As the climate changes, Asian coffees and China in particular will likely play a key role in specialty coffee's future. This is our fourth season purchasing coffee from China, and we're thrilled to bring back this one from Banka! Previously always in our 'brown', mostly chocolatey category, this year Banka is extra tasty – so we're now launching it in our fruity 'blue' category, with sweet, lush notes of cherry juice, brown sugar, and papaya.
We think this improvement is a testament to the great work of the Banka farmers and the relationship that our friends at Indochina Importers have built with them.
This coffee comes from the Banka farm and nearby villages. Banka was developed by Mr. Hu, a Yunnan native who has been producing coffee in Menglian county for almost 20 years. He was one of the first farmers to engage in large-scale coffee production in the area, and he employs hundreds of harvesters from various ethnic groups across his farms each year.
In 2018, Yunnan Coffee Traders took over the Banka wet mill and a portion of the Banka farm (about 100 hectares of land). They installed one of the region’s first optical sorters and have been experimenting with processing methods such as yeast fermentation and new varieties such as Pacamara and Yellow Bourbon. This Catimor variety is hand-harvested, put through an optical sorter to select only the ripest cherries, fermented in a tank for about two days, then dried on raised beds.
YCT has three important goals: to create opportunities for Yunnan farmers to engage in sustainable production practices; to use industry best-practices for sourcing, processing, wholesaling, and exporting coffees; and to supply coffee to importers and roasters who care about sustainability, traceability, and transparency.
Elevation: 1350
Varietal: Catimor
Cup score: 87
Price paid per kg: £13.50
Process: Optical colour sorted, naturally processed, patio dried
