China Banka: Natural

Name: Banka
Producer: Yunnan Coffee Trader
Origin: Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous Count
Varietal: Catimor P3/P4
Altitude: 1350 metres above sea level
Process: Natural
Flavours: Stone Fruit, Tropical Fruits & Chocolate
Harvest: Nov/Feb
Importer: Indochina Coffee
Cup Score: 86
FOB/Volume: £11.30 per Kg / 60 Kilos
RoastLight/Medium
BrewFilter & Espresso 

Banka farm and washing station are based in Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County, Yunnan and is named after the two nearby villages (Banka Yi and Banka Er) where the coffee cherry for these lots is grown and harvested. Cherry processed at Banka washing station is also grown at the nearby village of Aqi Badu as well as within the farm itself. Banka farm and washing station was originally developed by Mr Hu, a native of the province, who has been producing coffee in Menglian for almost 20 years. He was one of the first farmers to engage in large scale coffee production in Menglian, working in partnership with Nestle and the local government. Mr Hu is held in high esteem within the local area, employing hundreds of harvesters from various ethnic groups across his farms each year. In 2018, Yunnan Coffee Traders (YCT) took over the management of the Banka wet mill and a portion of the Banka farm, some 100 hectares of land, installing one of the region’s first optical sorters, experimenting with processing methods such as yeast fermentation and growing new varieties such as Pacamara and Yellow Bourbon. Banka farm produces both the company’s volume washed speciality lots, much of which is sold to Australia, as well as natural and honey process micro-lots.For this season, YCT employed processing expert Joel Smith, who continues this commitment of innovation and increasing quality. Fresh from completing his Q processing course in Brazil last year, Joel has brought his expertise to oversee improvements at the farm and washing station which is reflected in improvements to the cup quality for both the washed and natural lots.Our importers, Indochina have worked in partnership with YCT since they first began importing coffees to the UK in 2016. As a pioneer of the Chinese speciality coffee industry in Menglian County, Yunnan Province,YCT operates farming, mill, research, and training facilities. Its mission is threefold: to create opportunities for Yunnan farmers to engage in sustainable production, to employ the best practices for sourcing, processing, wholesaling, and exporting and to supply coffee to importers and roasters who care about sustainability, traceability and transparencyThe cherries are processed by being run through an optical colour sorter and then fermented for two days. During the drying process, the cherries are put inside of a solar dryer on raised beds for roughly 20 days.Once the cherries are dried, they are bagged and taken to the dry milled in Pu’er city for hulling at a high-end mill.