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The coffee that is commonly grown in Tahiti is the Coffea Arabica. It was introduced in French Polynesia in the early 19th Century.
That small shrub has shining dark green leaves and produces white flowers with a captivating fragrance.
Usually it produces fruits twice a year (March and September). The fruits are green and then turn red. Inside they consist of two small oval seeds.
Coffee used to be grown in great quantities in the past, but its production plummeted because of production costs and the emergence of more profitable crops.
In 1995, the Arabica coffee fields (Red Catura and Catimor varieties) covered an area of about 110 hectares in the Austral Islands and involved some 261 farmers.
In 2012, a census showed that 38 hectares were cultivated in that archipelago (16 on Rurutu, 14 on Rapa, 4 on Raivavae, 3 on Rimatara and 1 on Tubuai), and involved 97 farmers (33 on Rapa, 22 on Rurutu and Raivavae, 16 on Rimatara and 4 on Tubuai).
However, in the Austral archipelago, which specialises in the cultivation of that crop, the island of Rurutu alone produces some 6 tons per year (out of a total of 10 tons harvested across Polynesia). Thanks to the determination
of some persons and the support of the Government, coffee has become an attractive product again, just like it used to be.
In the Austral Islands, in addition to the blending of coffee and vanilla aromas, you can find amazing preparations such as coffee monoï, which combines the benefits of the two ingredients.
Let us not forget that the traditional “coffee and buttered baguette” is a real institution in our islands (both for breakfast and dinner). It evokes many fond memories in each of us.
The Post and Telecommunications Office is therefore very pleased to issue this new scented postage-stamp whose aroma will definitely catch your senses.
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| Unit price: 180 FCFP (1,51 €) |
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