Chinese Coffee: The Next Big Thing?

Do you like to be on the cutting edge of the coffee industry? Then keep reading because we’re here to declare that specialty Chinese is poised to be the next big thing. Beans from the region of Yunnan are making waves, thanks to sweet, fruity flavors and a unique creamy mouthfeel.

In this article, we have everything you need to know about China’s emerging specialty coffee market, including four great coffees for you to try. Each is entirely different and amazing in its own way. Act now to stay ahead of the curve!

The 4 Best Coffees from China in 2024

In recent years, Chinese coffee has improved dramatically. To the point where some of it deserves to join this list of world’s finest beans. Yes, on our list of the best in the world. 

image	product	details
Best Overall Best Overall	China-Yunnan Coffee	Dark chocolate, blood orange Espresso, Pour Over Whole bean	CHECK PRICE
Best Dark Roast Best Dark Roast	Rabbit Hole Foret Noir	Roasted Marshmallow, Chocolate, Black Cherry Drip Coffee, French Press, Espresso, Moka Pot Ground and whole bean	CHECK PRICE
Best Medium Roast Best Medium Roast	La Colombe Chase the Sun Bundle	Lemonade, Cherry Cola, Caramel Espresso, Pour Over, French Press, Drip Coffee Ground and whole bean	CHECK PRICE

Here are four great options for you to try. With different roast levels, each has its own unique character. But you can count on sweet fruit flavors and a rich body in all cases.

Best Overall

1. China-Yunnan Coffee

• Tasting notes: Dark chocolate, blood orange

• Best for: Espresso, Pour Over
• Whole bean

SEE ON AMAZON

Based in Hoover, AL, Baba Java Coffee is raising the standard of excellence when it comes to specialty coffee blends and single-origins. Their Chinese medium roast coffee is one of their nine single-origins. The beans were grown in the fertile highlands of China’s Yunnan Province. This place used to be a key part of the Southern Silk Road trading network. A cup made from these beans is known for being rich and complex.

Do you prefer less sweetness and greater tartness? We got you! You’ll love the delicious combination of dark chocolate and blood orange notes. Expect a balanced bitterness from the dark chocolate with hints of sweetness and tanginess from the fresh blood orange.

These responsibly sourced Chinese coffee beans come in 12 oz or 2 lb recyclable containers. It is excellent when brewed as an espresso for lavish lattes. Or you can use any pour over method, like a Chemex or V60. To get more fruitiness, we recommend it as a cold brew for a hot day.

Best Dark Roast

2. Rabbit Hole Foret Noir

• Tasting notes: Roasted Marshmallow, Chocolate, Black Cherry

• Best for: Drip Coffee, French Press, Espresso, Moka Pot
• Ground and whole bean

SEE ON RABBIT HOLE ROASTERS

Our favorite Chinese dark roast is another option from Rabbit Hole Roasters, which is no surprise as they are certainly at the forefront of Chinese specialty coffee. This one also comes from Yunnan, but the slightly higher elevation Menglian region of the province.

Again, this coffee is of the Catimor varietal. But the different growing conditions, much darker roast, and washed processing give it a different set of flavors. It is a much richer and more full-bodied coffee with toasted marshmallow, chocolate, and black cherry.

Many roasters don’t pay enough attention to their dark roasts, letting them develop bitter or muddied flavors. But that is definitely not the case here. Rabbit Hole treats these beans with the same respect afforded their light roasts. They’re aided by the inherent sweetness of the Yunnan beans, which is enhanced rather than masked by the longer roasting time.

Best Medium Roast

3. La Colombe Chase the Sun Bundle

• Tasting notes: Lemonade, Cherry Cola, Caramel

• Best for: Espresso, Pour-Over, French Press, Drip Coffee
• Ground and whole bean

SEE ON LA COLOMBE

The fact that a leading coffee roaster La Colombe with long-term trade agreements now has Chinese specialty beans on offer is a sign that the growing region is hitting the big time. 

Let us all admit it: Chase the Sun Bundle package is so cool that we would buy it without even tasting coffee. Not only will the Chase the Sun Bundle package blow our minds with Jake Foreman’s design, but it will also thrill us with its irresistible coffee flavor. No more boring coffee package colors, no more boring flavors. Foreman used turquoise, pink, and green colors that evoke summer feelings and tempt you to make another cup of this delicious coffee.

Treat yourself to the ultimate summer coffee indulgence with the La Colombe Chase the Sun Bundle. This summer blend captures the essence of long days and exhilarating nights, making it the perfect choice for coffee connoisseurs seeking exciting flavors and thrilling adventures.

Yet the best part is that coffee has a refreshing and exciting zest of lemonade, cherry cola allure, and indulgent caramel sweetness. Each cup is a sensory journey that promises endless summer possibilities. What’s more, La Colombe prides itself on ethical and sustainable practices.

How to Choose the Best China Coffee

The coffee industry is expanding at a crazy rate in China, both domestic consumption and production. This buyer’s guide has all you need to understand both aspects. With this well-rounded picture of the Chinese coffee market, you’re perfectly poised to purchase the best Chinese coffee beans.

