CHINA BANKA NATURAL

Our first time featuring a coffee from China; a country that’s beginning to make a breakout into the speciality coffee world!

This coffee is named after the two adjacent villages (Banka Yi and Banka Er) where the coffee cherry is harvested.

Sitting close to the borders of Laos and Myanmar, this natural process coffee comes from Banka farm in Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County in Yunnan, the main coffee growing region within China.

Grown at altitudes of 1350 MASL, cherries are harvested between December and March from Banka farm itself and from nearby villages, then processed at the Banka washing station.

After harvest, cherries are run through an optical colour sorter to remove under-ripe and overripe fruit as well as any foreign material, ensuring only the best cherries are selected for the final processing.

Fermentation takes place with the whole cherry in tanks for around two days, with time and temperature closely monitored. The coffee is then dried on raised beds on the patio before hulling. The result is a clean, controlled natural that balances fruit character with structure.

The variety here is Catimor (P3 / P4), a cultivar that dominates much of Yunnan’s production due to its resilience and suitability to the region’s climate. At Banka, careful cherry selection and controlled drying are used to push quality beyond the expectations often associated with the variety.

Expect a bold coffee, with a punchy boozy aroma of cherry brandy, paired with a sweetness of a dark caramel when brewed.
We would recommend to brew it as an Aeropress or an espresso-based black coffee. If you prefer your coffee with milk, try it as a flat white to bring out that natural sweetness of the coffee!