Java Purbaya Preanger Estate - Indonesia
About this coffee…
Java's arabica coffee production is centred on the Ijen Plateau, at the eastern end of Java, at an altitude of more than 1,400 meters. As of 2015 Java's old colonial-era plantations provide just a fraction of the coffee grown on the island and they produce primarily the higher-valued Arabica variety. The Paniis Coffee Planters Cooperation in Sumedang can only produce around 15 tonnes of coffee per season.
In the 17th century the Dutch began cultivation and exporting coffee on Java as part of the Dutch East Indies. However in the late 1880’s a rust plague killed off much of the plantation stocks in the Sukabumi area before spreading to Central Java and parts of East Java. The Dutch responded by replacing the Arabica firstly with Liberica, a tough and unpalatable variety of coffee and later with Robusta.
The coffee in Java is primarily grown on large estates that were built by the Dutch in the 18th century. The five largest estates are Blawan (also spelled Belawan or Blauan), Jampit (or Djampit), Pancoer (or Pancur), Kayumas and Tugosari, and they cover more than 4,000 hectares. These estates transport ripe cherries quickly to their mills after harvest. The pulp is then fermented and washed off, using the wet process, with rigorous quality control. This results in coffee with good, heavy body and a sweet overall impression. They are sometimes rustic in their flavour profiles, but display a lasting finish. At their best, they are smooth and supple and sometimes have a subtle herbaceous note in the after-taste.
Until now, local people still inherit Java Preanger and they develop it themselves. The Java Preanger coffee variety cannot be planted on any type of land. It only works on the highland of around 1000 meters above sea level. The farmers also only use organic fertilizers to ensure they’re environmentally friendly and sustainable farms.
This coffee is processed in a unique way called Wet Hulled (Gilling Basah) and is only used in Indonesia. The cherries are fermented overnight to break down the mucliage (the thin fruit layer under the skin) which is then washed off the bean. The coffee is then dried in parchment to 50% moisture content so the beans are still very swollen. It is then sold to be further processed where the mill will reduce the moisture to 12-13%. So why do they do this? In Indonesia the humid climate makes it extremely difficult to dry coffee and also a benefit from the humid climate is that coffee grows quickly all year round so the farmers have found that they are able to maximise profits by selling more coffee with minimal processing and letting the mills handle the drying.
Origin: Java
Region: Pengalengan Mountain, West Java
Estate: Preanger Estate
Harvesting: May - August
Altitude: 1200-1600 masl
Varieties: Ateng, Andung Sari
Processing: Wet Hulled (Gilling Basah)