People must go to Ding'an to try this okra coffee

Okra coffee. Courtesy of Vanilla Garden Sharing Farm.

Hainan is cool in early winter. Especially in the evening of light rain, people should not be greedy for cool, but drink a cup of warm health drink. On November 20, in the Xiangworld · Vanilla Garden Sharing Farm in Longhu Town, Ding 'an County, the master Chen Baodi was buried behind the catering production table, and under some operations, he mysteriously brought out a special drink in the "hidden menu" - okra coffee.

A hot mist rose from the little white cup. At first glance, the drink is dark brown and smells of coffee. Fingers pinch the handle of the cup, close to take a small sip, let it remain in the mouth for a while, slowly taste, or familiar coffee taste. If anything, the color is clearer, the smell is more fragrant, the texture is more silky, and it can also taste some natural herbal flavors. Swallow it down, no sour, back more vivid.

Is it the okra flavored coffee beans that are roasted? That's not true. Is it coffee with okra juice? That's not true. "There's nothing in it but the vegetable okra we eat, not even caffeine!" After several questions, Chen Baodi solved the mystery.

How does okra "turn" into coffee? "Did you know that the scientific name for okra is coffee mallow?" While tasting the steaming okra coffee, Chen Baodi slowly explained the truth. It turns out that the seeds of coffee mallow are not only rich in oil and trace elements, but also contain a small amount of caffeine, so it gets its name.

As early as the American Civil War, when the supply of local coffee beans was tight, people had already used the way of roasting okra seeds to make coffee as an alternative to coffee. It was also recorded in the Flora of Hainan (1964-1977) that the young okra fruit was edible and the ripe seeds could be used as a coffee substitute.

"Coffee has become more and more popular these years, and we want to try some new breakthroughs in addition to creating vanilla coffee products to make coffee healthier and greener." Ten years ago, Chen said, she and her team decided to give it a try after learning that ripe coffee mallow could be used as coffee.

This is obviously the most appropriate choice. Coffee mallow contains high protein, low calorie, digestive aid, has the reputation of "green ginseng", is a very healthy, high nutritional value of vegetables, with its raw materials, good for human health. And it likes warm, widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas, very suitable for planting in Hainan Island.

At the same time, it has high requirements for picking, and if it is not picked in time, it will grow old soon. Elder's okra is useless if it's only marketed as vegetables. If we're making coffee, we need these elders. Chen Baodi said that this is a lot of birds with one stone, the cultivation and management cost of okra is lower than coffee beans, and the cost of processing into coffee is also lower. The okra that farmers grow can be used to the maximum extent and boost their income. Coffee made from okra is also a new healthy drink.

The process of landing an idea is not easy. Before that, okra coffee has no precedent for mature production in China. Just to deal with okra seed oil, the research and development team of Vanilla Garden has tried many times. "When okra seeds are roasted, they tend to produce oil, and okra has a strong flavor and can oxidize and smell." Chen Baodi said that it took the research and development team four or five years to develop the production method of zero-add charcoal okra bean coffee powder, and it took nearly five years to obtain the national patent certification in 2022.

Okra coffee is made by this method without adding any coffee beans, flavors, thickeners or sugars. It needs to go through a dozen processes such as cleaning and soaking, high temperature killing, sand stir-frying to reduce oil and incense, in addition to the drying link, the entire production process takes about 40 hours to 73 hours. Charcoal burning is a characteristic flavor of coffee in Hainan, which requires deep roasting of coffee beans. We also found that okra seeds are very suitable for charcoal-burning flavor, and can make it have the mellow aroma of coffee. Chen Baodi said.

Also unlike other coffees, this cup of okra does not contain caffeine. Although okra seeds contain caffeine, after our patented process, the caffeine is removed, which is perfect for friends who want to drink coffee but mind caffeine, and drink at night is not afraid to sleep. Chen Baodi said that in December this year, Vanilla Garden will start the construction of okra coffee experience hall, grinding and other parts of the processing technology to display, is expected to be completed and put into operation in May next year. At that time, freeze-dried, hanging ear zero added charcoal okra bean coffee powder will be available in bulk. (Reporter Li Wan)