By Steven Crook Translated by Iva Huang

Coffee growing has a long history in Taiwan. A British tea company planted coffee trees here in 1884, and by 1940, more than a thousand hectares were given over to the crop. During World War II, however, many coffee farmers reverted to growing food.
It is only in the last few years that Taiwanese coffee has become a brand in its own right, with Dongshan in Tainan County being one of the places now synomynous with the beverage.

Coffee trees grown for commercial purposes can be divided into two basic categories: Arabica, and Robusta. Generally, gourmet blends are made entirely from Arabica beans, while cheaper blends are often a mix of Arabica and Robusta beans. Arabica beans are considered to produce a superior taste; Robusta beans are somewhat bitter. But Robusta trees produce far more beans, are more pest resistant, and are therefore cheaper.

Dongshan's coffee farmers cultivate about 35 hectares of Arabica. One of the best places to get close to the coffee trees--and enjoy a cup of the local brew--is ZhuGongZaiCuo (tel (06) 686-1702, just off the road that leads to the Cingshan XianGong Temple). If you drive towards the hills near Guanziling, you'll see signs leading the way to this and other coffee shops.

The coffee trees here are shaded by betel nut and fruit trees (Arabica thrives best with no more than two hours of direct sunlight each day). Often, on the same tree, one can find both green (unripe) and red (ripe) berries. Each berry contains two coffee beans.
ZhuGongZaiCuo has user-friendly paths and steps going up the hillside, while the coffee shop has superb view over the lowlands.

Other notable coffee-growing areas in Taiwan are Nantou County's Huisun Forest Farm, and Yunlin County's Gukeng area, in particular Hebaoshan.