Description
Been a long time since we found some awesome Chinese coffees. Here in the USA, its easy to think of tea from China but few have had their coffee. On the rare side even though they have been growing it for 100+ years! Mostly purchased by domestic and closer markets, with only a recent emphasis on specialty offerings. An origin you should not overlook on your drinking journey around the globe & through your roaster.
We recently befriended Torch Coffee Labs, who is about as connected to Chinese coffee as you can get. They run education and coffee certification labs throughout Asia and have recently begun putting together specialty regional chops in China which we are proud to slap on our list. Some very tasty and unique coffees, this Lao Xu Zhai Natural is a wild and super different coffee, natural fans only on this one. Strong fermentation and fruity factor. Very reminiscent of wine and/or rum with underlying coffee tones.
Tasting Notes: Best at a light to medium roast. This is a very showy, bright and fruit forward coffee that is just slightly milder than the natural processed. Light roast themselves have a crisp lemony brightness that quickly fades into sweet and winy fruit notes (somewhere between red fruit & blueberry), balancing with a little hint of the spiced chocolate darker tones seen across the board on the Yunnan coffees. A bit sharp but very sweet and fruity. Turns a bit oaky/boozy as the cup cools. Medium roasts build good body and mouthfeel, muting most of the citric tones but not the fruitiness, it cuts right through the more noticeable chocolate and spice tones. Darker roasts are not highly recommended, gets a bit roasty, sweet, with strong spice tones but leaves the cup a bit swampy tasting with the comingled fruit tones.
Roasting Notes: An easier to roast coffee even though it has high chaff levels. Beautiful prep for a red honey processed and very even roasting. Usually with coffees this fruity/wild they roast super uneven, making roasting a bit difficult, but not the case here. One can tell the care that went into this lot just by their excellent screening process. A longer setup will smooth out the cup increase the depth of flavor, but mute up some of the strong winy factor. A fun one to start drinking 12 hours after roasting, but save some for 3-7 days to see the difference.
This selection’s name, “YHK” (Yunnan Honey King), is a bit of an inside joke, poking fun at the notion of a king ruling bee hives, which are actually run by a queen. A decade ago, Torch founder Marty Pollock became fascinated with the honey (or pulped natural) process in Yunnan. This sparked ten years of collaboration and mutual learning, resulting in more than 500 tons of red honey coffee and the creation of this unique blend. The whimsical title for Marty humorously highlights the sometimes pompous nature of the specialty coffee industry. YHK, with its extreme deliciousness, has the potential to transform your perspective on Yunnan coffee and serves as a poignant reminder that true coffee royalty begins and ends with the farmers.
Origin: Manxieba Village, Pu’er, Yunnan
Elevation: 1100-1400 meters
Processing: Honey
Varietal: Catimor
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