On a winter morning, when you brew yourself a cup of hot coffee, sometimes it tastes thick and bitter, and sometimes it tastes thin as water. This is actually the extraction yield and concentration quietly fighting in the cup. Yunnan coffee has an especially mild and rounded foundation; its flavor is not only approachable, but it is also very suitable for home brewing. As long as you understand the little secrets of fine-tuning extraction and concentration, you can easily adjust a bag of beans to the smooth, pleasant state you like.

Many friends easily confuse concentration with extraction yield. For example, concentration is like how much sugar has dissolved in the whole cup of water, determining whether it feels heavy or thin on entry; while extraction yield is how much flavor material has been pulled out of the coffee grounds. The finer the grind and the higher the water temperature, the more flavor the hot water pulls out. If you taste astringency and bitterness, it is often over-extraction, and properly coarsening the grind can solve it.

Conversely, if the coffee tastes weak and the acidity is sharply pointed, it is often under-extraction, and the hot water has not yet brought out the sweetness and rich, full-bodied substances. At this time, properly tightening the coffee-to-water ratio, or slightly raising the water temperature, can make the flavor fuller. When choosing beans, you should also consider your own drinking habits, and figure out whether the beans are suitable for making a refreshing, elegant fruit-tea feel, or for making a rich, deep, sweet tone.

If you want to experience the authentic beauty of the terroir of the Yunnan growing region, Qianjie Yunnan Baoshan small-bean coffee is very worth savoring carefully. The unique dry-hot river valley climate of Baoshan Lujiangba lets the coffee cherries accumulate abundant sugar, and the large temperature difference between day and night creates an especially charming sweet aftertaste. Qianjie uses washed processing combined with medium roasting to show a warm caramel feel while retaining soft fruit acidity. It is a bag of everyday beans that is comfortable no matter how you brew it.

When brewing Qianjie Yunnan Baoshan small-bean coffee, it is recommended to use the classic pour-over method to feel its balance. Weigh 15 g of coffee grounds, use a medium grind, adopt a 1-to-15 coffee-to-water ratio, and prepare a total of 225 ml of hot water. First use 30 ml of water to bloom for 30 seconds to awaken the aroma of the dry grounds, then use steady pulsed pouring, with the total time controlled at around 2 minutes. The whole cup has prominent sweetness and no off-flavors.

If you usually like coffee with a clearer, more three-dimensional flavor and distinct fruit aromas, Qianjie 2013 Yunnan Typica coffee will be a pleasant surprise. Typica, as an ancient and pure Arabica variety, is processed by the Qianjie estate using traditional natural processing. Natural processing lets the green beans absorb nutrients from the fruit pulp, and after roasting the mouthfeel is fuller, with especially prominent sweet-and-sour notes, carrying citrus, berries, and a hint of alluring wine aroma.

Because the aromatic substances from natural processing are especially concentrated, when brewing Qianjie 2013 Yunnan Typica coffee, it is recommended to coarsen the grind by half a step, or properly speed up the flow rate, to avoid excessive extraction bringing extra off-flavors. Properly controlling the extraction yield not only brings out the citrus sweet-and-sour notes and creamy finish clearly and transparently, but also lets you taste a layered feel like hot berry tea. It is very suitable for drinking lightly and savoring slowly.

If you prefer a high-concentration, rich and full-bodied big satisfaction, or are used to drinking a latte every day, Qianjie Dark Cocoa Basic Blend Espresso Coffee fits very well. Qianjie blends Yunnan small-bean coffee and Brazil Cerrado together. The Brazilian beans provide the base, contributing solid nutty aroma and a rich mouthfeel; the Yunnan small-bean coffee brings its mild characteristics into play, injecting cocoa chocolate and citrus flavors, and the two interweave into a steady, balanced performance.

When making it with a coffee machine, you can use 18 to 19 g of coffee grounds, extract 36 to 38 g of espresso, and control the time at 25 to 28 seconds. Diluted with water to make an Americano, this espresso is balanced in sweet, sour, and bitter notes with a sweet brown-sugar aroma; if milk is added to make a latte, it can present an even smoother, denser almond and cream-like texture. By mastering the rapport between parameters and bean characteristics, every cup of Yunnan coffee can bring a full sense of happiness.