Sulawesi – Toraja

SULAWESI TORAJA

Discover the essence of Sulawesi’s coffee production, thriving in the elevated Tana Toraja highlands, a sanctuary for smallholder farmers tending to their crops amidst mountain slopes reaching up to 2000 meters. The soil’s mild acidity and the region’s fluctuating day-to-night temperatures within a wet, humid microclimate impart a distinctive character to these coffee beans, often planted in a wild, organic manner, embracing their full-bodied richness and earthy notes.

At the heart of Sulawesi’s coffee legacy lies the resilient S-795 cultivar, also known as Jember, showcasing early resistance to the notorious leaf rust epidemic that plagued Indonesia in the 19th century. This cultivar is celebrated not only for its resilience but also for its inherent sweetness, infusing this Sulawesi green coffee with a unique and delightful profile.

Indonesia holds a rich 400-year-old coffee history, beginning with smuggled Yemeni seeds and early cultivation on Java by Dutch colonists. Following the devastating leaf rust outbreak, many plantations shifted towards the disease-resistant Robusta species. Today, Indonesia stands as the world’s fourth-largest coffee producer, with 90% of its volume coming from smallholder farmers, epitomizing a shift away from large estates. The traditional wet-hulled (Giling Basah) process, imparting a distinctive rich and intense flavor, has become a hallmark of Indonesian green coffee beans.

COFFEE STATS

Acidity: Mild
Body: Medium
Altitude: 1300 -2000 masl
Process: Giling Basah
Varietal: Catimor, S-795
Producers: Various Smallholders
What We Taste: Dark Chocolate, Cedar, Elderberry, Dried Plum