Introduction to New Caledonian Coffee | pointed Bourbon Leroy comparable to Blue Mountain

New Caledonia, located in Melanesia in the southwest Pacific Ocean, produces one of the most expensive coffee in the world. New Caledonia has a population of about 250000, including the main Grande Tyre Island as well as Loti Island and some smaller islands. The largest city is Noumea, which is also the capital.

Coffee cultivation began in New Caledonia in 1860, when monks of the Marist Brotherhood brought seeds and planted them. Twenty years later, bourbon coffee was introduced from Bourbon Island (Reunion Island).

New Caledonian Coffee Plant varieties

Coffee plant varieties Liberia, Arabica and Laurina (natural decaf) are grown, and the latter two are commercial varieties. In 1910, when a coffee plant disease called coffee leaf rust affected crops, Robusta, a variety valued for its disease resistance, was introduced from Java to New Caledonia.

Although 30 years ago, the coffee industry was of great significance to the economic development of New Caledonia, the coffee industry gradually shrank and was replaced by other more profitable products because of the intensive labour required for coffee cultivation.

Reviving the coffee industry in New Caledonia

Koundji Estate Coffee is an attempt to revive the coffee industry in New Caledonia, produced by Kouandji Domaine du Kouandji, which is located about 25 km south-east of Numi é at the foot of the Kouandji Mountains. Kouandji means "where the sun comes".

The Koundji estate grows an award-winning variety of coffee called Leroy (also known as pointed bourbon), which gets the nickname "president" because it is often sent to the Elysee Palace and is a favorite of former French President Jacques Chirac. Celebrities such as Sir Winston Churchill and Honore de Balzac have also drunk this coffee.

Coffee cultivation in New Caledonia

This New Caledonian coffee, one of the southernmost coffees in the world, is grown near the Tropic of Cancer, about 25 meters above sea level, which is equivalent to about 950 meters above sea level in the equator.

This coffee is usually washed and tanned and is often compared to Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. New Caledonia Arabica coffee has been praised for its "spicy" taste and aroma.