3. Samoro - Timor
Situated near the Cristo Liurai mountain, Timor-Leste coffee thrives in warmer temperatures. This distinctive climate enhances fermentation, resulting in bolder flavour profiles. Savour a perfectly balanced cup that showcases just the right level of sweetness and acidity, thanks to this expertly washed coffee.
Samoro coffee is directly sourced from independent farmers, who skilfully process their beans at home. After harvesting ripe red cherries, the farmers float them to eliminate any defective ones and then pulp them using a manual machine. The beans undergo fermentation in water for 40-44 hours until the mucilage is broken down.
Following fermentation, the beans are washed 8-10 times, a process that requires significant effort. Once washed, the beans are dried on raised beds for 7-10 days, often leaning towards 10 days due to changes in climate, until they achieve a moisture content of 10%.
The parchment beans are then stored in 20kg sacks in warehouse for 6-8 weeks. During this period, they conduct regular quality checks and sample cuppings to ensure they are ready for hulling.
Finally, the beans undergo hulling, are graded by size, and hand-sorted to eliminate any defects.
The lead farmer is called Orlando Soares who started selling on the speciality coffee market back in 2022. The beans are sourced from 9 independent farming families. Their motivation has surged this year following the success of their 2022 harvest in the specialty market.
The farmers of Samoro, living in close proximity, support one another to guarantee consistent coffee processing. The group supplies each household with the essential materials to produce high-quality specialty coffee.
As a satellite group of Cristo Liurai, Orlando benefits from the mentorship of Luis Santos de Jesus, Cristo Liurai's lead farmer. Luis has aided in implementing record-keeping practices, which have resulted in more accurate fermentation and drying times. This approach allows them to tackle the challenges posed by climate change while ensuring consistency.
