Best As: Filter Coffee / Milk Based or Black Espresso Drinks
Flavour Description: Wild Strawberry, Red Wine, Dragonfruit, Mint
Producer: Lao Wang
Farm: Red Dragon Estate
Origin: China
Region: Baoshan, Yunnan
Variety: Yun Catimor
Process: Anaerobic Natural
About this coffee
* Chinese Barista Championship 1st Place 2021 *
Red Sparrow – The First Yunnan Coffee Beans Helped a Chinese Barista Win the Chinese Barista Championship
The Red Sparrow is a small bird native to Gaoligong Mountain, located near the Red Dragon Estate coffee farms. Inspired by the bird's rebellious nature, Lao Wang named the highest quality anaerobic natural Catimor coffee "Red Sparrow." This name symbolizes the mission to revolutionize the traditional perception of Yunnan coffee.
In February 2021, Zhao Xin, a green buyer for Chinese barista Pan Wei, requested Lao Wang to send Yunnan coffee beans and fresh coffee cherries for Pan Wei's participation in the Chinese Barista Championship (CBC). Pan Wei chose the Red Sparrow for the competition.
Despite the common prejudice against Catimor coffee for its typically poor aftertaste, Red Sparrow was tested against renowned varieties like Geisha, Bourbon, and Typica. Defying expectations, Pan Wei used Red Sparrow, a Yunnan Catimor, to win the CBC 2021.
Lao Wang's Journey and Innovations in Yunnan Coffee
Lao Wang, who has been in the coffee industry for eight years, was inspired by his parents' praise of Baoshan's small-bean coffee during his upbringing. Curious about Yunnan's coffee potential, he decided to return to his hometown and explore the coffee production areas in Baoshan, Yunnan.
Between late 2016 and early 2017, Lao Wang drove his father's car, visiting nearly 80% of the mountains in Baoshan's Lujiangba region. Eventually, he discovered Red Dragon Estate, impressed by its high altitude of 1887 meters.
At Red Dragon Estate, Lao Wang met Uncle Yang, a lifelong coffee cultivator whose dedication convinced Lao Wang to partner with him. Despite having no money, Lao Wang promised Uncle Yang higher-than-market prices for fully ripe cherries and free seedlings of new coffee varieties. After two meetings, Uncle Yang became the first employee of Lao Wang's company.
In June 2017, Lao Wang sought to expand his knowledge and skills, spending about six months in Beijing obtaining Q-Grader certification and training in intermediate roasting and barista skills, including the gold cup standards and advanced SCA courses.
In April 2018, Lao Wang began his Typica Renovation Project by cultivating around 70,000 Typica seedlings at an altitude of 1887 meters in Red Dragon Estate. The following year, in 2019, he established Voiceless company, inspired by his belief that good coffee speaks for itself, without the need for words. Voiceless's slogan is "We just speak by our coffee."
Lao Wang embarked on innovative processing experiments with Yunnan coffees, drawing inspiration from WBC and WBRC. He discovered that Restraint Anaerobic Fermentation could mitigate the earthy aftertaste typical of Yunnan Catimor. Since then, he has continually improved planting technologies and processing methods, maintaining a core value of using only fully ripened coffee cherries without compromising quality.
