TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s coffee industry is trending towards connoisseurship, much like French wine production, with special emphasis on “terroir” and craftsmanship.
With many younger Taiwanese returning to family farms, there has been renewed interest in coffee “cupping” or competitive coffee production. Coffee bean production, including improved quality and distinct flavors, is being enthusiastically supported by domestic consumers, who exhibit a strong demand for premium brews, per CNA.
Taiwan began to plant coffee trees more than a century ago under Japanese colonial rule. Arabica was the main cultivar for both research and planting in Chiayi, and planting was soon expanded to Yunlin under the Japanese.
When the Japanese withdrew from Taiwan, coffee bean production gradually withered on the vine, with little innovation in terms of technology and capital infusion. By 1972, concerns about the high production cost of Taiwanese coffee beans versus cheaper imported coffee beans led the government to disregard the crop, leading to stagnation amongst coffee growers for the next 30 years.
It would later be the 921 earthquake that shook the government into action, reevaluating opportunities in coffee production for farmers living in remote mountainous areas. The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) would soon promote "one township, one specialty agricultural product," encouraging young people to return to their hometowns to cultivate high-value crops like coffee beans.
The focus at the time was recruiting manpower and supporting those interested in growing crops like coffee beans. At the time, Taiwan already had plentiful coffee roasters working with imported coffee beans, but limited domestic supply.
Liu Chien-Ju (劉千如) became Taiwan’s first official coffee "cupper," an individual who judges or grades the quality of coffee. She was trained with the help of government funding of upwards of NT$200,000 (US$6,400). In addition to taking courses offered by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) in Taiwan, she was also sent to Central America and South America to learn about international coffee beans.
High-quality domestically produced coffee beans. (CNA photo)
Liu said that Taiwanese coffee beans have a variety of fruity flavors, good acidity, and a special sweetness that makes them desirable and internationally competitive. She recommended consumers first purchase 100 grams of different beans to find which flavor profile best suits their tastes.
According to Liu, Taiwanese coffee producers a decade ago did not have the confidence to represent the special flavor or classification of their beans. Now, as they learn more about coffee cupping or become cuppers themselves, they are developing the ability to express themselves and share their knowledge with consumers.
Liu said that now some individual coffee growers from Alishan and Gukeng have become lecturers who have 20 years of experience producing top coffee beans. They also participate in international competitions where they have won accolades.
Lin Bei-shan (林貝珊) is part of a new generation of coffee growers who returned to their hometown to pursue their passion. Both she and her husband began coffee cultivation in 2016, and she manages a farm with 3,500 coffee trees.
Beginning in 2017, the couple embarked on a three-year study that included crop management, post-processing (sun drying, washing, honey processing), cupping, and coffee extraction.
They also participated in special propagation courses sponsored by the MOA’s Tea and Beverage Research Station, which searches for the most suitable varieties of coffee beans for planting in different areas, such as mid- and high-altitude farms.
Also, changes in fertilization—moving to four times a year with compound fertilizers—helped improve the fruity aroma of their coffee beans, thus commanding a higher price on the market. Furthermore, improved post-production procedures also improved coffee flavor.
A handful of high-quality coffee beans from Taiwan. (CNA photo)
Looking at the rapid progress Taiwanese coffee growers have made in the past 10 years, Liu Chien-Ju still believes the best is yet to come, as local farmers are very hardworking and are bound to make productivity gains such as increased production and better sales. Liu also believes that more specialization will mean that coffee is no longer just a part-time crop in Taiwan.
The MOA’s Tea and Beverage Research Station estimated that domestic coffee consumption is expected to increase from the current 40,000 metric tons to 50,000 metric tons in 2030. It also predicted that domestic coffee bean production will increase from the current 906 metric tons to 2,000 metric tons by 2030.
It also expected the total planting area to increase from the current 1,167 hectares to 2,500 hectares.
This indicates that growing domestic demand will meet growing domestic production as more Taiwanese become involved in the art of coffee appreciation.
