August, 2008

Specialty Estate Coffee of the Month - Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Back a little closer to home this month with a coffee that has actually been enquired about quite frequently. Known more for it’s civil unrest in recent times, Timor-Leste is counted as one of the world’s largest producers of organic washed Arabica.
Whilst a Portuguese colony (as it was for hundreds of years), production of coffee was as high as 45 000 tons. Unfortunately it has now shrunk to as little as 8000 tons, with a large amount of this being an inferior quality. Recent years have seen washing stations built around the coffee producing areas and this in turn has assisted with the levels of production and quality increasing.

Having received organic certification along the way, Timor-Leste now produces some of the best and largest in green beans, resulting in a cup that has medium to high acidity in the middle palate, with a sweet, aromatic finish.

Whilst believing that a light/medium roast would be the best result, we varied the roasting style just to be certain. Herbal tones were seen throughout this process, but they were certainly more pronounced with a light medium roast.

For fans of our Balinese Kintamani this one is a great variation for the month. Featuring its Indonesian roots, this coffee has a bit more of the fabulous sweetness and earthy tones, with a more herbaceous finish. Very much a people-pleaser, this one should suit most palates!! ...order yours today.

ENJOY!

The Koffee Purist