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Qianjie Coffee: Yunnan Peaberry Coffee Beans

Origin: Baoshan, China

Elevation: 1200 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Catimor

Flavors: Nuts, melon and fruit, brown sugar, plum acidity

| Yunnan Baoshan Coffee Growing Region

Yunnan’s coffee cultivation spans nine prefectures and cities, including Pu’er, Baoshan, Dehong, Lincang, Wenshan, and Xishuangbanna, across 35 counties. The Yunnan coffee selection on Qianjie’s menu comes from the Baoshan and Lincang growing regions.

Coffee cultivation in Baoshan began in the mid-1930s, with the first coffee seedlings introduced from Southeast Asia by the late patriotic overseas Chinese Mr. Liang Jinshan. In 2010, Baoshan’s small-peaberry coffee was designated a National Geographical Indication Product by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Baoshan features a low-latitude mountainous subtropical monsoon climate. Due to its low-latitude plateau location and complex topography, it forms a three-dimensional climate where “one mountain has four seasons, and ten miles have different weather.” The annual temperature range is small, but daily fluctuations are large, with an average annual temperature of 14–17°C. Precipitation is abundant, with distinct wet and dry seasons but uneven distribution, averaging 700–2100 mm annually. The moderately low rainfall provides optimal conditions for coffee cherry development, contributing to Baoshan small-peaberry coffee’s distinctive sweet aftertaste.

| Small-Peaberry Coffee

Before the 1980s, the varieties widely planted in Yunnan were two ancient small-peaberry types: Typica and Bourbon. The so-called small-peaberry refers to smaller-sized Arabica varieties, compared to the medium-peaberry Robusta coffee beans grown in Hainan.

Typica offers diverse and rich flavors, showcasing various fruit acids and delicate textures, and is recognized as a high-quality variety. The world-renowned Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona coffees both belong to Typica. In appearance, Typica trees are tall, cold-resistant, but with low individual yields and weak resistance, making them highly susceptible to leaf rust, coffee berry disease, and nematode disease. This requires more labor-intensive management, and since the variety holds no significant price advantage in the market, many Yunnan coffee farmers have switched to higher-yielding alternatives.

In 1995, the Yunnan provincial government officially included Yunnan’s coffee cultivation in the “18 Project” for biological resources, greatly boosting farmers’ enthusiasm. Planting areas in villages rapidly expanded. That same year, the Heat and Sugar Crops Research Institute of the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences introduced a new, disease-resistant, high-yield coffee variety—Catimor—and began planting it in Xinzhai Village in the Nujiang Gorge of Yunnan.

Catimor 7963 is a hybrid variety developed by Portugal’s Tropical Research Institute (HCT) specifically to combat coffee leaf rust. It has stable characteristics. Visually, this variety features compact, short trees with multiple branches, short fruit nodes, vigorous growth, and strong vitality. Its most notable traits are its remarkable rust resistance and high yield. As a result, it has become highly favored by Yunnan coffee farmers, and over 90% of coffee trees in Yunnan are now Catimor. 。

Catimor is a cross between Arabica and Robusta. Robusta boasts strong resistance to leaf rust and high oil content, along with high yields and ease of cultivation. After crossing with Typica (an Arabica variety), Catimor inherited 25% of Robusta’s genes, gaining enhanced rust resistance and retained rich oils, while also partially inheriting Typica’s original complex flavors. As a result, most Yunnan estates now plant Catimor extensively. Qianjie finds that Catimor coffee grown in Yunnan offers flavors of nuts, brown sugar, and plums, but its overall cleanliness is not as superior as Typica.

｜ Washed Processing Method

From the fruit on a tree to the delicious coffee in our cups, the process involves harvesting, post-harvest processing, grading, purchasing, roasting, and brewing. Aside from the variety, the post-harvest processing method greatly influences the coffee’s flavor profile.

Steps of washed processing: The harvested coffee cherries are stripped of their skin and pulp using machines. The depulped beans are then placed in fermentation tanks to break down the mucilage layer through fermentation. The fermented beans are thoroughly washed with clean water to remove the ...