Description
Farm Description
This coffee is the product of a newly-started coffee cherry buying operation in the Haupu tribal region of Timor Leste. The project was set in motion by Australian native Peter Dougan who developed a fresh farm produce program in East Timor a few years back. He’s since added coffee to the mix, partly as a way to boost farmer’s incomes. A wet mill was erected on land owned by a local leader and the buying operation began. The wet mill is called “Lutlala”, also the name of the hamlet within which it located, and is owned by a local leader. This lot comes from farms near the village of Lacau in the Ermera District, near the slopes of mount Ramelau. The farms span a range of 1500 – 1700 meters above sea level and you mostly see Timor hybrids and Typica cultivars in this region. The coffee is fermented for 24 – 48 hours depending on the weather, sent to drying tables, and then once the coffee is sold it is driven to a dry mill in Dili for final preparation. They’re also producing natural, wet and honey process coffees, all of which we picked up this year!
Cupping Notes
This Timor has a mildly sweet aroma with aspects of unrefined sugar and sweet nuts that reminds me of pecan short bread cookies. The cup is clean, balanced, acidity soft, and in many ways reminds me of a wet process Central American coffee. The sweet cup character comes off like toffee and caramel in light roasts, marked by a chocolate malted grain flavor and faint lemon accent note. Medium roasts show balanced raw sugar and cocoa powder flavors, cooling to flavors of almond meal and chocolate sweet bread and is very pastry-like in flavor. Of all our Timors, this is the best candidate for espresso too. Full City roasting pulls out deep bittersweet roast tones and a creamy textured shot, flavors of chocolate-covered macadamia and a long, bittersweet finish.