Indonesian Sulawesi Toraja Sapan Minanga

This cup is from family owned farms organized around the Toraja Coffee Growers Cooperative located in the central mountain region of the South Sulawesi province on Sulawesi Island (formerly known as Celebes), Indonesia. Sulawesi is a starfish shaped island, far older than the rest of the Indonesian archipelago, with a complex geography that includes thousand-foot rock walls exploding vertically out of rice paddy fields and capped in perpetual mist. Coffee is grown in this geographic wonderland at elevations that reach 2000 meters, considered to be some of the highest growing elevations in all of Indonesia. The Toraja people who grow the coffee are an indigenous group with a traditional village lifestyle that includes houses resembling boats and animist rituals called aluk to dolo (the way of the ancestors) that are reminiscent of Santeria. In recent years the Toraja Coffee Growers Cooperative has been collaborating with an NGO called VECO, which is dedicated to improving farmer access to better agricultural practices for quality coffee production and improving coffee farm infrastructure. The partnership has helped to improve quality, increase earnings from coffee sales, and is strengthening farmers’ livelihoods.

Tasting Notes: Full bodied and darker toned like a Sumatra. Chocolaty, a bit of smoke and a very nice soft fruit tones balancing in. Light roasts will see just a little hint of citric acidity, soft cup and semi earthy chocolaty tones, good but risks a little grassy tone like many wet-hulled coffees, more interesting than most Sumatra coffees with its sweeter hint of soft fruit. Medium roasts shine very nicely, good balance of light and dark tones; lower acidity smooth cup.  Darker roast get a little fuller bodied, much smokier with a more bakers chocolate spin. Very tasty and complex darker roast coffee.

Roasting Notes: Medium to dark roasts serve these beans best. Light roasts are interesting but a bit off balance. Traditionally this will cater to more dark roast fans but we thought it to be real interesting and tasty at the medium roast mark. A little crispness from the acidity was a pleasant surprise.