China coffee

20 China coffees from 13 independent UK roasters, from £3.95.

China is now a serious coffee origin, and its speciality scene is developing fast. Nearly all of it grows in the southwestern province of Yunnan, high on the same latitudes as Myanmar and Laos. Early Chinese coffee was commodity-grade, but a wave of investment in altitude, varieties and processing has produced increasingly clean, sweet washed lots — caramel, nutty chocolate, soft citrus — plus more adventurous naturals and experimental fermentations. Volumes reaching the UK are still small, so Yunnan coffee usually appears as a curiosity or limited release. For drinkers who like tracking an origin on the rise, it is a chance to taste where Chinese speciality coffee is heading before it becomes mainstream.