This coffee comes from Yunlan Estate, established by Mr Hongun Zhang in 1999. Situated in a lush rainforest valley in Menghai County, Yunnan, the estate sits at 1,750 MASL and grows a range of coffee varieties, including this Villa Sarchi. Yunlan focuses on traditional processing methods, with this lot prepared using the natural process. Expect a boozy, full-bodied cup, with notes of cherry wine and purple plum, underpinned by hazelnut dark chocolate.
In 2014, a major fire devastated Yunlan Estate. The following year, Mr Zhang made the decision to rebuild. He visited several plant research institutes before gradually replanting the estate with more than 20 coffee varieties, including Villa Sarchi, a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. A decade on, the estate is thriving, with a growing reputation for its carefully cultivated and meticulously processed coffees.
Following harvest, the cherries are carefully sorted and floated to remove unripe, damaged and low-density fruit. They are then spread evenly across raised drying beds, where they dry whole. Throughout the drying period, the cherries are turned regularly to encourage even airflow and consistent drying, while being protected from rain and overnight moisture. After approximately 18–30 days, once they reach a moisture content of around 11–12%, the dried cherries are hulled, cleaned and graded.
We purchased this lot through YD Selects, a green coffee trading company founded in 2024 by Yufan Wu and Jeremy Shen, with a focus on supporting Yunnan farmers to produce and export high-quality coffee. This is our second year working together. Harvested and processed between January and March 2026, the coffee arrived in the UK in September 2026.
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