What Are Good Asian Coffee Brands - Introduction to Asian Coffee Flavor Characteristics - Are Asian Coffee Beans Expensive

Introduction to Asian Coffee

Professional coffee knowledge exchange, for more coffee bean information, please follow the Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Approximately sixty countries worldwide produce coffee. Due to geological and climatic requirements, most production areas are located in tropical and subtropical regions between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, with average temperatures above 20°C and altitudes around 1500 meters. This coffee cultivation area is known as the "Coffee Belt."

Europeans recognized early on that producing and trading coffee yielded high profits, so they began attempting to smuggle coffee seedlings out as early as the 14th century. However, coffee cannot be grown in cold regions. Thus, the natural characteristics of coffee protected its producing countries. It is said that eventually seven coffee seeds were smuggled out from Mocha port in Arabia and finally reached Asia near the Arabian Peninsula, making the introduction of coffee to Asia another story filled with courage and adventure.

The protagonist of this story was Baba Budan, who, to avoid inspection by Arabs, firmly attached seven coffee beans to his abdomen and successfully brought them to his home in Chikmagalur, southern India. He discovered a cave in the nearby mountains and began cultivating coffee seedlings in this cave. Later, he planted the coffee seedlings in the jungle near Chikmagalur. Today, the descendants of Asia's first coffee tree are still called "Old Chick," and this ancient legendary variety now provides one-third of India's annual coffee demand, with the remaining two-thirds imported from other regions of the world.

To expand coffee cultivation, Europeans tried various methods to transplant coffee to their colonies in warm regions. The Netherlands was the first country to successfully transplant coffee. In 1696, the Dutch began their first attempt at coffee transplantation. Witsen from Amsterdam suggested shipping coffee to Java (formerly a Dutch colony) for cultivation. Unfortunately, this batch of coffee seeds was later washed away by floods. The Dutch first attempt failed. In 1699, a Dutchman named Zwaardemaker finally brought a coffee cutting to Java Island. From then on, coffee began to thrive in Asia. Soon, coffee cultivation was extended to Sumatra and Sulawesi islands in Indonesia.

Today, Indonesia is the world's fourth-largest coffee producer and exporter.

In the late 19th century, coffee began to be cultivated in Taiwan Province of China. Simultaneously, coffee arrived in Yunnan Province with the railways. Since then, coffee cultivation in Yunnan has never been interrupted.

Production Regions and Characteristics

Asian coffee beans have a dense and extremely thick texture, with strong and rounded sweetness. Asian beans are mostly processed using wet and semi-washed methods, so the raw beans are uniform in size.

Generally, Asian countries such as Indonesia, Yemen, India, and Vietnam produce specialty coffee beans. As mentioned earlier, coffee was already cultivated on our land as early as the 19th century. Therefore, before introducing coffee from various Asian countries, let's first get acquainted with the coffee cultivated on our land!

Yunnan Region:

The cultivation history of Yunnan coffee can be traced back to 1892. A French missionary brought coffee seeds from abroad to Yunnan and successfully planted them in a valley in Binchuan County, Yunnan Province. The coffee plants propagated from these seeds still have more than thirty plants flowering and bearing fruit in Binchuan County today.

The western and southern parts of Yunnan Province are located between 15°N latitude and the Tropic of Cancer. Most areas have altitudes between 1000-2000 meters, with mountainous and sloped terrain. The unique natural conditions of large terrain variations, fertile soil, abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and significant temperature differences between day and night create the special taste of Yunnan small-grain coffee - rich but not bitter, fragrant but not strong, with a slight fruity flavor.

There are many varieties of small-grain coffee, each with different tastes. Some have very light and subtle acidity that spreads to both cheeks continuously, accompanied by a clear sense of balance. Some have floral aromas mixed with citrus flavors, which is quite remarkable. Some have acidity with berry flavors and an extremely dry mouthfeel. Others have rich malt flavors with a low-key feeling. Classic varieties are not particularly overpowering in taste, with all flavors being strong yet well-balanced. As early as the 1950s, Yunnan small-grain coffee was very popular in the international coffee market and was rated as a top-quality coffee.

Large-scale cultivation of Yunnan coffee began in the mid-1950s, reaching a cultivation area of 4,000 hectares at its peak. By the end of 1997, the province's coffee cultivation area had reached 7,800 hectares. Currently, the province's cultivation area accounts for 70% of the country's total area, and production accounts for 83% of the national total. From both cultivation area and coffee bean production perspectives, Yunnan coffee has established its dominant position in China.

