Move over, bubble milk tea – meet Taiwanese coffee
The island has unique terroir, producing coffee beans with an interesting infusion of aromas
As recently as seven or eight years ago, Taiwanese coffee experts would frown at locally produced coffee while conducting a blind cupping, describing them as drinks that “emit unpleasant earthy, musty and iodine flavours”.
History has turned over a new leaf. As of today, more than 60 Taiwanese coffees have entered the “Specialty” grade in the internationally recognised coffee quality grading system developed by the Coffee Quality Institute.
According to the system, any coffee that has passed physical grading and cups with a score over 80 points is considered “Specialty” grade.
Legend has it that English merchants first planted some arabica cultivars in Taiwan in the 19th century, followed by Japan, which endeavoured to develop the island’s coffee economy and imported harvests during its colonial rule over Taiwan.
The industry experienced leaps and bumps in ensuing decades in the post-colonisation era. Taiwan launched its first Gukeng Coffee Festival in 2003, which has become an annual event ever since, hoping to tap the renaissance of coffee for agritourism development.
“Albeit with a tiny land area, Taiwan has a complex profile of terroir that differs from one city to another, or even from one town to another,” says Dong Ding-he, president of San Coffee, a cafe that sources 100 per cent of its beans locally.