In Indonesia, harvesting is mostly wrapped up by December, and as we head into springtime on the East Coast, we begin looking forward to this fresh crop from Southeast Asia.
We still have a bit of current crop from across three islands — Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi — and they’re all cupping well. (You can read a bit more about each island here.) For anyone wanting to reconsider what it means to serve “an Indonesia” and perhaps try something new, Java Blawan Estate will be our first new arrival, later this month.
On the island of Java, Arabica is primarily grown on four large estates on the Ijen Plateau: Blawan, Jampit, Pancoer and Kayumas. The estates were established when the island was under Dutch colonial rule; after Indonesia achieved independence, following World War I, the Indonesian government took control of the farms.
The Blawan Estate was established in 1894. It’s more than 2,000 hectares and sits between 1,000 and 1,600 meters above sea level. Though ownership has changed over the decades, the same local families have worked the land for generations, and their work and care are exceptional.
As with most Indonesian coffees, Blawan Estate is wet hulled — or “wet processed,” as the unique method is called in Indonesia — and hand sorted. The estate follows Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and is Utz certified.
The Blawan lot arriving this month has a citric acidity, smooth body, and notes of grapes, herbs, chocolate and sweet tobacco.
As a reminder, our Indonesia offerings include:
Java Kayumas
Java Jampit
Java Blawan
Sulawesi Toraja Sapan Minanga Grade 1 Triple-Picked
Sumatra Mandheling Grade 1 Triple-Picked
Sumatra Mandheling Grade 1 Triple-Picked Organic
Sumatra Kerinci Grade 1
Most of our Organic Sumatra comes from the Mahara Cooperative. It was founded in Dec. 2015 by a dozen or so 30-somethings, who were determined to combine the respected knowledge of their elders with more recent best practices. The result has been absolutely beautiful cup quality and, for InterAmerican, a wonderful working relationship with enthusiastic and motivated partners. We currently have some spot from Mahara and are looking forward to the new crop in March.
There will be lots more to say about Indonesia in the coming months! Have questions now? Please don’t hesitate: traders.iacus@nkg.coffee.