Taiwan Region:

Due to its unique natural environment, Taiwan is suitable for coffee cultivation. After being introduced to Taiwan in 1884, coffee was successively planted in Taipei, Hengchun, Taichung, Taitung, Hualien, and Jiayi. From tropical cultivation crops during the Japanese colonial era, to potential crops subsidized by the government after the war, and now to local cultural industries integrated with regional culture, the role of the coffee industry has transformed with Taiwan's agricultural economy and social development.

Huabao Mountain in Gukeng, Yunlin; Huisun Forest Farm in Nantong; and Dongshan Township in Tainan County are currently the more famous coffee-producing areas in Taiwan, mostly growing Arabica varieties. Taiwanese coffee has a moderate texture, low acidity, and a slightly herbal taste.

Indonesia:

Representative coffees: Java, Sumatra Mandheling. Indonesia's coffee bean production areas are mainly on the islands of Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, all of which have volcanic terrain. It is generally believed that Indonesian coffee beans have a rich aroma and low acidity, with a slight medicinal and earthy flavor.

The Mandheling produced in the mountainous regions of Sumatra is world-renowned for its rich texture. The Robusta beans produced on Java Island have a unique aroma and are often used as one of the blends for espresso due to their rich oil content. Coffee produced in Sulawesi is rated as having a special herbal aroma, deep and clean.

When it comes to Indonesian coffee, we must not miss the premium Mandheling from Sumatra, which has a unique rich taste, slightly acidic flavor, and excellent quality. Additionally, Arabica coffee produced in Java is a favorite among Europeans, with its bitterness mixed with sweetness, and sweetness with acidity in the aftertaste that lingers.

Particularly, there is a special animal in the mountains of Indonesia called the civet cat. Because of it, Indonesia produces what is almost the world's most expensive coffee - civet cat coffee.

This cat likes to eat coffee berries, and the hard coffee beans, being indigestible, are eventually excreted. During their passage through the digestive tract, the coffee beans undergo fermentation, producing a unique and complex aroma that many connoisseurs appreciate. However, due to extremely limited production, the price is extremely high, reaching hundreds of dollars per pound.

India:

Representative coffee: Monsooned Malabar. India is a country primarily focused on tea consumption, but its coffee production ranks among the top in the world, and it produces both Robusta and Arabica varieties. It is also one of the few countries that use both wet-processed and natural processing methods.

India's coffee cultivation areas are mainly in the southern region between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The more well-known coffees are sold under names such as Mysore and Malabar.

Monsooned Malabar is a distinctive type of coffee from India. Originally, coffee beans exported from the Malabar Coast to Europe underwent changes in appearance and taste due to prolonged exposure to sea winds during shipping, transforming into a flavor that Europeans became accustomed to and liked.

This later became a special coffee bean processing method. After harvesting, coffee beans are specially placed in humid monsoon winds for several months, causing them to turn yellowish-white and reducing their acidity. This is what we know as Monsooned Malabar.

Vietnam:

Representative coffee: Vietnamese coffee. Vietnam is also one of the world's largest coffee-producing countries. Currently, the vast majority of coffee trees in Vietnam are of the Robusta variety. Due to leaf rust disease that appeared in the mid-19th century, Vietnam's Arabica coffee trees were nearly completely destroyed, and they were replaced with Robusta varieties that are resistant to leaf rust disease.

Robusta coffee beans have a unique aroma and bitterness, with higher caffeine content than Arabica. Due to their higher extraction rate, they are often used to make instant coffee, canned coffee, or blended into three-in-one coffee mixes.

In recent years, India has also begun planting Arabica coffee trees and is more dedicated to coffee production, but it has not yet made any progress in the specialty coffee market. The Vietnamese coffee we often hear about in conversation sometimes refers to the cold drip brewing method, which is different from the coffee bean types mentioned here, so don't confuse them.

Asian Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

Asian coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee: Yunnan small-grain coffee, Yemen Mocha coffee beans, Indonesian Mandheling coffee, etc., all have full guarantees in terms of brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value for money. A half-pound (227g) package costs only around 80-90 yuan. Calculating at 15g of coffee powder per cup of pour-over coffee, one package can make 15 cups, with each specialty coffee costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to the price of tens of yuan per cup sold in coffee shops, this offers extremely high value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small storefront but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store services: https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473