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The Coffee Atlas
Taiwan Alishan
Taiwan's Alishan, the high-mountain Chiayi County coffee grown near 1,000-1,400 m, with averaged Coffee Review scores, real varieties, and honest citations.
Flavor profile
avg. of 3 published reviewsScale: 1-10, Coffee Review / SCA-classic-form convention. Averaged from 3 independently published Coffee Review sub-scores of washed Alishan lots: Alishan Washed (Grass Coffee Roaster, November 2022, overall 93), Taiwan Washed Alishan Ching-Ye Farm SL34 (Kakalove Cafe, April 2022, overall 94), and Taiwan Alishan Qing Ye Estate So'ngna Washed (GK Coffee, July 2025, overall 95). Coffee Review publishes whole-number sub-scores, so the averages (acidity 8.7, aftertaste 8.3) only reflect which lots were picked. Three lots from three farms and three varieties is a small, self-selected sample: Coffee Review tends to publish standout Taiwanese lots, so this likely runs higher than an average commercial Alishan cup.
What it tastes like
Alishan is the mountain district of Chiayi County where Taiwan’s most expensive coffees grow, and it is a young specialty origin built on an old crop. Coffee reached Taiwan in 1884 and was expanded commercially under Japanese rule, but today’s Alishan reputation rests on small farms at roughly 1,000 to 1,400 meters, many of them planted to Gesha, SL34, and rarer selections.
What the reviews have in common is sweetness over weight. The three washed lots averaged here describe strawberry, honey, and baking chocolate, with florals such as narcissus and freesia and a cedar or marjoram edge, all in a medium-light to medium roast. The SL34 from Ching-Ye Farm reads sweet-tart and juicy; the So’ngna landrace lot from Qing Ye Estate reads high-toned and floral in the manner of a Gesha.
Treat “Alishan” as a place, not a flavor: the lots differ by variety, farm, and process, and the highest-profile ones are naturals and honeys that this washed-lot average does not describe. Volumes are also small, so specific lots sell out quickly.
How to brew it
Method fit for this origin · editorial guidance from roaster convention
Floral, berry-toned washed lots with gentle to vivid acidity are the kind of cup a filter brew is built to show.
Sweet-tart, full-bodied lots can work as a bright shot, but the delicate florals are easy to lose.
Full immersion suits the satiny body described in the reviews, at the cost of some aromatic clarity.
⚠ Fit tiers are editorial guidance drawn from roaster convention; no industry standard scores brew fit, so we show tiers, never invented numbers. Reflects common roaster practice of selling Alishan lots as light-to-medium roasts for filter brewing (the Coffee Review lots were roasted medium and medium-light), not an SCA-defined standard.
Altitude & region
Growing elevation, meters above sea level · this entry vs comparison bands
Alishan's own range is built from a Cup of Excellence farm listing and Bean & Bean Coffee Roasters' farm pages (see Sources & data), not one official table. Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Brazil Cerrado, and Vietnam Robusta are shown for scale using the same typical origin bands already published elsewhere on this site, not lot-specific measurements.
Caffeine content
Caffeine by dry weight · each gold dot = 0.1%
Caffeine content tracks species, not origin, altitude, or processing: roughly 1.2% for Arabica versus roughly 2.2% for Robusta (see Sources & data). Alishan's specialty lots are Arabica; no credible per-origin caffeine figure exists at a category level, so this is a species comparison only, not a measurement of any Alishan lot.
Where to buy it
Transparency: some links on this site are affiliate links; if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Roasters are picked for genuine, current sourcing of this coffee, never for who pays us.
Queens, New York roaster that has offered several Alishan lots (Gesha and SL34, washed and natural); individual lots sell out, so check current stock.
View lot→Specialty roaster that has listed an Alishan SL34 Natural from JinYunSin Tea Coffee Farm; the lot was sold out when checked, so look for restocks or current Taiwan lots.
View lot→Selection varies; check roast date, 100% Alishan labeling, and seller reviews before buying.
View lot→Sources & data
- Coffee Review: Alishan Washed, Grass Coffee RoasterCupping scores, November 2022 (1 of 3 averaged): washed, Four Elements Farm, Alishan
- Coffee Review: Taiwan Washed Alishan Ching-Ye Farm SL34, Kakalove CafeCupping scores, April 2022 (2 of 3 averaged): SL34, washed, medium roast
- Coffee Review: Taiwan Alishan Qing Ye Estate So'ngna Washed, GK CoffeeCupping scores, July 2025 (3 of 3 averaged): So'ngna landrace, washed, medium-light roast
- Cup of Excellence Farm Directory: Ding-Feng Estatecafe, Taiwan 2024Alishan-area farm in Chiayi County at 1,000-1,200 m, washed Gesha
- Bean & Bean Coffee Roasters: Taiwan Alishan Royal Bean Gesha WashedAlishan, Chiayi County farm at 1,200 m, Gesha, washed process
- Bean & Bean Coffee Roasters: Taiwan Alishan Zou Zhou Yuan Estate Gesha NaturalAlishan farm at 1,300 m, Gesha, natural process
- Bean & Bean Coffee Roasters: Taiwan, a Rising Star in Specialty CoffeeFarms at 1,300-1,400 m, 1884 arrival of coffee, expansion under Japanese rule (1895-1945), modern revival
- Paradise Roasters: Taiwan Alishan SL34 NaturalJinYunSin Tea Coffee Farm, Alishan, about 1,200 m, SL34 natural lot
- Wikipedia: Coffee in TaiwanCommercial production began under Japanese rule; domestic output was small (856 tons in 2023)
- Development of a fast and simple method to identify pure Arabica coffee and blended coffee by Infrared Spectroscopy (J. Food Sci. Technol., 2021, PMC8292507)Peer-reviewed, open-access: "Arabica beans usually presents 1.0 to 1.5% w.w-1 of caffeine and Robusta beans presents 2.0 to 2.5% w.w-1" (source's own wording), basis for the 1.2% Arabica / 2.2% Robusta figures