Pu’er Coffee

 “Coffee Tasting Banquet” is a kind of tasting experience created for coffee enthusiasts. For coffee shops, this format allows them to test market reactions and collect customer feedback through a sharing-based event. The concept itself provides an excellent setting for both tasting and discussion. At this particular event, they brought six outstanding beans from different origins. Taking advantage of this tasting session, I’d like to share some thoughts about these six coffee regions and the flavor characteristics of their beans. The first bean comes from Roble Estate in Colombia . The farm reaches elevations of up to 1,800 meters and is located in the town of Pitalito in Huila. The owner, Dionel, named this coffee sanctuary after a century-old oak tree that inspired him. The estate places great emphasis on precision throughout the processing stage. After handpicking, the cherries undergo flotation to remove defects, followed by a second manual sorting to eliminate unripe fruit. ...

 When you think of El Salvador coffee, what flavor notes come to mind first? Honey, caramel, brown sugar? Chocolate—especially milk chocolate—toffee, nuts? Many people are drawn to El Salvador coffees for their balance, softness, and layered complexity, which is why they’re often described as a benchmark for Central American coffee. If I had to summarize the core flavor profile of El Salvador coffee, I’d say it’s defined by a pronounced sweetness, gentle yet bright acidity, a rich and silky mouthfeel, and a satisfying sense of structure and depth. Today’s coffee, however, adds another dimension to that familiar picture. It sharpens your perception of El Salvador’s terroir at a more granular, regional level—almost filling in details you didn’t realize were missing. This is a bean with a strong flavor memory, and it’s absolutely worth a stop on your “origin-exploration journey” through El Salvador’s micro-regions. A great cup of El Salvador coffee rarely leans toward anything aggre...

 When “Panama Carmen Estate” comes up, you already know this is another release from Jianjia Specialty Coffee Studio . And sure enough, their new-crop Carmen Estate beans have just come out of the roaster. Back in the 2024 harvest, I was deeply impressed by the magnolia-like elegance of their Mu Yun He Bi Washed Geisha . This new crop, however, brings a noticeably different flavor experience. Today, I want to share this tasting and talk about what’s changed with the new Carmen harvest. This custom lot from Jianjia Specialty Coffee Studio is entirely processed using a temperature-controlled anaerobic dark-room washed method . Let’s briefly break down how this processing works. The “dark room” refers to a fully enclosed space where temperature and humidity are strictly controlled—typically low temperature, low humidity—and completely isolated from natural light. During the dark-room drying stage, after the coffee cherries are depulped, the beans are left with their mucilage intact ...

 For me, making a trip to Xiaoshan is no small thing. A one-way subway ride costs 9 yuan, which somehow already feels like crossing city borders just to be here. Walking through the streets of Xiaoshan always stirs mixed emotions in me. I don’t really recognize anything anymore, yet at the same time, it all seems faintly connected to memories buried deep inside. Maybe in a past life I had some unfinished bond with Hangzhou. That must be why, in this life, I struggle my way here again and again, just to leave a mark in my own story. Xiaoshan was where my Hangzhou journey first began. Even as time passes and visits become rare, I still hope to find moments that move me or surprise me when I return. Today, I want to talk about a café called Muchun Coffee , located at No. 24 Baichilou Road, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou. It was recommended to me by a friend long ago, saved and bookmarked for ages, quietly waiting for the right moment of fate. Sometimes my encounters with cafés feel ver...

 A while ago, a friend mentioned a coffee estate to me during our conversation—Finca Lérida from Panama. I felt like I had heard the name before, but I had never actually tried their beans, let alone learned anything about them. Naturally, my curiosity kicked in, and I decided to look into it. When I opened their website and social media pages, I was surprised to see that their branding leaned toward “boutique resort.” After digging further, I realized that this place isn’t just a coffee farm—it’s also a boutique hotel. Honestly, this “all-in-one” Panamanian version of a farm-stay makes it even more appealing to a coffee lover like me. Finca Lérida truly is a farm with a rich and distinctive history. Its founder, Toleff Bache Mönniche, came to Panama from Norway in 1907 as an engineer working on the Panama Canal (I even found old newspaper records showing his involvement in designing the dam!). He retired in 1924 and bought a small farm in Boquete with his wife. The land was purcha...

 The world of coffee is incredibly rich and diverse. Beans from different origins and varieties each have their own unique character. Today, let’s take a look at eight globally recognized coffee beans known for their distinctive flavors—and see how many you’ve tried. 1. Panama Geisha Geisha coffee is considered a superstar in the coffee world. Though it originated in Ethiopia, it rose to fame in Panama. Geisha beans are known for their intense floral aroma and citrus-like sweetness, offering a complex flavor profile with a long, elegant finish. Grown at high altitudes and carefully cultivated, every sip is full of surprises. Tasting Geisha feels like strolling through a spring garden—fresh, bright, and enchanting. 2. Jamaica Blue Mountain Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is world-renowned for its balance and gentle flavor. Grown in the Blue Mountain region, its unique climate and soil conditions create beans with soft acidity and notes of nuts and chocolate. Smooth and medium-bodi...

 When Julith Café in Dubai introduced a cup of coffee priced at 3,600 dirhams, the drink—made from beans grown near Panama’s volcanoes and known for its floral and fruity notes—quickly became the talk of the high-end coffee world. More than a luxury beverage, it became a prism reflecting the deeper split within the global coffee market. At the same time, coffee futures on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) have been surging due to growing supply concerns. Together, these developments point to a clear reality: the global coffee market is entering an era of sharp divergence. On one side is the pursuit of extreme flavor—“liquid luxury”; on the other is the essential commodity that millions rely on—“black gold.” Both coexist in the same global marketplace yet follow dramatically different paths. 01 The Luxury Summit: A Flavor Masterpiece Born From Volcanic Soil** The story of Dubai’s sky-high coffee is, at its core, an extreme expression of scarcity and sensory experience. Its key ...

  “Once, I was their moonlight — pure and rare. Now, the moon still shines, but no one looks up anymore.” 1. A Name Written in Gold My name is Geisha . Most people think I’m a coffee variety . But the truth is far more complicated — and far more human. In the chronicles of Specialty Coffee , my name is written in bold, shimmering ink across the opening pages. They call me legend , queen , benchmark — a measure of whether a cup of coffee is worthy of the world’s finest tables. At auctions, I’ve set prices that made headlines. My flavor has been called divine : a burst of jasmine, the sweetness of citrus and bergamot, and a tea-like body as smooth as velvet. And yet, tonight, as I gaze up at the stars over a quiet estate in Baoshan, Yunnan, I feel a strange sense of confusion. Is this the same sky that watched over the village of Gesha, Ethiopia, seventy years ago? My name is the same — but I, somehow, am not. 2. The Forest and the Mistake My story began with a beautif...