Taitung Taimali Coffee 225g TWD $1,200

 Region : Taitung Taimali 

Altitude : 800 m

Varietal&Process : Arabica, Water washed, Sun dried 

Roasting Level : Medium/Light

Tasting Note : Sea Salt, Peanuts, Jasmine 

Taimali district stretches along the south east coast of Taiwan, south of the city of Taitung. In this part of Taiwan, the mountains rise sharply from the coast with road and rail links clinging to the edge of cliffs. Steep often single lane roads climb precipitously towards coffee farms perched at 1-2,000m above this coast. From many of these farms the views back across the expanse of the Pacific Ocean are spectacular.

 These same farms face challenging weather conditions. This coast will experience annual typhoons, usually from July to October. Several typhoons per year would be a normal season. Sea salt carries in the air well into the mountain valleys and gorges. The landscape favours heathers and mosses. Farmers here are a hardy people – strong Aboriginal communities have their ancestral lands here, many driven into the mountains following foreign occupation and settlement. As elsewhere in Taiwan, land owners here farm hybrid crops but the east coast sees higher prevalence of fruit and less tea farmed. Coffee is a more recent crop arrival and suits these more stringent conditions well. Crop size remains small and farmers more isolated than other districts. Yields are rarely greater than ten metric tons annually.

 Most farmers sell directly at the farm door and offer basic tasting facilities for those visitors brave enough to visit. Visitors will invariably find beans roasted only lightly and an absence of milk and sugar offered. Some cafes will post signs expressly declining to provide milk and sugar. Thus the strength of opinion on what flavour should be.Locals have a strong sense of the sea salt and wild heather influencing the character of the beans.