Taiwan coffee is low in quantity and fine in quality. Lu Pu'er coffee is cheap.

Pu'er is located in the southwest border of the mainland and has the title of "Coffee Capital of China". The picture shows Colombian Ambassador to China Gutierrez (left) visiting on January 7, 2013. (file photo of China News Service)

The coffee growing and roasting techniques in the Yunlin Gukeng Huashan area have become the representative of Taiwan coffee. (information photos of this department)

Varieties of coffee from both sides of the strait

Taiwanese love coffee, with an average of more than 100 cups per person per year in 2014. In the past, most of the raw materials were imported, but in recent years more and more places have grown coffee. In addition to the famous Gukeng coffee, coffee beans are grown at Huisun Forest Farm and Lugu Mountain in Nantou, Alishan in Chiayi and Dawu Mountain in Pingtung.

The mainland also grows coffee, 98% of which can be produced in Yunnan, but Taiwan's coffee beans are self-branded, with a high price of at least 3200 yuan per kilogram of raw beans. Most of the coffee on the mainland is sold to coffee beverage manufacturers or international chain brands. the land price is less than 15 yuan per kilogram, which is only about 75 yuan per kilogram.

The cultivation of coffee trees in Taiwan began in the Japanese occupation era and gradually declined after daylight. Until after the 921 earthquake, Yunlin Gukeng Township began to promote the Taiwan Coffee Festival in 2003, bringing the local coffee whirlwind, coffee cultivation blossomed everywhere, and Huashan in Gukeng Township has also become an important landmark of Taiwan coffee.

Taiwan's coffee beans emphasize organic cultivation and take a high-profile and refined route, so that the industry should make a difference from the low-priced coffee on the market. Nowadays, not only Gukeng Coffee is famous, but Dongshan Coffee and Puli Coffee also have their own supporters.

Pu'er City in Yunnan Province is the largest producer of coffee beans in the mainland, and has been awarded the "Coffee Capital of China". Its planting area has exceeded 1.4 million mu, which is far from being comparable to the intensive cultivation of small farmers in Taiwan. The output of coffee beans in Yunnan in the new season is 100000 tons. In addition to supplying foreign coffee chains Starbucks and Nestl é, it also provides Senna left Bank Coffee, a mainland-owned brand.

Zhang Xun, chief operating officer of Yunnan Coffee Trading Center, pointed out that Pu'er coffee has no brand visibility in the international community, so the price has been depressed. 60% of the local raw beans are bought by Starbucks, Nestl é and other big companies, although a medium latte in Beijing Starbucks sells for 27 yuan, Yunnan coffee farmers can only hope to be happy.

Pu'er City is cracking down on the brand of Pu'er coffee, holding coffee cup meetings and setting up an auction center. The price of champion coffee beans in 2015 has reached 2600 yuan per kilogram. In order to get out of the predicament of cheap coffee, we hope to create a new value of "black gold".

Source: Ming Pao