Flores

Strength in Numbers

Coffee in the Ngada district is grown and processed by 12 different, yet interconnected, cooperatives, all of which are organized by the farmers themselves. They manage an approximate 6,000 hectares of coffee plants, with varietals including Typica, Catimor, Timor Hybrids, and S795 Flores, a Kent-Liberica hybrid perfect for first-time coffee farmers because it can handle Indonesia’s breadth of microclimates. In addition to cultivating impeccable coffees, these coops also maintain high environmental standards, demonstrated by their Rainforest Alliance and organic certifications.

Organic and Rainforest Alliance Certified

Their organic certification demonstrates the organization’s commitment to preserving and enhancing their water and soil quality which sometimes suffers with conventional, non-organic coffee. USDA Organic coffees also average a .0255¢ increase per pound in payment to the farmers. With how much coffee is produced annually, this seemingly insignificant number can add up. The Rainforest Alliance Certified seal ensures that coffee growers are regularly audited to meet strict standards of social, environmental, and economic sustainability. These standards seek to promote and improve biodiversity, natural resource conservation, effective planning and farm management systems, and improved livelihoods and human well-being.

Washing and Drying

Largely, coffee from Indonesia is wet hulled, a process not used in most other parts of the world but necessary in Indonesia’s humid climate. This process tends to accentuate the coffee’s body, which makes for a more intense flavor profile. What separates washing from the wet hulling process is the moisture content of the bean—for wet hulling, the beans are have a higher moisture content, so more of the parchment sticks to the bean. The wet hulling process can be harder on the beans, but the whole process leads to an amazing cup. The coops dry their beans on patios and in solar drying machines. Beans dried on patios are rotated every 30 – 40 minutes to promote airflow, and when the weather isn’t favorable, beans are dried in solar mechanical dryers.

Fresh Roasted Coffee

Our Flores grows at 1,208 meters above sea level, at which height coffee matures a little slower. Here, the coffee walks a fine line where chocolate and nutty notes are starting to come through, but the low acidity is maintained. Any higher, and our Flores would taste fruitier with more acidity. Organic Flores Bajawa Ngura coffee is on the milder side for Indonesian coffees. This organic coffee has an excellent well-rounded chocolate flavor and a syrupy mouthfeel. The earthiness usually found in coffees from this part of the world is replaced with a peppery, herbal finish which creates a mild but rich cup with unique flavor notes.