Taiwan Alishan Coffee Beans Fetch Astonishing Price of NT$520,000!

Record-Breaking Auction: Alishan Estate Coffee Sells for 520,000 NTD

According to Taiwanese media reports, on May 12th the largest Alishan Estate Coffee Elite Exchange Competition and Green Bean Matching Conference (auction) in Taiwan's history was held at the Leye Cultural Gathering Place in Alishan Township, Chiayi County, drawing buyers from across the island. Among them, the special prize winner in the natural process category—a 5kg bag of natural process beans from Zouzhuyuan—sold for an astonishing 520,000 New Taiwan Dollars (about 118,000 RMB)!

The competition's evaluation session began on May 11th. Every lot entered was grown on Alishan Mountain. Green beans were divided into washed, natural, honey process, and Geisha categories, and participants had to submit both parchment and hulled samples, roasted uniformly by the organizers.

Once roasting was complete, 15 Q-Graders certified by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), a partner organization of the Specialty Coffee Association, ran the sensory evaluations on the international system, scoring with SCA cupping forms. Only coffees scoring 80 points or above earned a place in the auction.

After sensory evaluation, the lots above 80 points were classed as special prize, first prize, gold award, or silver award by processing method and score, then put up for competitive bidding the following day.

Buyers chose their preferred lots through their own cupping of the auction beans. The star of the auction was the natural process special prize winner—Zouzhuyuan's beans from Taiwan. A starting price of 60,000 New Taiwan Dollars per 5kg soared to 400,000 per 5kg—and still two groups were bidding...

After another round, Taiwan Travel Service Company—Lion Group won at 520,000 New Taiwan Dollars (about 118,000 RMB), breaking the previous record of 430,000 New Taiwan Dollars per 5kg and setting a new record for auctions of all Taiwan coffee categories...

How High Is This Price?

The most expensive beans on the market today are arguably the Red Label Gesha lots from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda that compete in the Best of Panama (BOP) each year, running some 20,000+ RMB per kilogram—over 110,000-120,000 RMB for 5kg...

This year's record-setting natural process winner isn't even a Gesha—yet the price matches top-tier Gesha! (Theoretically such comparisons shouldn't be made... but I couldn't resist.) So what did this year's Gesha special prize fetch? 320,000 New Taiwan Dollars (about 73,000 RMB) per 5kg. The washed special prize went for 100,000 New Taiwan Dollars per 5kg, and the honey process special prize for 50,000...

Zouzhuyuan's person in charge didn't seem surprised by the winning bid—last year's record of 430,000 New Taiwan Dollars (about 97,000 RMB) per 5kg also came from their estate, also bought by Lion Group... The group's representative said the company provides top-quality products and services to passengers on Taiwan Railway's "Mingrihao" sightseeing train and other operations. Last year they successfully bid for Alishan coffee for passengers to taste and earned unanimous praise, so they decided to bid again this year.

Zouzhuyuan added that in recent years foreign green coffee prices have soared, shipping costs are steep, and transit times are long, so bean freshness and quality suffer by the time they reach Taiwan. Meanwhile Alishan's cultivation techniques keep improving, and its beans now reach genuine specialty quality. The trade has recognized the opportunity with high-end consumers: instead of looking far afield, they're turning to locally grown Taiwanese coffee.

"Writer, your thoughts after reading this?" Suddenly, the cup of non-auction-grade Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Gesha in my hand smelled even more fragrant!

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Not everyone can bid half a million for a sack of beans—but great Gesha is more accessible than you might think. Gesha (Geisha) is the most celebrated arabica variety, prized for its unique florals and superb sweet-tart finish, yet scarce, disease-prone, and demanding to grow—which is why prices keep climbing. Knowing the tiers helps you buy smart.

From Panama, the cradle of Gesha's fame: FrontStreet's Esmeralda Red Label ("Esmeralda Special," grown at 1,600-1,800m and cupping above 90 points, each batch from a single plot) sits at the top, while the Green Label "Private Collection" blends batches across plots for the estate's signature high-altitude Gesha character at a friendlier price. The entry-level Boquete Gesha delivers that classic orange-blossom honey sweetness, oolong-tea texture and delicate fruit acidity at a beginner's budget.

From Ethiopia, Gesha's birthplace: the Granja (Genlana) Estate Gesha—hand-picked, raised-bed sun dried for 14-20 days—roasted medium-light shows bright citrus acidity, elegant ginger-flower aromatics, ripe fruit sweetness and Gesha's signature refined finish. For estate-grade Ethiopian Gesha, the Geisha Village Gold Label (Gesha 1931, natural process, 10% of the estate's output) and Red Label (Gori Gesha, scoring 88+ on the SCA 100-point scale) are the connoisseur's next step.