can be said to be very witty. Then peeling, desizing and fermentation will be completed in a series of equipment.

Raw beans are exposed to the sun in Pu'er at noon, which also brings good flavor to the coffee. It turns out that coffee beans are generated step by step, and it is quite enjoyable for coffee fans to experience the whole process at the coffee farm, but it is not clear which raw beans are eligible to become Starbucks Yunnan.

four

I like to hear the story of the reversal best.

What kind of raw beans does Starbucks Yunnan need? With this question, I came to the site of Starbucks Love Coffee (Yunnan) Co., Ltd., which is also the working place of Starbucks grower support Center. At 11:00 in the morning, the factory area was already full of vehicles for farmers to transport raw beans. I heard that many people came to queue up last night.

Tong Yalun, the director of the center, is my fellow-townsman. After a few conversations with my companions, he recognized that I was from Tianjin. Tianjin people are generally straightforward, and so is Tong Yalun. He said that when he first came to Yunnan in 2012, many farmers did not even know what Starbucks was, let alone provide raw beans. Only 25 people came for the first training. At that time, there was only an across-the-board price for raw beans in Pu'er area, and this extensive business model determined that they could only receive mixed beans, so many people used to be biased against Yunnan beans. However, Starbucks' strategy is superior.

Tong Aaron said, "my purpose is actually very simple. I just want good beans, but what about Ka Nong?" They want a good price, so we adopted the strategy of 'high quality and good price' in Pu'er, paying a price higher than the market price for high-quality coffee beans, and ensuring that the farmers received the payment within three days. Soon after the first batch of farmers who were rewarded were handed down by word of mouth, more farmers came to us to supply beans, and there were so many cars that they had to queue outside the venue and could not even squeeze in. " Haha, I like to hear the story of such a big reversal. I'm really excited to think about it.

However, even if a certified coffee farmer comes here with raw beans, it does not mean that his beans can be purchased by Starbucks. During the peak harvest period, all coffee beans in the venue will be sampled by Starbucks agronomists in packages. These coffee beans will be sent to the factory inspection department, and the raw bean stage will be tested for six major criteria, such as defect rate and particle diameter, of which "appearance" is the most puzzled by farmers.

Why "judge beans by their appearance"? Because the final product of Starbucks Yunnan is whole bean, the integrity of coffee beans will give consumers the most intuitive feeling. These thousands of selected "smart" coffee beans not only taste good, but also have a good appearance.

The tested beans are then baked in a sample roaster until ripe for cup testing. each cup critic tastes an average of 200 cups of coffee a day, compared with 300 cups of coffee a day at peak times. All the above data will be registered as the basis for whether the beans can be purchased. When the quality is higher than the standard, you will get an additional reward.

From planting to acquisition, Starbucks runs through every link of coffee beans in Yunnan, and the certification conditions and rules have rules to follow. Although strict, Starbucks can guarantee to receive the best beans in Yunnan. At the scene, we also met Ka Nong Li Bing, who has long been certified as a long-term partner of Starbucks. This time he sent two tons of beans. Because the particle size exceeded the standard, the reward alone was 1200 yuan.

He said that passing the C.A.F.E.Practices certification is actually a bit complicated. Not only the quality of coffee beans is good, but also the production environment and employment environment are also important. Environmental protection should be up to the standard, the use of agrochemicals should be strict, and there must be vouchers for every entry and exit payment. But as long as you strictly abide by each one, you can really grow good beans.

Starbucks adopts advanced "Kanban management"

At Starbucks'Pu'er factory, all acquired coffee beans will continue to be screened and shelled to become raw beans of Starbucks Yunnan, and they will be sent to Starbucks Zhenxuan Shanghai Roasters to complete the final baking process and turn them into complete commodities, thus turning them into a cup of mellow coffee in front of customers. Starbucks Yunnan has also completed its mission and ended this journey of Sinicization.

five

There are many things that only Starbucks can do.

A scientific sewage treatment plant aided by Starbucks in the local area

Do not break do not stand, this is every doer must go through the process, in coffee cultivation and acquisition of once extensive Pu'er, the arrival of Starbucks can be said to subvert too many outdated rules and traditional habits. While everyone praises the trend of coffee of foreign origin, Starbucks has spent more than five years to create a coffee product that belongs to China, helping Chinese coffee to move towards a broader stage. When you think about it, it seems that only Starbucks can do that.

In China's coffee market, no brand has such strong strength and foresight as Starbucks, which promotes the development of the whole industry. It not only provides products, but also popularizes consumption habits. At the same time, it also shoulders the mission of promoting coffee in China. For more than five years, Starbucks agronomists have taught a variety of professional knowledge to farmers, which has really benefited tens of thousands of farmers. It also makes a qualitative leap in the quality of Yunnan coffee.

I have been moved in Yunnan in the past few days. In fact, many people are doing ordinary and great work with their feet on the ground. They have no idea what it means for the overall environment to pay instinctively every day. But on the contrary, many contributions are made by groups with such personalities, and it is more praiseworthy if they are valuable without self-knowledge.

In one's life, we always have to find a balanced relationship. Those who are loyal will always be faithful, and those who are brave end up with bravery.

Brief introduction of several grinding degrees of Starbucks coffee beans