Taiwan Today

“First Rays Coffee” from Huayuan Village, Taimali Township in southeastern Taitung County, where the first rays of the sun hit Taiwan every morning, is emerging as a new competitor in the local java market. Farmers in the area began growing coffee four years ago. In addition to their coffee bean production, they are also working to make Huayuan Village known throughout Taiwan as a coffee center. The village used to produce large quantities of oranges and tangerines before it switched to other crops, such as betel nuts and custard apples, pointed out Wu Xiu-feng, leader of the fourth coffee production and marketing unit in Taimali, adding that the Huayuan mountain area faces the Pacific Ocean and the sea breeze carries with it a certain amount of sodium. Coupled with the large variance in day and night temperatures in the area, Huayuan offers a climate that is extremely well suited to growing coffee, Wu said. Wu further noted that professor Wang Yue-wen from National Taiwan University's Department of Agronomy discovered in his research that the Huayuan coffee carries a unique flavor with a fairly high level of oil as well as sweetness. The coffee is pleasing to the palate and is a classic type of "island coffee," Wang remarked, adding that there is a significant potential for the coffee to develop into an industry. Both Wu and her husband like coffee. They used to live and work in other parts of Taiwan, and decided to move back to Taimali to grow coffee after sensing the strong demand for coffee in urban areas. Coffee cultivation in the area eventually reached economic scale after some seven or eight other local farmers joined in the couple’s initiative, which involves using organic fertilizers, said Wu. The coffee is grown at an altitude of over 400 meters above sea level, with the trees facing the Huayuan Bay to greet the beauty of daybreak each day. Wu said the altitude offers viewers a vista far out onto the ocean, even including glimpses of Green Island and Orchid Isle. The idyllic setting simply makes Huayuan a perfect place to relax.