Hainan forges coffee culture

By Zeng Liang

CRI, April 27, 2011

Coffee is not a luxury here. A cup of freshly brewed java costs only three yuan. But the taste is second to none. One tourist said he was surprised to find such good coffee in the county.

"The taste is really good," he said. "I think it is better than Nestlé's. The coffee is full-bodied with a pleasant, sweet finish."

What it takes to grow good coffee is rich soil and reliable rainfall. Chu Zhong, Vice Director of the Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden said the county enjoys a favorable geographical location which produces the best coffee.

"The coffee here is of high quality," Chu said. "Xinglong is at altitude from 0 degree to 18 degrees and has plenty of rainfall, so it is very suitable for growing Robusta (coffee beans)."

Coffee beans can generally be divided into two categories: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica beans are mild and aromatic, while Robusta beans are very bitter but have 50 percent more of caffeine than Arabica beans. Most parts of Hainan grow high quality Robusta beans.

But if quality is not a problem, then why isn't Hainan coffee on the blue-ribbon list of the best coffee in the world?

"Compared with foreign brands, we lag far behind in terms of brand marketing and packaging," said Wu Huasong, Vice President of the Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden. "We didn't make good use of our advantages to do promotions."

The good thing is that coffee makers here have realized the problem and are making an effort to change the situation. For example, Fushan Coffee, another major coffee producer in Hainan, hosted a coffee cultural festival last year to attract more tourists. The Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden has created a special tour where visitors can see coffee trees, learn how coffee is made, taste samples and take some beans home if they like. The garden has also managed to combine research, planting and production, sightseeing and scientific popularization.