Page 4 - YunnanTourismCultureTimes (118)

03 VOICE | 声音

We are advancing a great cause that none have attempted before. Only by upholding fundamental principles can we
avoid losing our bearings or making catastrophic mistakes. Only by breaking new ground can we meet the call of the day and
shape the trends of our times.
——Chinese President Xi Jinping

我们从事的是前无古人的伟大事业，守正才能不迷失方向、不犯颠覆性错误，创新才能把握时代、引领时代。
——中国国家主席习近平

“Flame-brewed coffee”

in the Nujiang Valley

怒江峡谷里的“火烧咖啡”

By Xinhua News Agency □ 新华社

In the misty early morning of the Nujiang Valley, beans and simmer them slowly over an alcohol lamp
Uncle “Coffee” fastened his apron. Behind a stone mill- that kept flickering out and being relit—a slow ritual
turned table, he lit a blowtorch and carefully tended to that filled the quiet hours between farm work, though it
the flame under a siphon pot. As the water came to a often left the coffee’s flavor faded and faint.
boil, he added the coffee, giving it an occasional stir and “I grew up here. I love the Gaoligong Mountains, and beforehand—simply showed up early one morning and
letting its rich aroma gradually permeate the air. sharing Baoshan’s small-grain coffee has always been explained why he’d come. To his delight, Uncle “Coffee”
Uncle “Coffee”, whose real name is Li Jinhe, is 53 a constant promise I keep,” Uncle “Coffee” said. He re- welcomed him warmly and opened up freely, sharing all
years old and comes from Tangxi Village, Longyang calls that when he first came down from the mountains, his knowledge.
District, Baoshan City. Since 2011, when he first came he would have to carry water himself and brew coffee to “You have to adjust the flame quickly and work with
down from the mountains to set up a roadside stall shad- offer freely to passersby. Times have changed—his own the airflow, not against it,” Uncle “Coffee” instructed.
ed by a large umbrella, he has been operating his “road- life has grown better, and the coffee from his hometown “Otherwise the heat won’t spread evenly, and you might
side café” beside the Double Rainbow Bridge spanning has since become one of China’s signature products. end up singeing your own eyebrows.” After demonstrat-
the Nujiang River in Mangkuan Township for 14 years Coffee merchants and baristas from various places, ing a few more times, he stepped aside and motioned for
and counting. drawn by its reputation, have brought not only coffee Guo Shuai to take his place. “Don’t hold back or keep
“Up past midnight again last night. I had to grind the cultivation and tasting techniques but also new perspec- things to yourself,” he added. “Spreading the word about
next day’s coffee,” Uncle “Coffee” said, shaking his head tives for local coffee farmers. Gaoligong beans can’t be done by one person alone; it
with a laugh. “Just couldn’t keep up with everything!” “From starting with cold water and raw beans takes more of us working together.”
Growing up in a village nestled in the Gaoligong to moving on to hot infusion, and finally learning Saturday mornings are the busiest hours at the road-
Mountains, Uncle “Coffee” became familiar with cof- hand-brewing techniques, I’ve come to truly taste the side café. The modest space overflows with visitors,
fee from an early age. “As a boy, I’d often help the difference each step makes,” Uncle “Coffee” explained. many of whom, unable to find a seat, simply stand and
grown-ups look after the coffee trees in the fields,” he Adjusting the grind, fine-tuning the coffee-to-water ra- savor the torch-brewed flavor in their cups. An assistant
recalled. “When I was older, I even led the villagers in tio, even experimenting with torch-heating to speed up rings a brass gong to cue Uncle “Coffee” to fire up his
clearing terraced plots on the hillsides where we inter- extraction… every barista brings their own touch, and burner, occasionally calling out a work chant or two to
planted walnuts and coffee, and kept bees for honey.” it’s through constant learning that you keep innovating. add to the lively atmosphere.
Back then, he added, people didn’t know much about In the café, a steady stream of visitors lines up for Liu Sai, a tourist from Xi’an, made sure to visit the
how to prepare coffee. They would simply grind the photos with Uncle “Coffee”, and baristas drawn by its roadside café during her trip to Yunnan. “The coffee here
reputation often drop by to observe. Guo Shuai, who is truly excellent, and Uncle “Coffee” shares so much
runs his own coffee shop in Benxi, Liaoning prov- knowledge while he brews,” she said. The café by the
ince, made the long journey just to learn from him. Nujiang River feels a world away from the urban coffee
“I saw his unique way of brewing coffee online scene, a reminder that coffee has long been woven into
and wanted to bring something fresh back to my daily life in China.
customers,” Guo said. He hadn’t reached out When business is slow during the coffee harvest sea-
son, Uncle “Coffee” dons his straw hat, hops onto his
tricycle, rounds up a few fellow villagers, and makes his
way up the mountain to pick fresh coffee berries.
Uncle “Coffee”’s coffee garden lies deep in the Gaol-
igong Mountains, in Xingla Village. Here, fertile soil,
ideal temperatures, and abundant sunlight place it right
in the world’s prime coffee-growing belt. In 2024, the
cultivation area for Baoshan small-grain coffee reached
approximately 9,660 hectares, yielding 24,200 tons. Its
total output value hit 9.068 billion yuan, while the share
of premium-grade beans rose to 70% and the portion un-
dergoing further processing increased to 85%.
“Through coffee, I came across the idea of craft ex-
traction,” Uncle “Coffee” reflected. “I’m just a coffee
farmer, but I want to give people a satisfying cup, and to
leave something meaningful for coffee itself.”