FRIENDSHIP AND FORTUNE - China

Fully ripened Pacamara cherries were handpicked at Yunlan Estate between February and May 2025 at 1,750 metres in Yunnan’s Menghai County, then washed, gently fermented for 48–72 hours, and sun-dried on raised beds for 15–30 days to preserve the estate’s distinctive terroir, expressing notes of grapefruit, red plum and black tea. Founded in 1999 by Shanghai native Mr Hongjun Zhang during the third wave coffee movement, Yunlan Estate was built on a belief in elevating Yunnan coffee through scientific cultivation and improved processing while honouring traditional methods such as washed, sun-dried and honey processes. After a devastating fire in 2014 destroyed 15 years of work, Mr Zhang rebuilt the estate in 2015, replanting more than 20 rare varieties and later beginning Yunnan Geisha production in 2017; today, Yunlan continues its mission to showcase the soul, landscape and evolving potential of Yunnan coffee.