Taiwan’s coffee industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the past two decades, and annual average coffee consumption in Taiwan last year reached 1.8kg per person, exceeding the 1.4kg average per person for tea.
It is possible that this could be an indication that coffee could soon replace tea as Taiwan’s go-to drink.
From the 4.73 hectares of coffee planted in 2001 to the 1,153.21 hectares planted last year, it is apparent that a large number of people are investing in the coffee industry, Taiwan Coffee Laboratory researcher Lin Jen-an (林仁安) said on Tuesday last week, citing statistics provided by the Council of Agriculture.
Photo courtesy of Lion Travel
Most coffee farms that have earned themselves a good reputation are located on mountains 700m above sea level, and many have been repurposed from tea farms, he said.
The frequent interaction between coffee farmers, baristas and roasters gives Taiwan’s coffee industry its competitive edge, as it aims to attract more attention at the Private Collection Auction today.
Lin said that Taiwan is the only place in the world, with the exception of Hawaii, in which there is nearly no distance between production and consumption.
Like the Hawaiian Kona beans, Taiwan’s beans cost more but have excellent taste, which would give Taiwan an edge in making a name for itself in the international gourmet coffee market, he added.
Comparing the quality of Taiwan’s coffee to the Geisha bean produced in Panama’s Hacienda La Esmeralda region, which sells for US$156 per kilogram, Lin said that Taiwan is looking to obtain a good price on its first appearance on the international coffee bidding scene.
At the event, a panel of 26 judges from five countries are scheduled to select nine of the best brews out of 19 entries of Taiwan-grown coffee beans for auctioning, the Alliance of Coffee Excellence said.
The beans selected are then to be auctioned online, with buyers from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the US, New Zealand, Australia and Saudi Arabia doing the bidding, the alliance said.
Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute director Fang Yi-chou (方怡舟) said that the institute has obtained a patent for the first locally cultivated type of coffee, which can be planted in plains and can yeild 1.2 times more beans than current coffee plants.
Fang said that the institute hopes to promote the new bean among local growers soon.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS