Last stop. We come to the end of this long journey. A series of four articles in which we explored the importance of speciality coffee around the world. So far we have covered more than 20 countries, across 3 continents. South America, Central America y Africa.

Customs, geography, politics and coffee have taken us to the most exotic and unlikely places on the planet to end our journey in Asia. In addition to surprising aromas and flavours, adverse weather conditions, poor infrastructure and transport, and even a direct competitor when it comes to infused beverages: tea, await us. In these conditions we take off to some of the countries that an untrained eye would not have expected to find on this list.

Vietnamese coffee

A long war against the US, coupled with other turbulence, leaves serious consequences. And extreme poverty is one of them. Coffee has been an important lever of transformation for Vietnam's economy. So much so that Vietnam is now the world's second largest coffee producer, second only to Brazil. But Vietnam is not always synonymous with excellence when it comes to coffee.

Interestingly, the first coffee plantations planted in Vietnam were Arabica. However, about 95% of the current crop is robusta. This leaves little room for speciality coffees.However, there are signs that this may be changing.

Within natural processing, it is becoming less and less common to pay attention only to quantity. Improvements in sorting techniques and quality controls are more widespread than a few years ago. Increasingly sustainable cultivation practices due to water scarcity, and a return to the origins, are indicative of what may be to come.

Coffee from China

Almost all coffee produced in China comes from Yunnan province. Although it is a region with a long tradition of tea cultivation, this has been changing in recent decades. Tea has been rooted in the country for more than 2,700 years. However, the rapid urbanisation of China, and the increased frequency of people travelling abroad, and experimenting with other cultures, has led to an increase in coffee consumption.

Yunnan's altitudes, between 800 and 1800 metres above sea level, are excellent for coffee trees. So much so that it is known as the "Coffee Capital of China". This increase in consumption is also having a positive effect on coffee quality. In addition to the interest and enthusiasm of producers to learn more and more about speciality coffee.

At the 2017 Yunnan International Coffee Exchange (YCE), the competition's international judges confirmed the potential of Chinese coffee. They awarded a score of 85.54 to the winning coffee.

Indonesian coffee

The Dutch East India Company brought coffee to Indonesia in the early 18th century. At that time 100% of the production was Arabica.

Today it is less than 20%, even though it is one of the world's leading coffee producers.

Several factors affect the export of Indonesian coffee, to name a few: 

• Difficult access to remote regions of the country.
• Irregular production due to humidity.
• The fluctuation in the exchange rate of the US dollar to the Indonesian rupiah.

Favourable points are: 

• The great diversity of high-end speciality coffees.
• A growing interest, on the part of coffee drinkers, in trying all these varieties.

This means that there are excellent quality coffees in Indonesia. Proof of this are the coffees from Java and Sumatra. With smoky aromas, chocolate and herbaceous flavours, full body and low acidity.

Due to their scarcity, these coffees command the highest prices on the market.

Coffee from Papua New Guinea

The emergence of Papua New Guinea's speciality coffee is fairly recent. However, the country's good conditions have helped a lot. These include rich soil, a suitable climate, and increasing knowledge on the part of the farmers.

Sometimes overshadowed by neighbouring Indonesia, it has been rewarded for the efforts of The Coffee Industry Corporation Limited (CIC) to regulate the industry, and improve the sustainability and quality of production. About 90% of PNG's production is arabica, and the incomes of nearly half a million households depend on coffee cultivation.

In most cases the plantations are not on farms, but in the "gardens" of these small producers. PNG has seen how the export of its coffee has been displaced by other countries offering more competitive prices, such as Tanzania. This has prompted the CIC to work to improve the quality of the country's production. Its mild, fairly sweet, full-bodied coffees with medium acidity already have a place in speciality markets.

East Timor Coffee

Coffee runs through East Timor's veins. It accounts for 80% of the country's crop revenue. It is the second most valuable export, second only to oil. And the economy of a third of the population depends on it.

Production is expanding and quality continues to improve. Its good relations with Australia are crystallising into support for boosting East Timor's economic growth. In addition to the positive impact on sustainability and gender inequality.

Investment in infrastructure and farmers' knowledge, coupled with fertile soil, good climate and altitudes between 1,300 and 1,900 metres, are good for producing quality coffees. Arabica is the country's predominant species, and Letefoho is the main growing region.

Myanmar coffee

Myanmar, the former Burma until 1989, has a long tradition of coffee cultivation. But it also grows another plant with very different characteristics, including its illegality: opium.

A UN project has for some time been encouraging the cultivation of coffee trees to replace opium plantations. This has led to a renaissance of the coffee industry in recent years. Eighty per cent of production is Arabica.

Myanmar's coffee scores have been on the rise for decades, which is an indication of its potential. Moreover, 2015 was a turning point thanks to the support of associations such as Winrock International and the Coffee Quality Institute. The country's farmers are now being assisted in grading coffee, improving its qualities, and entering speciality markets. We won't say that Myanmar coffee is intoxicating, because that would be easy to misinterpret, but it is very smooth and exotic.

Indian coffee

Legend has it that seven coffee beans, hidden in Baba Budan's robe in the 1600s, were the first to be cultivated in the country. It is possible that this famous figure, on his return from Mecca, introduced coffee to the country. However, it was the British commercial zeal that expanded its cultivation for export.

In the land of chai tea, something similar is happening in China. The rise of the upper middle class brings with it stays abroad, and with it new habits. Like coffee consumption. In countries with a population like India's, we are talking about what could be more than 500 million people by 2025.

Most Indian coffee is grown on small plots of land, on farms between 700 and 1200 metres above sea level. Traditional methods are used that grow the coffee trees in symbiosis with spices (such as vanilla or pepper) and fruit trees. This positively affects the aromas and flavours of the resulting beans. In terms of quality, very good scores are already being achieved. Reaching more than 85 points in some tastings.

Thank you for choosing us and joining us on this journey. It was clear to us that a very good way to start in the world of speciality coffee was to review its geography. This way you will be able to understand all its complexity. Not only its variety of tastes and fragrances, which is a lot. But also to understand how their origin and production affect the final result.

We have visited almost every corner of the planet where many people coordinate to grow a quality product to fill cups and accompany the moments of other people around the globe.  

At Syra Coffee we believe that now is the time for you to choose, taste and experience the place in the world whose coffee is most special to your palate. Only you can discover it.