Reunion, Pulau

Many people may not have heard of Reunion Island. This small island in the Indian Ocean, closer to Africa, is a French dependency. Following the French Decentralization Act of 1982, the Regional Assembly of Réunion became an independent first-level local authority. Reunion is most famous for Cyprus, which is the place with the heaviest rainfall in the world, once reaching 1870 mm in a single day. This humble island has a place in coffee history that cannot be ignored, although today Reunion Island hardly produces coffee anymore.

The name of Reunion Island as a French colony was Bourbon Island. Bourbon? Isn't bourbon inherent in Arabica coffee? That's right, bourbon coffee gets its name from that.

In 1715, about forty coffee trees were shipped to Reunion from the port of Mocha in Yemen. Unfortunately, only two coffee trees survived. Thanks to the island's favorable climate, coffee trees grew well and the island's first coffee plantations were established around 1719. In order to develop coffee farming, the island government imposed a mandatory requirement that residents of the island, regardless of whether they were black or white, must plant 100 coffee trees each year. The decree of 1723 was strengthened, the number of trees planted was increased to 200, and it was stipulated that no one should damage coffee trees or face death. Under such tough regulations, coffee farming has indeed developed greatly. Coffee grown on the island and shipped to other countries and regions is known as bourbon coffee.

Bourbon is an inherent variety of Arabica coffee and has a better flavor than other varieties and varieties, but one of the biggest disadvantages of the inherent variety is its low yield. In today's world fast-paced life and a large number of living needs under the pressure, coffee production quantity is more important than quality (although in recent years more and more attention to fine coffee, but after all, there is no high popularity), Bourbon, Di Bika such inherent varieties have become a trend of disappearance. But how Reunion's place in coffee history as an important exporter and namesake of bourbon coffee is also cannot be forgotten.

The island of Reunion is now largely coffee-free, and we can only recall the taste of Reunion coffee through bourbon and bourbon variants. I believe it must be a kind of excellent flavor, so that people will never forget the fine coffee.