Malaysia coffee cultivation and production
Malaysia coffee cultivation and production starts to take a great role in the coffee growth in the world today!
Coffee legend
There have long been many versions of how coffee was first discovered, such as the legends of the shepherds and the legends of the Arabian monks.
This legend comes from the Lebanese linguist Fast Nainoni's "The Abbey That Never Sleeps" in 1671. This story takes place in the Ethiopian plateau, which is what we call Ethiopia. A shepherd found that his sheep kept jumping up and down after eating a red fruit. He thought it was amazing, so he picked the fruit and gave it to the monks in the monastery. The coffee fruit spread.
Another story is very similar, except that the bird chirped loudly after observing it. Therefore, human's attempts to new foods are not only: some people dare to eat crabs, but also some people first discover animals that eat a certain food. One thing is the same, no matter what the characters and background of the story are, the red fruit of coffee first originated from the Ethiopian Plateau in Africa.
Variety of coffee in Malaysia
Coffee beans are mainly divided into three categories: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica (also translated as Liberica). 70% of the world's coffee production comes from Aracabi species, followed by Robusta species with more than 20%, and Liberica species with only about 3%. Under the three major native species, there are, of course, many smaller species, as well as many hybrid species that are used to resist pests and extreme climates.
Arabica coffee: A premium coffee bean with great taste and aroma.
Arabica is a representative variety of the Ethiopian plateau. It is grown in Africa, Asia and other places. It is a tropical and subtropical high-altitude crop. It is not resistant to high temperature and dryness, excessive humidity and low temperature frost damage. It has weak resistance to diseases and insect pests and has a long growth time. , the beans are firm. Three well-known species, the Hawaiian kana, the Jamaican blue mountain, and the Yemeni mocha, all belong to the Arabica. However, this does not mean that aracabbies are the highest quality coffee beans. Recalling the introduction that M made at the time when he was promoting his coffee, it was just a publicity stunt, and Aracabi beans were so different, as if between people, sometimes even beyond species.
Robusta coffee: The sour taste is strong and strong.
Robusta coffee is native to the Congo, Africa, and has strong resistance to pests and diseases and can be planted at high temperatures, grows quickly, is easy to plant, and is cheap, but rich in caffeine, and some robusta beans from India, Indonesia and other places have a strong sour taste and a strong bitter taste, and are mainly used in matching beans or instant coffee.
Liberica coffee: Nutty main note, with strong smoky and woody notes.
Compared with the first two main varieties, Liberica coffee belongs to the forgotten corner. A relatively rare yield variety. It has lower caffeine content than the first two beans, the taste is not friendly enough, it looks dull and gloomy, of course you can also interpret it as a strong personality, the aftertaste is indescribable, and even more indescribable in words. Additionally, liberica is sweeter than most aracabies and robusta beans, so special roasting methods are required to roast its texture. Now this breed is the main producing area in Malaysia.
Coffee Regions and Coffee Growing Regions in Malaysia.
Coffee trees are suitable for cultivation in tropical and subtropical regions between the Tropic of Cancer. Various latitudes, altitudes, sunshine, soil minerals, temperature differences between day and night, rainfall, growth cycles, etc., will affect the quality and taste of coffee. Like wine, there are differences between growing regions and estates.
Malaysia is a major producer of beans. However, due to competition from other cash crops in Malaysia, such as palm oil, rubber, durian, etc., the number of coffee trees planted is decreasing year by year. Meanwhile, Aracabi and Robusta produce 20-25kg of carob per 100kg of fruit, while Liberica can only produce around 7kg. Poor production, poor craftsmanship, poor roasting, and low sales have become a nightmare for early Liberica growers. However, after the efforts of the new generation of coffee people in Malaysia, especially influenced by the coffee culture in Taiwan, many came to Taiwan to learn coffee roasting. After returning to Malaysia, they explored the traditional Malay white coffee according to the characteristics of Liberica. The baking method summed up the baking characteristics of Liberica, forming a unique flavor characteristic. Liberica has the prerequisites to enter the boutique coffee.
Liberica coffee is grown in Malaysia today.
At present, the Johor state government in Malaysia has promoted the planting of 35,000 coffee trees by 2020, and plans to further promote the coffee this year, with an estimated 40,000 trees. At the same time, in the 12th Malaysia Plan released on September 27, 2021, the federal government is preparing to allocate RM4.5 million to develop coffee planting infrastructure, processing equipment, and pest control technology.
In addition, in order to increase the added value of coffee, major coffee growers are also encouraged to purchase coffee equipment:
1. Coffee bean processing equipment: coffee bean roaster; coffee stone removal machine; coffee grinder
2. Coffee Packing Equipment: Coffee Bean Packaging Equipment, Hanging ear drip bag coffee packing machine, Instant coffee packing machine.
In Malaysia, the area under coffee cultivation increased from 2,114 hectares in 2019 to 2,200 hectares in 2020; production in 2020 was 4,241 metric tons, compared to 3,559 metric tons in 2019, with the main producing states being Johor and Sabah. It is hoped that the coffee industry in Malaysia can grow further and introduce Liberica, a small coffee variety, to more people, so that we can drink more Malaysian coffee. Thank you Malaysian Coffee!