Yunnan Arabica Coffee Knowledge Sharing: How to Distinguish Tebica from Catim?

[introduction] are Itsuka and Katim small grains of coffee from Yunnan? What's the difference between these two kinds of beans? Today, let's meet ~

Yunnan small grain coffee

Yunnan small-grain coffee, Rubiaceae, coffee genus, the planting area is mainly distributed in Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong and other states. Small grains of coffee are native to Ethiopia or Arabian Peninsula.

Main producing area

Small-grain coffee is suitable for growing in the mountains at an altitude of 800 to 1800 meters. If the altitude is too high, it will taste sour, and if it is too low, it will taste bitter. Small grains of coffee are mostly planted in dry and hot valleys about 1100 meters above sea level, so they are moderately sour, rich and mellow. There is a unique environment suitable for the growth of small seed coffee in many areas of Yunnan, and the quality of small seed coffee is excellent.

The planting areas are mainly distributed in Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong and other states. The average temperature of Baoshan is 21.5℃, and the highest is 40.4℃, which is basically frost-free all the year round. It is recognized as the best producing area of small-grain coffee. The small-grain coffee cultivated here is famous at home and abroad for its strong but not bitter, fragrant but not strong, well-proportioned small noodles, mellow and fruity. International Coffee Organization tasting experts evaluate Yunnan coffee as the highest quality coffee in the world, such as Colombian wet-processed small-grain coffee.

Variety

Typica: the oldest native variety in Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. All Arabikas are derived from Tibika. The flavor is elegant, but the physique is weak, the disease resistance is poor, the fruit yield is less. Excellent manor beans such as the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, Manning of Sumatra and Kona of Hawaii all belong to Tibika. Tiebika top leaf is red copper, called red top coffee, Tibika belongs to Arabica.

Catimor: in 1959, the Portuguese mixed Brazilian Kaddura and Timo to develop a disease-resistant Katim / Katimo, which is now an important variety of commercial beans.

Growing period

Yunnan small grain coffee 3-year-old 4-year-old fruit tree.

Coffee is a short-day plant. Coffee has the characteristics of multiple flowering and concentrated florescence. The florescence of small seed coffee in Yunnan is from February to July, and the flowering period is from March to May. The flowering of coffee is greatly affected by climate, especially rainfall and temperature. Coffee flowers have a short life span of only 2-3 days. Small seed coffee usually opens at 3: 5 in the morning and blooms from 5 to 7 o'clock.

The development time of coffee fruit is longer. It takes 8 to 10 months for the fruit of small seed coffee to mature, usually from October to December of the year. Rainfall has a great influence on fruit development, and climatic conditions directly affect fruit development.

(Tibica tree)

The new leaves at the tips of the branches and leaves above are copper, which is Tiebika growing coffee trees. Tibica is an old variety of Arabica species. It is also known as Kona Hawaii and the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. In the vast expanse of Katim, it is easy to recognize. After careful observation, you will find that each species has its own appearance, Katim's leaves are hanging down, the tree shape seems to be wearing a cloak. Tiebika, on the other hand, has upward branches and new leaves on the top of the tree.

(Katim tree on the right)

Along the way, most of the varieties planted in Yunnan are Katim, which is a hybrid of Kaddura and Robusta, a branch of the bourbon line in the Arabica species. The reason for planting this variety is that Katim has the Robusta gene, so it is better than a single old variety in disease resistance, and the yield is better, and the yield is lower than that of the delicate old variety. Farmers naturally prefer to grow Katim, so now there has been a wave of Katim in Yunnan.

(Tiebika raw beans)

Katim beans are round and thick, Tibika is thin and long, and Katim's central line is messy. Under the same conditions, Tiebika's quality is better than Katim's, and the price is also on the high side.

(Katim raw beans)