ABSTRACT The Yunnan Province is the primary coffee‐growing region in China. In this study, the flavour components of seven arabica coffee varieties in Yunnan were detected by headspace solid‐phase microextraction‐gas chromatography time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (HS‐SPME‐GC‐TOF‐MS) and a total of 178 volatile components were annotated. There were 31 aroma compounds with 1 ≤ rOAV < 100 and 41 aroma compounds with rOAV ≥ 100. According to the aroma characteristics, defined by the relative odour activity value (rOAV) ≥ 1, the arabica coffee in Yunnan primarily exhibits fruit, sour, nut and floral aromas. Particularly, the isobutyl acetate and n‐butyric acid found in Bourbon varieties enhance its fruit and sour aromas. In contrast, Geisha has a prominent floral aroma. Additionally, the 2,3‐dimethyl‐5‐methylpyrazine present only in Catuai significantly contributes to its nutty aroma. The present results provide a valuable theoretical basis for understanding the aroma characteristics of different varieties of arabica coffee and their key underlying components.