Xinglong Coffee

Xinglong Coffee

Xinglong Coffee is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Coffee (Wanning)

　　　Hainan is China’s main coffee-producing region, and many coffee brands source their raw materials from Xinglong Coffee. Xinglong Coffee preserves the original aroma and flavor of coffee—rich, smooth, and uniquely distinctive.

　　The coffee beans are rich in caffeine, reducing sugars, zinc, and more, offering benefits such as stimulation, diuresis, heart strengthening, and anti-aging. Prepared using traditional overseas Chinese roasting methods, the brewed coffee fills the room with aroma and boasts excellent color, aroma, and taste.

　　Premier Zhou made Xinglong Coffee famous. “Xinglong Coffee is world-class. I’ve tried many foreign coffees, but our own homegrown coffee tastes better.” On February 7, 1960, Premier - visited the Xinglong Farm and spoke highly of the coffee after tasting it.

　　     A cup of richly aromatic coffee and a kind-hearted premier wrote a beautiful legacy for Xinglong Coffee.

　　At its peak, Xinglong Coffee covered a planting area of over 4,000 mu, with coffee plantations visible all over the farm. Nearly every household on the farm grew coffee, and coffee income was a major economic pillar for farmers.

　　　Xinglong Coffee was introduced to Xinglong, Hainan in 1953. At that time, the Xinglong Overseas Chinese Farm had just been established. To implement the strategy of “using short-term crops to support long-term ones”—that is, using income from short-term crops like coffee, citronella, and rice to supplement income from long-term crops like rubber—Xinglong began introducing coffee cultivation starting from Chengmai Fushan.

　　After extensive research, it was found that although large-bean coffee varieties yield high, their quality and taste are poor; small-bean varieties, while offering excellent flavor, require a highland climate for optimal growth. Xinglong’s low elevation makes both the yield and tree lifespan of small-bean coffee very low. Eventually, medium-bean coffee was chosen as the most suitable variety for Xinglong’s cultivation, and large-scale planting began. Xinglong’s elevation, latitude, and climate provided ideal conditions for medium-bean coffee.

　　At that time, the coffee planting area was very large, covering over 3,000 mu across Xinglong. To ensure bean quality, each coffee bean was picked only when ripe. Workers were often too busy, so farm students frequently spent half-days picking coffee in the plantations. After the 1990s, as coffee bean prices continued to fall, Xinglong’s coffee planting area also shrank steadily. Today, the coffee planting area in the Xinglong region is less than a thousand mu.

　　Xinglong’s roasting technique is based on Southeast Asian methods. This locally grown coffee is particularly well-suited to this roasting approach. During roasting, it’s essential not only to control the heat but also to add sugar, salt, and butter at the right time, resulting in exceptionally fragrant coffee.

　　“Xinglong Coffee is world-class. I’ve tried many foreign coffees, but our own homegrown coffee tastes better.” On February 7, 1960, Premier - visited the Xinglong Farm and spoke highly of the coffee after tasting it. A cup of richly aromatic coffee and a kind-hearted premier wrote a beautiful legacy for Xinglong Coffee.

　　Roasted coffee boasts a strong aroma, while coconut milk coffee offers a unique flavor. Some scenic spots in Xinglong even roast coffee on-site, allowing visitors to enjoy the freshest coffee while learning about the production process. Yet, despite its premium quality and excellent roasting techniques, Xinglong Coffee has yet to truly achieve widespread recognition—a lasting regret for many in Xinglong.

　　 The protected geographical indication area for Xinglong Coffee is defined by the scope proposed in the Hainan Province Wanning City document “Regarding the Definition of the Protected Geographical Indication Area for Xinglong Coffee” (Wanfu Letter [2005] No. 43), covering the current administrative regions centered around the Xinglong Overseas Chinese Farm and its surrounding areas, including Nanqiao Town, Changfeng Town, Niulou Town, Sangengluo Town, and Liji Town in Wanning City, Hainan Province.