BAISHENGCUN COFFEE FARM
For the coffee connoisseur, Taiwan is an often overlooked paradise. In urban areas, specialty coffee shops are so numerous that it’s difficult to choose the best one. And, even in the countryside, and especially in areas that see any tourism, remote cafes offering high quality pour-over or siphon coffee are the norm. Even the country’s ubiquitous 24-hour convenience stores chains, 7-11 and Family Mart, have started offering made-to-order single-origin coffees at most of their locations.
The entrance to the farm is marked by a massive boulder. (right)
In spite of the local fascination with high quality coffee, it’s rare to find a shop serving locally-grown coffee beans. In fact, African and South American coffee beans are preferred by most urban coffee shops. This is surprising, as Taiwan has been cultivating coffee for close to 200 years, and local terroir rivals that of Jamaica’s famous Blue Mountains. To try local coffee, it’s usually easier to travel outside of the city.
Baishengcun Coffee Farm in Nantou is one of the only farms in Taiwan to offer an interactive coffee bean experience. From farm tours, introductions to machinery and processing, and even DIY roasting experiences where you may roast your own 100g of beans. The farm’s story begins with a father and son (Chuen-Shian Su and Leon Su) concerned about the ecological friendliness of their farm. At the time their farm cultivated areca palm—also known as betel nut trees—which are notorious for their landslide-inducing shallow roots. Under the guidance of a professor from a nearby university, they planted their first lot of coffee trees.
Faced with environmental challenges of raising coffee at the low altitude of 500-600 meters, they poured in their heart and soul into coffee bean fermentation, roasting methods, and resorted to only using natural fertilizer. It was a fantastic surprise when their coffee received a score of 84.92 from the Specialty Coffee Association. As the farm grew, journey has also greatly improved the soil and water conservation in the area by removing a lot of the areca palms, fostering a more sustainable environment.
If you are passionate about coffee or are curious about how this miracle is achieved, visit their 10-acre Baishengcun Coffee Farm between September to December to be able to participate hands-on in coffee bean picking and roasting. Another option, would be heading over to Tainan’s Dachu Coffee Estate for more award-winning Taiwanese coffee.
