How Xinglong Coffee Is Roasted and Why It’s Famous

If you’ve visited Hainan, chances are someone told you not to leave without trying Xinglong coffee. But why is it so special? It’s not just the location—it’s how the coffee is grown, picked, and roasted using methods that trace back to the 1950s, blending local ingenuity with techniques borrowed from Southeast Asia.

The key to Xinglong coffee’s bold, aromatic profile lies in its roasting process: medium-sized beans are roasted with added sugar, salt, and butter, enhancing body and aroma. This traditional technique, combined with carefully selected beans, creates a uniquely rich cup that helped earn praise from no less than Zhou Enlai in 1960.

Xinglong coffee’s story begins in 1953, shortly after the founding of the Xinglong Farm. To balance long-term rubber crops with quicker returns, farmers introduced short-cycle crops like coffee, lemongrass, and rice. Originally, coffee was planted across 3,000 acres, with workers—often farm students—picking only ripe cherries. But as coffee prices fell in the 1990s, plantings shrank to under 1,000 acres.

Choosing the right bean variety was critical. While large beans grew well but tasted poor, and small beans struggled in Xinglong’s low-altitude, non-highland climate, medium-sized beans—known as “” or Typica-related varieties—thrived. The region’s elevation, latitude, and climate turned out to be ideal for this particular cultivar.

How Xinglong Coffee Got Its Signature Roast

Xinglong’s roasting style is adapted from Southeast Asian methods, where adding ingredients during roasting is common. Local roasters enhance the beans by mixing in sugar, salt, and even a touch of butter during the roast. This practice isn’t just about flavour—it’s about adapting to local resources and tastes, creating a cup that’s noticeably bold, creamy, and aromatic. The result is a darker, oilier roast with a heavier mouthfeel and a distinct sweet-savoury backbone.

Why Medium-Sized Coffee Beans Work Best in Xinglong

Not all coffee varieties grow well in Xinglong. Large beans yield plenty but lack complexity. True highland arabicas—small beans—require cooler temperatures and higher altitudes, both of which are in short supply here. That left medium-sized beans as the only viable option. These beans, suited to Xinglong’s low elevation and tropical climate, deliver a balanced cup with enough body and flavour to stand up to the roasting process, especially with the added sugar, salt, and fat.

The Role of Traditional Techniques and Local Ingredients

The addition of sugar, salt, and butter during roasting is central to Xinglong’s signature taste. These ingredients aren’t merely seasoning—they interact with the Maillard reaction and caramelisation to boost aroma development and create a richer, fuller-bodied brew. While unusual by Western specialty standards, this method reflects the resourcefulness of early Hainan coffee pioneers and has become a hallmark of Xinglong’s traditional profile.

What Happened to Xinglong’s Coffee Industry?

At its peak, Xinglong had over 3,000 acres under coffee cultivation. Students and workers hand-picked only ripe cherries to maintain quality. But by the 1990s, falling global coffee prices caused a sharp decline. Today, fewer than 1,000 acres remain in production. Despite this, the roasting tradition—and the appreciation for the unique local cup—has endured, even if the industry hasn’t expanded as hoped.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Xinglong coffee different from other Chinese coffees?

Xinglong coffee is distinct because it’s grown in Hainan’s low-altitude, tropical climate using medium-sized beans, not the highland-suited arabicas found elsewhere in China. It’s also traditionally roasted with sugar, salt, and butter, giving it a bold, aromatic, and slightly sweet-savoury profile uncommon in other regional Chinese coffees.

Why were small coffee beans unsuccessful in Xinglong?

Small beans, typically highland varieties, require cooler temperatures and higher elevations to thrive. Xinglong’s low altitude and tropical climate were unsuitable, resulting in poor growth, low yields, and short tree lifespans. As a result, they were abandoned in favour of more resilient medium-sized beans.

What ingredients are added during Xinglong coffee roasting?

During roasting, local roasters add sugar, salt, and a small amount of butter. These ingredients enhance the Maillard reaction and deepen the roast’s aroma, contributing to a richer, fuller-bodied cup with a characteristic sweet and savoury edge.

How much coffee was grown in Xinglong historically?

In the 1950s, Xinglong had over 3,000 acres of coffee plantations. By the 1990s, this had dropped dramatically due to falling coffee prices, and today fewer than 1,000 acres remain under cultivation.

Did any famous people praise Xinglong coffee?

Yes, in February 1960, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai visited Xinglong Farm and praised the coffee after tasting it, calling it world-class and remarking that he preferred it to many foreign coffees. His endorsement helped build the region’s coffee reputation.

Is Xinglong coffee still widely available today?

While Xinglong coffee is less commonly exported, it remains a point of local pride. Some tourist sites in Hainan still roast coffee beans on-site, allowing visitors to experience the traditional process and sample freshly roasted brews, though availability outside Hainan is limited.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Roast Experimentation

For those curious about roasting styles like Xinglong’s rich, traditional approach, try FrontStreet’s Specialty Blend, Classic Blend, or Black Cocoa Blend. The Specialty Blend offers a balanced mix of Brazilian and Colombian beans with notes of almond, walnut, milk chocolate, and smooth crema—ideal for exploring how added ingredients can shape body and aroma. The Classic Blend brings Brazilian depth with hazelnut and dark chocolate tones, while the Black Cocoa Blend leans into milk chocolate and roasted peanut flavours with a silky mouthfeel. All three showcase how roast technique and blend composition influence cup profile. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.