Description of Flavor of small-grain Coffee from Tiepika in Yunnan Province of China

The western and southern parts of Yunnan Province are located between 15 °N and the Tropic of Cancer, and most areas are 1000-2000 meters above sea level. The topography is dominated by mountains and slopes, with large ups and downs, fertile soil, sufficient sunshine, rich rainfall and large temperature difference between day and night. These unique natural conditions form the particularity of Yunnan small grain coffee taste-strong but not bitter, fragrant but not strong, slightly fruity. As early as the 1950s, Yunnan small seed coffee was very popular in the international coffee market and was rated as the top grade of coffee.

The history of coffee cultivation in Yunnan can be traced back to 1892. A French missionary brought coffee to Yunnan from abroad and successfully planted it in a valley in Binchuan County, Yunnan Province. The coffee plants of this batch of coffee seeds are still blooming and bearing fruit in Binchuan County.

Yunnan coffee was planted on a large scale in the mid-1950s, with a planting scale of 4000 hectares at one time. By the end of 1997, the planting area of coffee in the province had reached 7800 hectares. At present, the planting area of the province accounts for 70% of the national area, and the output accounts for 83% of the whole country. Yunnan coffee has established the dominant position in China in terms of planting area and coffee bean production. Coffee cultivation in China is concentrated in Yunnan and Hainan provinces. Yunnan has a large output, with an annual output of about 26000 tons in recent years, accounting for 90 per cent of the national output. It is said that Yunnan coffee came from the French 70 or 80 years ago. The main variety is Arabica Arabica, that is, the so-called small seed coffee, commonly known as Yunnan small grain coffee. Yunnan's high-quality geographical and climatic conditions provide good conditions for coffee growth. The planting areas are Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong and other prefectures. The natural conditions of Yunnan are very similar to those of Colombia, that is, low latitude, high altitude and large temperature difference between day and night. The small grain coffee produced is mellow by cup quality analysis, and its quality and taste is similar to that of Colombian coffee.

However, due to a variety of reasons, the development of Yunnan coffee industry is not fast. Yunnan coffee is mainly exported as raw materials, with an export volume of about 15000 tons in 2006. More than 60% of raw materials are acquired by Nestl é and Maxwell each year, and Starbucks and Amway have joined in recent years.

Due to the lack of deep processing and marketing, Yunnan coffee is not well-known and unrecognized by people locked in the mountains. It is believed that with the in-depth development of Yunnan coffee industry, the rising demand of domestic coffee market and the efforts of the government and enterprises, Yunnan coffee will usher in a new period of development.