Liquid plum!
Gui Ben originates from Shigaoqing and Gui Ben—a location long famous for its tea. Yet here we have coffee, and quite a remarkable one at that.
The farms are nestled in a wild part of Yunnan, east of Pu’er city and right along the border with Laos. The entire coffee operation is headed by Mr. Tian Cai, farm manager for Yunnan Coffee Traders (YCT), with daily management handled by his relative, Mr. Tang. It’s a family crew belonging to a small group of farmers in the Gui Ben region. The coffee cherries come both from their own crops and from neighboring smallholders. The cherries are laid out in a thin layer on raised beds for two to three days, after which they are raked and dried for another 25 days. Only then do they move on to further processing, grading, and preparation for shipment to European warehouses. We roasted this batch relatively light for espresso, which unlocked a long-lasting finish. While a distinct note classic to Asian coffees lingers in the background, for me, sweet yellow plum takes center stage.
