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The Root-seeking Journey of Yunnan Fine Coffee-- the Old Variety Iron pickup & the New Variety Katimo

When it comes to Yunnan boutique coffee, perhaps the most common word we hear is "Yunnan small grain coffee beans", and most of them will say "Yunnan small grain coffee-fragrant but not bitter, strong but not strong". Therefore, many people classify the varieties of Yunnan coffee as "small grain species". Naturally, the evaluation of the taste of Yunnan coffee is "fragrant but not bitter, strong but not strong". Regardless of whether it is correct or not, there is no word "small seed" among the more than 900 named coffee varieties at present, so this "small seed" is not strictly a coffee variety, it is just a nickname given to this variety by the people of Yunnan. In fact, the name of Yunnan "small grain coffee" should be called arabica--typica (Arabica-iron pickup). Or arabica--bourbon (Arabica-bourbon).

Tracing back to its roots, typica originated from Ethiopia, where the ancient coffee beans originated, and is the earliest original species of coffee. Bourbon is a variety of typica, both of which have rich aroma and excellent taste performance, and belong to very high quality varieties in Arabica. It is said that the coffee tree species that was first introduced into Zhukula in Yunnan is typica. When coffee was planted on a large scale in Baoshan area in the 1950s, it was also typica and bourbon. But the problem is that although these two varieties have excellent taste, they are not resistant to diseases and insect pests, are prone to leaf rust, and the yield per mu is relatively low, so corresponding to this, there are "new varieties".

The so-called new variety of coffee beans actually refers to catimor (Katimo), which is a hybrid of timor and Arabica of the Roberta family. Compared with the old varieties, it lacks rich aroma and taste, and has a relatively shallow smell of grass and soil, but it has the advantages of resistance to diseases and insect pests, easy management, large yield, and its yield per mu can reach up to 350kg raw beans, which is more than twice that of the old varieties.

So when Nestl é succeeded in promoting high-yield new varieties of coffee beans in Pu'er in the 1990s, brown farmers in Baoshan area also cut down old varieties and changed them to new ones. With a round of coffee expansion, new varieties are increasing and old varieties are decreasing day by day. Finally, today's situation: the old varieties have almost been cut down, and the little ones that survived are all "old, weak, sick and disabled." Most of the trees are more than 20 years old, out of control, and the yield and quality are much lower than before.

Of course, if it is used to make instant coffee or general commercial beans, high-yield catimor is a good choice, but if you want to look for Yunnan specialty coffee, then the old variety of iron pickup has become the first choice because of its congenital excellent genes. Therefore, this trip to Yunnan also followed the trail of the old varieties. But the reality of Yunnan boutique coffee is really cruel. Before going, Brother Zou told me that there was an old variety in his relative's house, but what he saw excitedly was a crazy growing coffee forest, which belonged to his aunt. Because the aunt was too old and did not have the strength to replant and renovate-- these old varieties survived, but the aunt was unable to manage it alone, so he let the tree grow naturally and pick some fruit when it was ripe.