Robusta

Indonesia

Java WIB1 Kaliselogiri

Region: East Java

Municipality: Banyuwangi, Kalipuro

Altitude: 500-600 m

Coltivation: shade grown

Harvest: June through October

Soil type: Clay and sandy

Varietal: BP42, BP358, BP409

Process: washed

This remarkable Robusta grows on the slopes of the Ijen volcano, in the eastern reaches of Java - a fertile, water-rich territory fringed by natural reserves and known for the extraordinary blue flames produced by the volcano's sulphuric activity. The plantation is cultivated under the shade of Leucaena leucocephala, a light-canopied tree that reduces heat stress, improves soil fertility and helps stabilise the hillside slopes. Harvest runs from June to October: cherries are hand-picked, sorted by flotation and washed with fresh running water. Mechanical drying completes the process, bringing the beans to the ideal moisture content for export.

Espresso

Full, rounded body. Sweetness of chocolate and fresh hazelnut, with a gentle hint of malt. The finish lingers with an elegant touch of sandalwood and the faintest suggestion of astringency.

Cupping

Delicate body. The dry fragrance opens with fresh hazelnut, gradually giving way to chocolate and malt.

Washed Process

The harvested coffee cherries are first selected, either mechanically or in water tanks, to remove unripe cherries and other foreign matter. They are then processed with depulpers to remove the skin (exocarp) and pulp (outer mesocarp).

With a portion of the mucilage (inner mesocarp) left on the parchment (endocarp), the coffee beans are fermented in water tanks for around 14 to 36 hours. During this time, the microorganisms in the beans help break down the mucilage with their enzymes.

The beans are then washed with fresh water and laid to dry on either cement patios or raised beds, or in some cases placed in mechanical dryers. They are turned regularly to avoid unwanted mold and further fermentation, and when the beans reach around 11% humidity they are stored in parchment (endocarp), before being milled and bagged.