Guangxi Coffee Explained: China’s Emerging High-Altitude Coffee Origin Beyond Yunnan

 Not long ago, while scrolling through Weibo, I came across a post saying that Guangxi has started growing its own coffee. That immediately caught my attention and genuinely surprised me. Curious, I decided to dig deeper and share what I found with you.

From a coffee perspective, China is actually a rather unique country. It has a complete coffee supply chain—from cultivation and roasting to distribution and consumption. China is both a coffee-producing nation and a coffee-consuming one. When people talk about Chinese coffee, Yunnan naturally comes to mind as the most well-known producing region. Over the past few years, we’ve all witnessed the remarkable transformation of Yunnan coffee. It has moved from being primarily bulk-purchased for instant coffee to embracing a mature specialty coffee path. Today, even traditionally processed Yunnan Catimor can offer a clean and pleasant cup profile, and varieties like Yunnan Geisha have also emerged, bringing greater diversity. These achievements truly feel like a point of pride.

But China’s vast territory means that Yunnan isn’t the only place where coffee can grow. As early as last year, I talked about Tibetan coffee, the only coffee variety that originated in China. It is mainly found in Motuo County, Tibet, and is known for its exceptional cold resistance. Unlike Arabica, Robusta, or Liberica, Tibetan coffee does not belong to any of the three major coffee species—it is a completely independent variety. Within China, it can only be found in Motuo, while outside the country it also grows in parts of northeastern India. The reason Tibetan coffee rarely comes up in discussions is that it is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, which has greatly limited its cultivation and visibility.

So aside from Yunnan, where else in China can coffee be grown at a commercially viable scale? The answer is Guangxi.

Coffee cultivation in western Guangxi—specifically in Xilin County—is no coincidence. Multiple factors have come together to make it possible. Today, you can already find Guangxi-grown coffee beans being sold online, most of them sourced from the Xilin area. This region benefits from a microclimate and soil conditions similar to those found in the world’s major coffee-growing belt.

Coffee is a tropical crop with strict environmental requirements and is typically grown within the “Coffee Belt” between 25° north and south latitude. Although Guangxi as a whole sits at a relatively higher latitude (approximately 20°54′–26°24′ N), certain areas still meet the conditions needed for coffee cultivation. Coffee trees grow best at temperatures between 15–24°C. Xilin County, located at the westernmost edge of Guangxi and bordering Yunnan and Guizhou, lies close to China’s core coffee-producing region. It has a subtropical monsoon climate, but thanks to its higher elevation, it also shares characteristics of plateau and mountainous terrain. The average annual temperature is around 19°C, making the climate mild and stable.

Most of Xilin County is mountainous, with an average elevation of about 1,300 meters—well within the “golden elevation range” for high-quality Arabica coffee.

Another crucial factor is rainfall. Coffee requires ample water, and Guangxi is known for its abundant precipitation, more than enough to support coffee growth. Combined with the region’s high-altitude slopes, this creates a microclimate with significant day-night temperature differences. Such conditions help coffee cherries accumulate more sugars and flavor compounds, ultimately improving bean quality. Soil also plays a key role. Coffee thrives in fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. This is why many premium coffee regions are located on volcanic soil. While much of Guangxi consists of acidic red soil, it can be effectively improved, making it well suited for coffee cultivation.

Xilin also benefits greatly from its proximity to Yunnan. The two regions share similar latitudes and enjoy the climatic advantages brought by higher elevations. In addition, Xilin can readily learn from Yunnan’s mature experience in variety selection, farm management, and processing techniques, avoiding many unnecessary detours. Industrial development in Xilin has been limited, and the ecological environment remains well preserved, with high forest coverage. This allows coffee trees to grow in a clean, natural setting, aligning perfectly with modern consumers’ demand for green and organic agricultural products.

At present, the main variety grown in Xilin is Catimor, which is also the only commercially available Guangxi coffee I’ve seen online so far. Catimor is a dominant variety in Yunnan as well, valued for its strong disease resistance, stable yields, and reliable flavor performance—making it an ideal choice for an emerging origin. That said, there are still relatively few sellers offering Guangxi coffee, and it’s clear that the region is still in the early stages of flavor exploration. Currently, the profile tends to feature nutty and cocoa-like notes, with medium body and a smooth mouthfeel—very much an everyday, approachable coffee. Still, given its geographical advantages, Guangxi clearly holds the potential to develop more complex, specialty-grade flavor profiles in the future.