Brief (coffeeyo.com): New Zealanders are famously particular about their coffee, yet most of what they drink still comes from traditional origins such as Brazil and Colombia. Now another growing region is quietly drawing attention — Yunnan, in China — and its tea-like filter profile may be a surprisingly good match for the country’s beloved flat white.
China News Service, 15 September — New Zealanders take their coffee very seriously, though most of the coffee consumed locally comes from traditional growing regions such as Brazil and Colombia. Now another coffee-growing region is quietly attracting attention: Yunnan, China.
According to New Zealand’s RNZ website, over the past 20 years Yunnan has steadily built a reputation as an arabica-growing region. Recently Kelly Qu, co-founder of Auckland-based MQ Coffee, said a visit to a coffee farm in Yunnan changed the way she thinks about coffee.
Qu first came into contact with Yunnan’s coffee industry while travelling, and it was there that she learned about the whole process from picking and processing through to roasting.
Hubs Tong, head of the MQ Coffee Education Centre, says investment, research and strong domestic demand have thoroughly transformed China’s coffee industry.
“In the beginning the quality of arabica here was not high, but as more and more resources have been poured into it … the craft of producing high-quality coffee in the region is constantly expanding and improving,” he said.
Although China’s coffee output is growing rapidly, its coffee culture has developed along a different path from New Zealand’s. One of the biggest differences is the way the coffee is drunk.
Tong says that in China, specialty-coffee drinkers generally prefer pour-over or filter coffee to espresso.
Filter coffee is lighter and softer on the palate and brings out delicate notes such as citrus, florals and honey. He believes this preference fits closely with China’s long tea-drinking tradition, because filter coffee is “more like a tea-like drink”.
Tong also describes Yunnan coffee as rich in sweetness, full-bodied and layered with complexity.
Qu says New Zealand consumers are now beginning to see Yunnan coffee at some specialty roasters. “It performs well in milk-based drinks,” she adds, which may make it especially well suited to New Zealanders’ long-standing love of the flat white.
For New Zealand’s coffee lovers, the next surprisingly good cup may come from an origin they least expect. (End)
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