Have a cup of coffee by hand! Two or three things about coffee in Taiwan

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Although the quality of coffee beans produced in different parts of Taiwan is different, after good roasting and brewing, a cup of coffee can still be made of the same quality as that of foreign coffee.

Taiwanese coffee seems to be very popular in recent years. Does Taiwanese coffee seem expensive? Where can I buy coffee in Taiwan? You and I have both heard of Taiwanese coffee with the word "Taiwan", but there are many reasons why. Unlike the imported coffee beans that we are relatively familiar with, perhaps you can clearly describe the original sour taste of African coffee beans and the more balanced overall flavor of Central and South American coffee, but what is the taste of Taiwan coffee? It's hard to answer, not to mention that very few people know about the fact that coffee has been grown in Taiwan since the 17th century.

This article invites Ji Junyu, deputy general manager of Qiuyu Culture, who has not only published life issues such as nature, ecology, and environmental protection in recent years, but also actively involved in Taiwan's coffee industry, to talk about the general situation of coffee development in Taiwan and how to buy authentic Taiwan coffee beans. Whether you want to taste fresh or driven by patriotism to have a cup of Taiwanese coffee, you have to watch carefully.

Q what is the history and evolution of coffee cultivation in Taiwan?

A when the Dutch were in Taiwan in the 17th century, they began to grow coffee for themselves to taste. During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese systematically promoted this cash crop, not only under the overall planning of the agricultural units of the Government House, but also selected Gukeng, Mizuho and other places to study soil, hydrology, climate, and so on, to plant coffee varieties suitable for the land. However, after the withdrawal of Japan, the Taiwan government did not attach importance to it, and the ten major construction periods were not included in the focus of development. Coffee was gradually forgotten until the 921 earthquake, when many good land turned into hillsides, and it was not until the 921 earthquake that many good land turned into hillsides that they began to think of growing the crop of coffee. and the epicenter of Chiufen Ershan was the first to promote it.

Q where can I get Taiwanese coffee? Where is there coffee in Taiwan?

A Coffee is suitable for growing in high altitude areas with good water permeability and few diseases and insect pests. Taiwan has a unique natural environment. Coffee is grown from north to south, such as Nantou, Changhua, Chiayi, Pingtung, Huadong Longgu, and so on. The production period is from September to January of the next year, of which Nantou and Pingtung are the main production areas. However, Taiwan only produces 150 tons of raw coffee beans every year, and it has to import about 20,000 tons of coffee beans in order to meet the demand of Taiwan's coffee market.

Q what are the characteristics of Taiwanese coffee that can attract the attention of coffee glutton?

A frankly speaking, Taiwan coffee does not have a unified feature. for example, when we drink manning, we will have the expected taste in mind, but at present, Taiwan coffee has not been planted comprehensively and systematically, and different coffee farmers in different towns and towns turn to different coffee experts for assistance. so coffee seedlings, coffee varieties, or roasting methods are all different. However, there are still expectations for the taste of Taiwan coffee, because Taiwan has good technology in growing fruit trees, and the fruit grown is large and sweet. If you can grow large and sweet coffee fruit, it will not only have a full aroma, but also have a sweet and slightly sour taste in bitterness. It's a great Taiwanese coffee.

Q I heard that Taiwanese coffee is more expensive than imported coffee. Why?

A the cost of producing coffee in Taiwan ranks second only to Hawaii in the world. Putting aside the work of fertilizing, weeding and watering, even the fruits of the same coffee tree will not mature at the same time and have to be harvested in batches, so there must be batch labor, and they have to be harvested in the mountains. After that, there are procedures such as washing, peeling, fermentation, sorting and so on within 4 or 5 hours. On average, it costs 150 yuan to process one kilogram of raw beans, while one kilogram of raw beans can only make 1.5 pounds of coffee beans. The high labor cost is the reason why coffee in Taiwan is expensive.

Q in the face of different levels of Taiwanese coffee, how to choose so as not to make mistakes?

A because of the high labor cost, if half a pound of coffee beans are less than 600 yuan, they are definitely not Taiwan coffee beans. This is the basic principle. In addition, if you want to drink authentic Taiwanese coffee, you can buy it from the place of origin. Although there are many markets and many coffee farmers will participate, it is true that their coffee beans may also come from the place of origin, but each coffee farmer has different levels, and the way of roasting may not be in line with his personal taste. therefore, it is a good way to find coffee production and marketing classes online and buy directly from them.

Ji Junyu, Deputy General Manager of Qiuyu Culture

"one of the characteristics of coffee trees is that they are not afraid of getting old. as long as they are properly watered and fertilized, they can still produce large and beautiful fruits, so Taiwan can still drink the coffee from the Japanese occupation, but the taste at that time was different from that of today. "