Three cousins
After Morakot, Yishanmu shut down for two years, not reopening until the end of 2011. At that time, there were already more than a dozen families in the village that had joined the local coffee producers’ cooperative, which sells their coffee to Yishanmu.
From the cultivation of the coffee trees to the roasting of the beans to the brewing of the coffee, every detail can affect the flavor of the beverage. For that reason, Mege has developed a special curriculum to raise understanding of coffee among local farmers. All of them now recognize the importance of avoiding pesticides and herbicides and of using labor-intensive natural farming techniques.
Isamu and Mege have played different roles in the process that has turned Kungadavane into a coffee town. Mege is extraverted and animated and has strong organizational skills. She is extremely good at conveying the gist of coffee growing techniques to the old farmers of the village. On the other hand, Isamu is a coffee connoisseur, well versed in the art of brewing and savoring a fine cup of joe.
It turns out that Isamu’s Paiwan relatives in his hometown in Pingtung are all coffee experts. His older brother in the Tukuvule tribal settlement (known as Dewen in Chinese) and his cousin in Makazayazaya (Majia in Chinese) have separately been operating coffee plantations (Kaduvoo and La Tuvutulj). They both produce brands of coffee with appellations that derive from their respective plantations, which have acquired a measure of renown.
As the son-in-law of a Rukai family, Isamu hasn’t allowed his elders to outdo him. He and his wife Mege have created their own brand of locally grown coffee, called Kungadavane after the village. In addition, the cousins have launched a joint promotional campaign under the heading Demaduo, which combines the pronunciations of the first syllable in each of the Chinese names of their three villages. Together they have thus raised the profile of high-quality local beans that have been earning much praise within the industry.
Hot in Hawaii
Mege reveals that at a coffee competition held in Taiwan the year before last, coffee experts from Hawaii, a leading realm of organic coffee, were stunned by the high quality of three samples of organic coffee they tasted. One of these was Demaduo’s. After visiting production areas in Tukuvule, Makazayazaya and Kungadavane, they signed a 15-year supply agreement with the three growers. The deal offers proof positive that Taiwan coffee can meet the demands of Western coffee mavens.
When Maolin’s Deleriga Bridge was completed in April of this year, it ended the transportation inconveniences that had plagued Maolin since Morakot. Getting to Kungadavane is much easier now. The veil has once again been removed from this mountain valley community. Now 40–50 tour buses are coming each weekend, and many travelers rush straight for the coffee as soon as they arrive.
But Kungadavane’s coffee, however high in quality, is produced in such small quantities that travelers might not be able to get any even when they make the trip up there. When visitors say they want to drink the local brew but supplies are exhausted, their hostess Mege will tactfully suggest that they try coffee from Tukuvule or Makazayazaya instead. The flavors of those coffees might differ slightly, but the beans have been cultivated with no less sincerity.
A soulful brew
Customers visiting Yishanmu can pick beans that have been treated a variety of ways. For instance, those who like a strong flavor can pick “sun dried” beans. Mege explains that this method, wherein you allow the whole bean including its shell to dry in the hot sun of the southern mountains, best captures the local flavor.
After the beans have been selected, the man of the house steps forward to demonstrate the art of brewing coffee. Although Isamu is highly skilled at creating patterns in the foam of cappuccinos, he recommends that first-time visitors try Yishanmu’s highest-quality unblended coffee black. “The truest flavor,” he says, is best.
Thanks to coffee, and to the hard work of Mege and Isamu, Kungadavane has moved out from under the dark legacy of Morakot. In front of Yishanmu’s stone-slab building is a sign that reads: “Mu-da-a-na.” It’s Rukai for “welcome.”