Although China is historically known as a tea-producing country, coffee has been cultivated there for over a century. French missionaries first introduced coffee to China in the 1800s, specifically in Yunnan province. However, it was not until the country began opening to international trade in the 1970s that coffee production started to gain real momentum in a region traditionally dominated by tea.
Today, most Chinese coffee is grown in Yunnan province in southwestern China. Yunnan offers favorable conditions not only for pu’erh tea but also for the cultivation of Arabica coffee, thanks to its suitable climate and soils. Common varieties include Catimor, Caturra, and Typica, while some Robusta is also produced in the southernmost region of Hainan.
This washed Catimor lot was produced by smallholder farmers in the Simao District of Pu’er. During harvest season, ripe coffee cherries are hand-picked and then undergo washed processing, like most coffee in Yunnan. The majority of producers operate their own wet mills, where coffee is sorted, fermented, washed, before being drying.
Although China is still new in the global coffee market, specialty production shows strong potential. This Grade 1 Simao lot, for example, offers a clean, smooth cup with intense sweet notes of chocolate chips. It would be a great component for a chocolatey espresso or a blend.
