NOTES: BOOZY WINEY COMPLEXITY, DRIED RAISINS, RICH CHERRIES, STICKY HONEY AND STONEFRUIT SWEETNESS
With this Anaerobic Honey lot, coffee is first floated and separated by density before being laid on raised beds where workers remove underripe, overripe and damaged cherry. Then, ripe cherry is collected again and sealed in airtight, 20kg plastic bags that are stored in a cool, dry location (with temperatures between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius) for 7 days.
After 7 days, the cherry is pulped and then laid again on raised beds to dry. The beds are located in domes that protect the coffee from rain or harsh sunlight. The parchment will dry here for around 20 to 23 days, or until it reaches approximately 12% moisture content. When dry, the coffee is milled and sorted by hand.
This lot is once again from the Koerintji Barokah Bersama Cooperative that live and farm on a plateau that sits at the foot of Mount Kerinci. Mount Kerinci is one of the many volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a 40,000 km horseshoe-shaped series of 452 volcanoes that are part of an almost constant dance of eruptions and plate movements. Mount Kerinci’s historic eruptions have assured that the surrounding area is lush and verdant thanks to the deep supply of fertile volcanic soil.
The cooperative is managed by Tryiono, who leads members in processing and roasting their own coffee. They have a fully outfitted roasting facility, including a cupping lab, next to the dry mill. This is especially impressive considering the cooperative was founded in mid-2017
During the harvest season, coffee is handpicked, with labour usually supplied by the immediate family. After picking, the coffee will be delivered to a UPH collection centre.
Triyono oversees the activities on and around nine UPH stations owned by the cooperative. A UPH is a collection center where coffee cherries are bought by the coop and where the coffee is processed before moving it to the central mill. Essentially, a UPH functions as a small washing station.
Almost all farms in Sumatra are small. On average, farms are between 0.5 to 2.5 hectares. Coffee is usually the primary cash crop for farmers, but most also intercrop their trees alongside vegetables, potatoes and fruit. This intercropped produce will make up a substantial part of the family’s diet for the year.
In addition to growing coffee as a cash crop, many smallholder farmers also work at hired labourers at the nearby tea plantations. Tea is also a huge crop in the area. The bigger tea plantations are often near coffee farms. When the harvest is finished, coffee farmers will go there and pick leaves under contracted labor.
There are more and more initiatives by farmers on Sumatra to organise themselves into cooperatives. In the past, farmers did not have much leverage to help themselves get better prices for their cherry or parchment. When they’re in cooperatives, they can share resources, organise training and negotiate better prices.
