Search Results for: Zouzhuyuan
Alishan Coffee Auction Sets Historic Record: Natural Process Special Prize Lots Hammer Down at NT$520,000, Non-Geisha Varieties Fetch Top Geisha Prices
The 2022 Alishan Estate Coffee Elite Exchange Competition and Green Bean Matchmaking Evaluation was held on May 11. Competing beans were divided into four groups by processing method: washed, natural, honey, and Geisha. Participants had to submit parchment and green beans, which the organizers uniformly roasted, and then 15 CQI-certified Q-Graders conducted sensory evaluations using the SCA cupping form. Only beans scoring 80 or above could participate in the auction. In the auction the next day, the special prize in the natural group, Zouzhuyuan Coffee Beans, started bidding at NT$60,000 and soared all the way to NT$520,000/5kg, won by the Lion Group, setting a new record for Taiwanese coffee bean auctions. Notably, these beans were not of the Geisha variety, yet they fetched a top-tier Geisha price, while the special prize in the Geisha group was only NT$320,000. This article takes you through the ins and outs of this sky-high bidding and analyzes the industrial logic behind the rise of Taiwan's local coffee. [more…]
Convenience Stores Enter the Specialty Coffee Game: 7-ELEVEN Launches Limited-Time Alishan Geisha, Three Price Points Spark Debate
A convenience store selling Geisha—doesn't that sound a bit surprising? Taiwan region's 7-ELEVEN, operated by Uni-President Group, recently announced that it would offer a limited-time release of three Geisha coffees from Alishan at 18 stores with specialty coffee sections, priced at NT$250 to NT$500, equivalent to about 57 to 114 yuan. Once the news broke, discussions among netizens quickly heated up: some complained it was expensive, arguing that convenience store coffee should follow an affordable路线; others applauded, feeling this could make Geisha seem more approachable. This batch of beans comes from Fengshan Village in Alishan and the Doyuxiang Geisha Estate, the latter of which just won first prize in the Geisha category at this year's Alishan Coffee Estate Elite Exchange Competition. Is 7-ELEVEN's move an attempt to elevate its brand image, or a test of the convenience store coffee pricing system? This article takes you through the full backstory of the event and discusses the price and value of Geisha coffee. [more…]