Coffee in China

China isn’t just an emerging coffee grower; it’s also an emerging coffee consumer. Until recently, China had one of the lowest coffee consumption rates on Earth. It was averaging just one cup per person each year! But that is starting to change, and it’s changing fast. Rates are growing at 30% a year, compared with the global average of 2%. With China’s population of well over a billion people, that means a lot of coffee consumption and a lot of potential for big business.

Up until 2012, people in China consumed only instant coffee. But that too is now changing. Citizens are increasingly opting for higher-quality ground coffee, either prepared at home or enjoyed at coffee shops. 

What pushed the wagon?

Large international chains saw the potential and are quickly jumped on board. Second-wave coffee companies like Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and Chinese brand Luckin Coffee are all driving further changes and reaping huge profits as a result.

American brand Starbucks opened their first Chinese store in 1999 and now have over 5,000 outposts throughout China. UK-based Costa Coffee opened its first store in Shanghai in 2006, with huge plans for expansion. Though they currently have only about 400 cafes, as they had to close many. The reason for this is large competition from domestic brand Luckin Coffee. Luckin was founded in Beijing in 2017, less than five years ago. They began opening stores at an incredible pace, a rate of one every 15 hours (1)!

Luckin focuses on smaller stores, more advanced technology, and faster service — all designed to cater to the younger generation. They are also able to undercut Starbucks’ prices by 20%. There are currently about as many Luckin stores in China as Starbucks, though Luckin has considerably more ambitious goals for growth.

No matter which chain reigns supreme, it’s clear that the Chinese coffee market is open for business (2).

Growing Specialty Coffee in China

The second-wave coffee market in China is firmly established. The growth of international coffee shops like Starbucks, Luckin, and Costa Coffee speaks to that. But what about third-wave specialty coffee? Are Chinese coffee consumers drinking it, and are growers growing it?

If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance you’re more interested in these high-end crops. So you’ll be happy to hear that southern China is potentially one of the following great untapped growing regions.

China began growing coffee commercially in 1988, and the industry has been expanding precociously ever since. Coffee production in China grew by over 40% in the following two decades, and in 2016 China produced 140,000 tons of coffee, about 1.5% of the global supply. So far, not a lot of that is a specialty grade, but that sector is expanding rapidly as farmers gain experience and skills.

So, how did it start?

In just the last five years, organizations like the Specialty Coffee Association and the Coffee Quality Institute have been opening coffee schools and advising farmers on best practices for growing and processing in the interest of increasing the quality of China’s coffee market. For their part, farmers are keen students, enticed by the possibility of earning far more per pound for higher quality beans.

In the early days, Chinese producers used Yunnan coffee as a component in blends, a wise marketing decision in recruiting skeptics. But these days, as coffee from the region is really coming into its own, it is becoming a single-origin coffee brand. And the region already has some distinct flavor profiles for which it is becoming known. 

Some coffees are now consistently cupping at 85+, well over the 82 usually used as a standard for specialty coffee. And most importantly, according to Yunnan Coffee Traders co-founder Joshua Jagelman, farmers can produce these spectacular coffees reliably (3).

This is a sure sign of even bigger things to come in the future of China’s coffee market.

Growing Regions

The main growing regions in China are Yunnan, Fujian, and Hainan Island. But of the three, only Yunnan is growing high-end Arabica beans destined for specialty coffee lovers. It produces about 95% of the country’s coffee beans.

The most common varietal grown in Yunnan is Catimor, a hybrid of Timor and Caturra that includes a bit of Robusta in its genetic makeup. Thanks to the Robusta genes, Catimor is a high-yielding and hardy variety with, crucially, good resistance to leaf rust.

In many regions, Catimor is considered a lower-quality varietal, thanks to its Robusta heritage, but so far, that appears not to be the case in China. The unique growing conditions in the area yield Catimor beans that are every bit as delicious and high scoring as Arabica beans worldwide.

There are several different growing regions within Yunnan, all located in the southern half of the state. The most prominent of these is Pu’er Province, which yields about half the country’s total production.

Flavor Profiles

As I already mentioned, the vast majority of coffee grown in Yunnan is the Catimor varietal. And it grows a particularly impressive version of Catimor. 

In general, these Chinese coffees tend to be very fruit-forward in their flavor profiles. They have notes of pomegranate, pear, pineapple, and quince in the lighter roasts and darker red fruit like black cherries in the darker roasts. They generally tend to be more sweet than acidic, with notes of honey and brown sugar. 

The beans are relatively mild in flavor, which makes them valuable additions to blends and delicious single origins. Yunnan coffees are also renowned for their unusually creamy mouthfeel, even the lighter roasts, with tasters frequently noting “strawberries and cream” as a tasting note. How delicious does that sound?

Processing methods vary in China, as you can see from our top picks above, including a natural and a washed coffee. Honey processing is used in the country as well. Washed coffees from the region tend to have very clean flavors, with a mild sweetness, whereas the naturals have a more pronounced syrupy sweetness. Both are delicious in their own right.

The Verdict

So far, only a few roasters are taking advantage of the latest crops of specialty beans, but they’re delivering some incredible coffees.

Our favorite coffee this year is the Chinna Yunan, with its balanced bitterness and hints of sweetness and tanginess from the fresh blood orange. We expect only to see bigger and better things from the region soon.

SEE ON AMAZON