Editor’s note (coffeeyo.com): Pu’er has launched hands-on coffee-making experiences, where visitors no longer just drink coffee but make a cup themselves, advancing the integrated development of coffee culture and tourism.
Hidden in the mountains and wilds of southern Yunnan lies Pu’er.
a fertile ground for China’s specialty coffee.
On the terraced hillsides of Simao District,
coffee groves stretch out in unbroken waves;
the rich aroma of coffee
slowly brews amid these green hills.
From November each year through March or April of the next, more than 260,000 mu of coffee gardens welcome a lively harvest season, with ruby-like fresh cherries hanging heavy on the branches; and the “from seed to cup” immersive coffee experience tour is slowly gaining popularity, becoming a must-try wilderness pastime for visitors to Pu’er.
Coffee trees begin to bear fruit each July, the fruit slowly turning from green to red. By around mid-November, the full, red cherries can be picked in succession, and the entire harvesting season runs from winter straight through to the following spring.
The red cherries do not all ripen at once. To lock in the best flavor, a single harvesting season requires three or four rounds of picking, selecting only the fully ripened red fruit; the fresh-fruit ripening period generally runs from October to February each year, and November is precisely the time when the hills are full of red cherries.
Wind sweeps across the coffee hills and forests, fruit fragrance drifting in the air. Basket after basket of brilliant red cherries is carefully picked, beginning a wondrous journey from the wild mountains to the aroma in the cup.
In the estate, make a cup by hand
In Pu’er’s coffee estates, coffee is more than a cup served at the table. In the cool of the morning among the coffee trees, you can pick the full red cherries by hand, strip away the pulp, wash off the pectin, and through sun-drying and roasting watch the once green fruit transform into fragrant coffee beans; then grind, dose and pour by hand, watching the hot water slowly seep through the grounds as the rich aroma gently rises, waiting for a personal hand-brew to take shape.
To feel the coffee journey immersively, do not miss these two estates.
· Xiao Aozi Coffee Estate
Situated in Nandaohe Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, about 17 km from the central urban area. Founded in 1997, it has long since transformed from its original single-purpose plantation into a provincial-level specialty coffee estate. With a specialty coffee experience hall, a coffee roasting classroom and a research center all in place, here you can experience the entire “from seed to cup” process of coffee.
· Aini Estate
Tucked in a rainforest valley in Yixiang Town, Simao District, it is a 3A-level scenic area covering more than 30,000 mu. With rainforest coffee gardens paired with an alpine ecological pasture, it grows dozens of coffee varieties including Geisha; stepping into the park, you are met with endless rainforest green. Here you can begin an immersive experience, from a single fresh coffee cherry all the way to roasting and brewing a personal hand-brew.
In Pu’er
the most romantic way to open the day
is tea in the morning, coffee in the afternoon.
A day in Pu’er
begins with a cup of Pu’er tea,
and ends with a cup of specialty coffee.
Two crops,
brewing two different moods.
At dawn, head for the mountains and wilds;
keep a tryst with the sea of clouds, warming a pot of Pu’er tea;
in the afternoon, slip into a coffee estate hidden among the hills,
grinding and brewing a cup by hand.
This is Pu’er’s own tea-and-coffee day.
· Travel tips
Most coffee estates are distributed around the Simao urban area, so self-driving is the most convenient way to get around. After landing at Pu’er Simao Airport by flight, you can first rest and resupply in the Simao urban area, then drive on to the various coffee estates to begin your roaming.
By Tian Zhenjie, correspondent of Wenlv Toutiao
Photos: Yunnan News Network, Pu’er Media, Simao Culture and Tourism, Zhenyuan Release, Jiangcheng Release, Nanping Information
Editor: Li Yuan
Reviewer: Yang Ao
Reprint Notice and Disclaimer
- This article is compiled and organized by coffeeyo.com, and reprinted from Wenlv Toutiao, “Don’t Just Drink Coffee — Come to Pu’er and Make a Cup by Hand.” The copyright of the original text belongs to Wenlv Toutiao and the original author. This site reprints it solely for information sharing within the coffee industry and does not represent our position; all data and views are subject to the original. We thank the original author for their creation and sharing.
- Original article: Wenlv Toutiao, “Don’t Just Drink Coffee — Come to Pu’er and Make a Cup by Hand”
- If you have any questions regarding content authorization, attribution, copyright, or other matters, please contact us promptly and we will verify and cooperate in handling them as soon as possible. We also welcome coffee enterprises and industry media to exchange and contribute content with us.
- Contact coffeeyo.com: Tel 400-0000-641 (+86-18288016826) Email 405854472@qq.com Address: Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province
Related Reading
Three Decades of Shanghai-Yunnan Collaboration: A Coffee Bean ‘Ferments’ at the Import Expo
Why Yongde’s Coffee Beans Won Gold in Shanghai – A Taste of ‘Life in Yunnan: 365 Days’- Yunling Commentary: Yunnan Coffee Turnaround Hinges on Autonomous Pricing
A ‘Travel Pack’ Reveals Another Possibility for Pu’er Baristas- Bean in Short Supply: A Taiwan Youth on Yunnan Coffee as a Shared Cross-Strait Stage
- Five Years, Eight Championships: Lincang Coffee Joins the World Stage
Liaoning ICP Security No. 21122402000217