Sunda

Description

This exceptional coffee comes straight from the Sunda region in the west of the island of Java in Indonesia. It perfectly represents the terroir of this region. Unsurprisingly, it is a 100% Arabica grand cru made up of several varieties: Typica, Line S and Catimor.

It was grown at an altitude of between 1,200 and 1,500 metres in an agroforestry system, under the natural shade of a variety of timber trees (pine, eucalyptus, erythrine and avocado). The cherries were harvested between May and September. After harvesting, the cherries were dry-processed (known as natural coffee) and dried on African beds under glass (see photos above).

See all the photos of the visit to the Klasik Beans cooperative

Discovery range: the specific character of this coffee

This coffee is part of our Discovery range because we only bought a few bags with the aim of introducing you to a coffee that is typical of the island of Java. It is made up of different varieties: an old and local Typica, Line S and Catimor. These varieties are typical of Indonesian coffees. They produce a fruity, spicy coffee in a cup. Typica is renowned for its aromatic complexity and is recommended for espressos and mild methods. 

Roasting

This coffee is roasted using a traditional slow roasting process. The degree of roast has been optimised for automatic bean-to-cup machines. It is a medium to dark roast. We recommend you try this coffee as an espresso!

The Klasik Beans cooperative

Founded by a group of growers in 2008 in Puntang, this small cooperative promotes quality, humanity and respect for the environment. The coffee growers use sustainable farming practices (virtually organic everywhere and totally under natural shade). Their aim? To preserve Indonesia's cultural heritage by creating organic, sustainable and fair-trade coffees.

Since 2009, almost 200 producers have been growing these coffees by hand. The coffee cherries are then taken to one of the cooperative's 3 processing sites to ensure the quality of the beans right through to the cup. Manual harvesting means that only coffee cherries that have reached perfect ripeness are selected, producing a coffee of superior quality.

Thanks to its 3 processing sites, the cooperative can offer its coffee under different treatments: dry, wet, wet-hulled and process honey (read our article on coffee treatments to find out more). We have decided to offer you plain coffee because it is the process that best brings out the aromatic profile typical of Java's terroir.

The Sunda region

Between 669 and 1030, the Kingdom of Sunda was a country in its own right. This area to the west of the island of Java corresponds today to the Indonesian provinces of Banten and West Java. (See Wikipedia entry if you're interested).

Between high altitude forest and rice paddies, the plantations stretch over the Guntur, Halimu Tilu and Puntang volcanoes. Abandoned for years, local coffee growers rediscovered some of these plots a few years ago. These original plantations have preserved an ancient Typica variety that is almost 100 years old. There are around 90 hectares of this Typica variety growing under a forest, including pine and eucalyptus. These plantations are run on a participatory basis by local growers.

If you're having trouble finding the Sunda region on a map, here it is: