Coffee Source & Processing
|
The source for Gayo's Best Coffee is a small coffee farmer group located above the city of Takengon, Central Aceh. The coffee is harvested at between 1550 and 1800 meters above sea level in the counties of Pegasing & Atu Lintang.
|
|
Coffee Varieties
The farmers have a mixture of different kinds of arabica coffee plants. The Indonesian names of the varieties are listed below with some extra information:
Processing
Most of the coffee we source from KSU Sejahtera Tani is currently processed using the wet hulling process (also known as semi-washed in some areas). Wet-hulled process is a hybrid coffee method used in parts of Indonesia, especially Sumatra. It results in a dark, opal-green coffee with little silverskin clinging to it, and a particular low-acid, earthy, heavy body flavor profile. In this method, the farmer picks ripe coffee cherry, pulps off the skin and either dries it immediately for one day, or lets it sit overnight in a bucket (with our without water), then washes it the next day and dries it. In either case, the coffee is partially dried with some or all of the mucilage clinging to the parchment-covered seed. It is then sold at a local market to a coffee processor. They receive coffee at 40-50% moisture content, then dry it to 25-30%, and run it though the wet-hull machine. Friction strips off the parchment, and the bean emerges swollen and whitish-green. Then it is dried on the patio down to 11-14% moisture, ready for sorting, grading, bagging and export (http://www.coffeeshrub.com/shrub/glossary/term/732).
Other coffee processing types available in small quantities are full wash, natural, honey (pulp natural), and wine process.
Rest assured that all of the harvested coffee is harvested ripe and red by the cooperative. Below are all Gayo's Best Coffee products and their respective prices. Note that these prices do not include shipping.
The farmers have a mixture of different kinds of arabica coffee plants. The Indonesian names of the varieties are listed below with some extra information:
- Tim Tim or Gayo 1. This arabica variety is a hybrid arabica plant that produces larger than normal coffee beans year round. Due to the big coffee cherries, the coffee is sometimes locally called Long Berry. In the Gayo region, the Tim Tim coffee variety has received good cupping scores despite it being a newer arabica strain of the Catimor variety. Tim Tim has been growing in Aceh since 1979. There are over 70 types of Tim Tim trees now growing in the Gayo highlands
- Bourbon or Gayo 2
- Ateng, Ateng Super, Ateng Pucuk Merah, & P88. These are other Catimor varieties that are commonly found in Sumatra and are more resistant to the leaf rust epidemic.
- Jember.
- Sidikalang and Rambung. These are older coffee varieties that are from Typica and Abysenia coffee trees.
Processing
Most of the coffee we source from KSU Sejahtera Tani is currently processed using the wet hulling process (also known as semi-washed in some areas). Wet-hulled process is a hybrid coffee method used in parts of Indonesia, especially Sumatra. It results in a dark, opal-green coffee with little silverskin clinging to it, and a particular low-acid, earthy, heavy body flavor profile. In this method, the farmer picks ripe coffee cherry, pulps off the skin and either dries it immediately for one day, or lets it sit overnight in a bucket (with our without water), then washes it the next day and dries it. In either case, the coffee is partially dried with some or all of the mucilage clinging to the parchment-covered seed. It is then sold at a local market to a coffee processor. They receive coffee at 40-50% moisture content, then dry it to 25-30%, and run it though the wet-hull machine. Friction strips off the parchment, and the bean emerges swollen and whitish-green. Then it is dried on the patio down to 11-14% moisture, ready for sorting, grading, bagging and export (http://www.coffeeshrub.com/shrub/glossary/term/732).
Other coffee processing types available in small quantities are full wash, natural, honey (pulp natural), and wine process.
Rest assured that all of the harvested coffee is harvested ripe and red by the cooperative. Below are all Gayo's Best Coffee products and their respective prices. Note that these prices do not include shipping.
Gayo Arabica - Semi Wash
|
Gayo's Best Arabica is always machine roasted medium-dark by a local roaster in Banda Aceh. We usually don't keep roasted coffee in stock for very long, but will roast fresh coffee for orders.
US$ 7/bag (250 grams) US$ 24/kg Gayo Arabica - Full Wash Processing arabica coffee with a full wash method ensures an extra clean and consistent cup, which leads to a higher cupping score. See Demystifying Coffee Processing for more information on how processing affects flavor. US$ 7.5/bag (250g) US$ 27/kg |
|
LuwakLuwak coffee is the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world. It is available in limited quantities from coffee plantations across the Indonesian Archipelago. The coffee is unique because the beans are eaten and pass through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civit (Luwak) which lives naturally in the forests surrounding the coffee plantations. What makes Luwak coffee so special is the civit's selection of the ripest cherries and the fermentation of the beans during the process of digestion. Natural enzymes soften the acidity within the beans, reducing bitterness while building a rich, smooth flavor unique to Luwak coffee. Our beans are collected on plantations located in the Gayo highlands in Aceh province on the Northern tip of Sumatra island in Indonesia. The Asian Palm Civits that feed on the coffee are living in the wild. None of the civits are held in captivity. Check out the video on the right to learn more about Gayo's Best Luwak.
US$ 18/bag (200grams) US$ 80/kg |
|
Sumatra Swirl
|
Sumatra Swirl is an exquisite blend of Luwak and Gayo Arabica coffee. Many people like the smooth luwak taste coupled with the vibrant machine roasted Gayo arabica. It is definitely a unique taste, and is just the right price for a gift.
US$ 11.50/bag (200grams) US$ 50/kg |
|
Pristina
|
Pristina is the name for Gayo's Best traditionally roasted arabica coffee. It's the same great arabica coffee, but roasted in the traditional Acehnese style to give it a local flavor and "camp-fire" feel.
US$ 6/bag (250grams) US$ 20/kg |
|
Honey Process
|
K2's Honey Process is the same great Arabica coffee beans, but with a twist. The coffee beans are immediately hulled and then dried in the mucilage (sticky sweet stuff on the bean) without being washed or soaked. The natural sugars from mucilage are absorbed by the coffee bean which results in unique citrus and sugar cane flavors that one doesn't taste in coffee that is processed in the traditional way. Sometimes people refer to yellow, red, and black honey coffees, which refers to the color of the coffee while drying. Most of the honey processed coffee from the farmer group is red (see the picture to the right)
US$ 8.5/bag (250g) US$ 30/kg |
|
Wine Coffee
|
Wine coffee is the result of experimentation with new ways of processing coffee. In this particular case, the Arabica coffee is picked ripe from the tree and immediately dried while still in the outer skin or "cherry." After being dried, the coffee is enclosed in a dark place where the natural sugars begin to ferment. This process is repeated several times before the skin is removed, resulting in a "winey" flavor and sweetness. Wine coffee takes anywhere from 40 to 65 days and is very labor intensive for the farmers.
US$ 9/bag (100g) US$ 17/bag (200g) US$ 74.50/kg |
|
Natural Processed - SpecialtyNaturally processed coffee beans are dried inside the fruit for up to 1 month before hulled, which gives the natural sugars a chance to do it's work, producing a sweet, berry-like taste. Please plan to order ahead of time due to limited quantities and the length of the production process.
US$ 10/bag (250g) US$ 36/kg |
|
Are you in the United States? You can order coffee now through our US website www.gayosbest.com to get freshly roasted coffee shipped to your door.
