# Beans from China



## DanB (Aug 28, 2018)

A first for me- Ou Yang Chinese beans from Square Mile. I didn't know China produced any, let alone high end coffee.

I ran out of my usual beans at work so walked to my nearest decent coffee shop and bought a 350g bag for £14. Roasted on 5.11.18.

Used 20g in my aeropress brewed for 3mins. Absolutely fantastic. Juicy fruits and very well balanced acidity. Not sure I quite got the promised Lychee and strawberry jam notes but that says more about me I suppose.


----------



## DanB (Aug 28, 2018)




----------



## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Yum Yum! Started mine yesterday - lovely today, a different flowery/fruit taste with quite a thick body


----------



## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

MildredM said:


> Yum Yum! Started mine yesterday - lovely today, a different flowery/fruit taste with quite a thick body


How many biscuits from my childhood does that tablecloth have?


----------



## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

ashcroc said:


> How many biscuits from my childhood does that tablecloth have?


A few to go yet!!


----------



## DanB (Aug 28, 2018)

MildredM said:


> Yum Yum! Started mine yesterday - lovely today, a different flowery/fruit taste with quite a thick body


Ah! You've inspired me to bring it home for espresso tomorrow morning. Although with my La Pav and mediocre mastery of said contraption I'm predicting some sourness!


----------



## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Try long and slow, it worked for me today. Mine was 15.2g/34g in 46s on my second go. I had to check what the taste was because all I knew was it was 'different'!


----------



## DanB (Aug 28, 2018)

Will try that thanks


----------



## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Funny how coffee from China has Lychee taste notes in it....


----------



## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

DavecUK said:


> Funny how coffee from China has Lychee taste notes in it....


Do lychees come from China? I thought they came from a can.....


----------



## DanB (Aug 28, 2018)

MildredM said:


> Do lychees come from China? I thought they came from a can.....


Everyone knows that they are laid by pandas


----------



## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

MildredM said:


> Do lychees come from China? I thought they came from a can.....


Oddly enough, they do actually come from China......


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

DavecUK said:


> Funny how coffee from China has Lychee taste notes in it....


That was the very first thing that went through my head when I saw this! Lychee has a very distinctive perfumed taste, which I might be surprised to find in coffee. Then again I was surprised to find bergamot in coffee until I tried a bag of "The Earl's Mistress" from Dept Coffee & Social Affairs. There was no mistaking it.

I couldn't help but wonder whether this coffee might be sweet if extracted perfectly, sour if underextracted, or both most of the time!

___

Eat, drink and be merry


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

DanB said:


> Everyone knows that they are laid by pandas


Oh no, please don't let panda poo coffee become a thing! Poor things are under threat already, and the civets haven't forgiven us yet... 

___

Eat, drink and be merry


----------



## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

hotmetal said:


> That was the very first thing that went through my head when I saw this! Lychee has a very distinctive perfumed taste, which I might be surprised to find in coffee. Then again I was surprised to find bergamot in coffee until I tried a bag of "The Earl's Mistress" from Dept Coffee & Social Affairs. There was no mistaking it.
> 
> I couldn't help but wonder whether this coffee might be sweet if extracted perfectly, sour if underextracted, or both most of the time!
> 
> ...


The coffees from this area must vary quite a bit because this roasters version tastes entirely different.

https://www.forewordcoffee.com/product-page/yunnan-ouyang


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Sounds pretty good actually! I smiled at the bit where it says it pairs well with bergamot and therefore is a good choice for people who don't like coffee!

May have to try some at some point just to educate myself. Might also make a good cold brew.

___

Eat, drink and be merry


----------



## Batian (Oct 23, 2017)

MildredM said:


> Do lychees come from China? I thought they came from a can.....


They do indeed come from a Can(and weigh a)ton.

Canton being the old name of Guangzhou.

Ps I had to Google the last bit.


----------



## TimO (Nov 2, 2018)

Good coffee and wine consumption in China has grown staggeringly fast during the last decade, the chains like Starbucks were in like a shot, but the Chinese being the Chinese didn't take long to realise they could not only copy them, but outsmart them too.

Some really superb independents over there now, in fact I had my first ever pour over at a small roastery in Hong Kong and its now spread to the mainland.

They catch on quick over there.


----------



## Batian (Oct 23, 2017)

From reading the Kenyan press, the Chinese are also negotiating to buy direct from some prime Kenyan growers in the Embu area.

Ditto the Arabian states as (because they are bombing?) they cannot get their favourite Yemeni coffee.

It may be good news for farmers, watch the price rises in Europe?


----------



## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

Just picked up some Banka Menglian Honey Chinese beans from Small Batch as the roastery is local to the office. Be interesting to see what they're like after a few days rest.


----------



## Batian (Oct 23, 2017)

DavecUK said:


> The coffees from this area must vary quite a bit because this roasters version tastes entirely different.
> 
> https://www.forewordcoffee.com/product-page/yunnan-ouyang


And here is another description from the UK importer:



Variety: *Catimor*Process: *Natural*Cupping notes: *Cherry, jackfruit, blueberry, strawberry, wine*
​
I wonder if the roasting and brewing accounts for differences in description?

Or is it just marketing puff?


----------



## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

I've been drinking my Chinese beans for the past couple of days - mainly espresso but a few with milk & to be honest if I didn't know they were from China I'd never have guessed. I'd have picked South America as I'm picking up choc/caramel notes with a sweet aftertaste (and I'm not great at detecting flavours).

Would I buy these again - yes. Would I rush to buy them just because they're from China - probably not.

Good bean though and I recommend trying them and it'll be interesting to see what else comes out from that part of the world.


----------



## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

jacko112.

Well, they haven't claimed to have invented the chinese takeaway yet....


----------

