“This competition comprehensively evaluates the participating coffee beans based on 10 criteria, including aroma and taste,” said Li Xiaojiao, a national high-end coffee master and a judge for the 2024 Hainan Robusta Coffee Green Bean Competition, on June 27. Hainan Robusta coffee has a rich floral aroma and an overall good taste.

The competition, jointly hosted by the Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Wanning Municipal People’s Government, opened in Wanning, Hainan on June 27. It is also the first Robusta coffee green bean competition in Hainan Province, with 31 enterprises, farms, cooperatives and individuals from eight cities and counties in the province participating, with a total of 69 Robusta coffee green beans competing.

Robusta coffee trees are intermediate between shrubs and trees, and their fruits are slightly rounder and smaller than those of Arabica. This species can grow at low altitudes and high temperatures, and is widely cultivated in countries such as Vietnam, Brazil, and India. Hainan is the largest producer of Robusta coffee in China, and has a century-long history of coffee cultivation, processing, and sales at home and abroad.

Zhang Liqiang, deputy director of Hainan Provincial Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department, said, “Hainan is one of the first regions in the country to grow coffee, and the relationship between Hainan and coffee spans more than a hundred years. This conference is an important platform for developing Hainan’s coffee industry into a high-quality one, discovering more high-quality coffee beans, unleashing the innovative vitality and potential of Hainan’s coffee industry, and leading Hainan coffee to the world.”

Wang Sanfang, mayor of Wanning city, said, “In recent years, Wanning has developed the Xinglong coffee industry into a key industry, and Wanning has now become an important area for coffee growing, processing and trading in Hainan Province. Through this event, we hope to use the competition as a medium to discover and promote Hainan’s high-quality coffee, and allow people to experience the profound content of coffee culture.”

Through contests, auctions, information-sharing sessions and other formats, the conference aims to promote Hainan Robusta coffee, foster exchanges and interactions among coffee-producing regions across Hainan, and improve the quality of Robusta coffee. (c)CNS/JCM/AFPBB News