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A large percentage of these coffees come from Pacific Islands like Indonesia and are typically lively with herbal undertones. Asia's coffees are popular for their full body and mellow, earthy flavors.
The coffee's country of origin is largely a matter of subjective taste. Origin is important in that the comparative bean flavor between growing regions, even within the same country, can be quite different. |
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Australia:
Coffee was first grown in Australia between 1880 and 1926. The first trees were planted at Kangaroo Point--Brisbane--now just under the Storey Bridge. It grew from northern New South Wales to Cooktown in far north Queensland. In 1900, 50-60 coffee farmers produced 40% of Australia's coffee.
Australia imports around 50,000 tons of coffee a year. It produces approximately 600 tons. Of this, half is exported and the rest is used locally as a "boutique" product and for the tourist market and is used in blends or as a single origin coffee. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
3000 |
| 2002 |
3100 |
| 2003 |
3500 |
| 2004 |
3500 |
| 2005 |
3500 |
| 2006 |
3200 |
| 2007 |
3100 |
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China:
Chinese coffee is something of an enigma, even to those in the coffee industry. Saddled with a reputation for poor quality and sold most often as instant coffee. China's coffee is difficult to categorize and even more difficult to understand.
Over 80 percent of China's coffee is grown in the southernmost inland province of Yunnan, which boasts four or five growing regions, including Ruili and Baoshan. Robusta is also grown in Fujian and on Hainan Island, located along the southern coastline near Vietnam. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
286.666 |
| 2002 |
324.333 |
| 2003 |
385.666 |
| 2004 |
361.000 |
| 2005 |
450.000 |
| 2006 |
388.500 |
| 2007 |
400.500 |
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 |
India:
A popular legend attributes India's coffee industry to a Moslem pilgrim named Baba Budan, who smuggled seven coffee seeds out of Mecca in 1670. British colonial rulers developed coffee into a commercial crop that remained valuable until 1870 when Coffee Leaf Rust devastaed virtually all the country's plantings. In 1920, arabica was reintroduced and now accounts for about 50% of India's total crop. India is the second biggest producer in Asia and is responsible for 25% of Asian coffee production.
India's coffee grows between 2,900 and 5,900 feet above sea level, usually on terraces in the mountainous regions.
Coffees produced in India have more in common with Indonesian coffees than with coffees from Africa or the Arabian Peninsula. Good Indian coffees are grown in the states of Karnatka (formerly Mysore - approximately 80% of Indian coffee is grown here), Kerala, and Tamilnadu (formerly Madras). In good years, these coffees can contain acidity typical of Guatemalan coffee, and the full body of a good Javanese coffee. In addition, these coffees incorporate the unique spicy flavors of nutmeg, clove, cardamon and pepper.
India also produces monsoon coffees, in which green beans have been exposed to the monsoon winds, blowing through open warehouses in India's rainy season. This process reduces acidity and enhances sweetness, making them similar to Indonesian aged coffees. Originally, monsoon coffees were the result of the coffees journey to England in warm, damp clipper ship's holds during the monsoon season. The "green" beans are easily recognizable by their distinctive straw yellow color.
|
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
5.016.666 |
| 2002 |
5.016.888 |
| 2003 |
4.583.333 |
| 2004 |
4.516.666 |
| 2005 |
4.583.333 |
| 2006 |
4.566.666 |
| 2007 |
4.583.333 |
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Indonesia:
Indonesia is now the fourth largest coffee producer in the world after Vietnam. A large proportion of the crop is Robusta. The great arabica coffees are grown on the gigantic islands of the Malay Archipelago; Sumatra, Sulawesi and Java. However, only 10% of the crop is Arabica, and the number of quality beans available for the specialty coffee industry is limited. Even though they are a small percentage of total production, Arabica coffees from this region are considered some of the best in the world, and are prized for their richness, full body, long finish, earthiness and gentle acidity. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
9.586.000 |
| 2002 |
11.367.000 |
| 2003 |
11.438.666 |
| 2004 |
11.667.500 |
| 2005 |
12.700.166 |
| 2006 |
10.877.250 |
| 2007 |
11.091.333 |
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Papua New Guinea:Earth's second largest island, New Guinea lies just north of Australia and is divided down it's centre between the country of Papua New Guinea on the east and Indonesia's Irian Jaya province to the west.
Papua New Guinea, which occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, is usually where coffee labelled New Guinea is grown. Cultivation started in 1937 with seeds imported from Jamaica's Blue Mountain region. Coffee is cultivated by peasants on small plantations in the mountain highlands around Mt. Hagen, and processed using the wet method. Two of New Guinea's most famous coffees are Sigri and Arona. These coffees are less acidic and aromatic than the best coffees of Sulawesi and less full-bodied than the best Sumatrans, but nonetheless they are well-balanced with a fruity aroma and earthy body. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
1.041.000 |
| 2002 |
1.108.000 |
| 2003 |
1.147.000 |
| 2004 |
1.002.000 |
| 2005 |
1.250.000 |
| 2006 |
781.500 |
| 2007 |
1.256.200 |
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Philippines:The Philippines produce predominately robusta, of the Canephora, Liberia, and Excelsa varieties, as well as a little arabica. This Excelsa, brought in 1740 by a Spanish Franciscan monk, was extremely well farmed but decimated in 1889 by Hemileia Vastatrix. The American administration introduced the other varieties then and, today, The Philippines are the 3rd largest Asian producer and 16th world producer. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
1.871.166 |
| 2002 |
1.784.666 |
| 2003 |
1.773.166 |
| 2004 |
1.714.666 |
| 2005 |
1.764.833 |
| 2006 |
1.734.500 |
| 2007 |
1.766.750 |
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Vietnam:
Another Asian country with a large coffee production is Vietnam. Coffee originally came to this country in the mid-nineteenth century when French missionaries brought arabica trees from the island of Bourbon and planted them around Tonkin. They flourished. More recently, coffee has been re-introduced and the coffee industry is growing so rapidly that Vietnam is rapidly becoming one of the world's largest producers. Today, small plantations, located in the southern half of the country, produce mostly robusta coffee. In the cup, Vietnamese coffee has a light acidity and mild body with a good balance. It is frequently used for blending. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
14.010.000 |
| 2002 |
11.658.333 |
| 2003 |
11.438.666 |
| 2004 |
11.667.500 |
| 2005 |
12.700.166 |
| 2006 |
14.225.500 |
| 2007 |
17.666.666 |
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