Timor Coffee | Timor Coffee Varieties | Southeast Asian Coffee | Timor Washed Organic Coffee

Timor-Leste Maubesse Washed Organic Coffee (100% Organic, Pure Typica Variety)

Timor-Leste sits between Indonesia and Australia and was formerly a Portuguese colony. In the early 1970s, after Portugal's departure, Indonesia invaded and brutally persecuted the islanders, driving the people of Timor-Leste to pursue independence. After years of struggle they finally elected their own president in 2002. Timor-Leste should be the world's largest organic coffee-producing country, because no chemical agents or fertilizers have been used there for the past 25 years.

During the confrontation with Indonesia, Timor-Leste's economy was almost completely devastated. Its coffee production fell from 45,000 tons to 6,000 tons, and quality was very unsatisfactory as well. Since 1994, with assistance from traders, the European Union, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), equipment has been updated, the washed processing method has been adopted, and superior Typica varieties have been cultivated. That good reputation has made Timor-Leste organic beans famous in the specialty coffee world.

This small batch is 100% organic beans produced in Maubesse by the Cafe Cooperativa Timor (CCT) cooperative, approved by the United States Department of Agriculture. (Note: the Organic Food Production Act (OFPA) passed by the United States in 1990 requires the USDA to develop a set of universal national standards and regulations for organic agricultural products so that consumers can identify them. All products labelled "organic" must be certified by a USDA-approved state or private agency. For example, OCIA, commonly seen in the coffee industry, and Skal-International, which certifies CCT, are both organic certification agencies that have passed USDA approval and belong to the institutions that can certify organic coffee beans.)

CCT is a small-farmer cooperative. In Maubesse, all its members grow Typica and use full shade cultivation to avoid excessive, harsh sunlight. After harvesting, they use refined washed processing and carefully select the green beans. After cupping, they select only those with a prominent aroma and a taste that meets the criteria: sweet, medium-to-high acidity with good body, a creamy and aromatic finish, and a beautiful bean appearance. The beans are then exported after multiple rounds of hand sorting and grading.

Basic Information

Country: Timor-Leste

Region: Maubesse

Producer: Cafe Cooperativa Timor (CCT) Cooperative

Variety: Typica
Label: 100% organic, 100% organic coffee, USDA approved

Processing: Washed method (natural sun-dried)

Appearance / defect count: dark green, almost no defective beans

Cupping Report (beans dropped at the middle to late stage of first crack, roasting time 12 minutes, using a Japanese Fuji roaster)

Dry aroma: cool aroma, floral and fruit notes, rich oily sensation.

Wet aroma: caramel sweetness, cocoa sweetness, a persistent nasal aroma that can be perceived continuously.

Slurping: bright, very delicate and persistent acidity, thick body, distinctive cocoa and chocolate flavours mixed with unique berry sweet-and-sour notes. The fruit sweet-and-sour aftertaste is particularly special and persistent, with even a hint of Lindt mint chocolate.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Timor-Leste shares the Southeast Asian archipelago and much of its growing character with Indonesia, and if this cup's creamy body, cocoa depth, and low-acid warmth are what you enjoy, FrontStreet Coffee's wet-hulled Sumatra Mandheling is a natural next step. Using the region's traditional wet-hulled process, in which the parchment is removed while the beans are still half-dry and left exposed to the air, it carries the classic herbal and spice notes of Sumatra. FrontStreet Coffee's Sumatra Mandheling from the Toba Lake area of the Lintong region is medium-dark roasted for a low-acid, full-bodied coffee with caramel, dark chocolate, and toast aromas and a long, sweet finish.

For the top of the Indonesian range, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is the flagship of the PWN company, which buys only specialty-grade Mandheling beans and applies strict standards of density, size, shape, and colour, finishing with hand sorting that removes almost all defects. It drinks with sandalwood, herbal, spice, roasted hazelnut, caramel, and dark chocolate notes, clean and rich. And for anyone who wants that Mandheling depth in an espresso, FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend, a traditional Mandheling-and-Brazil recipe with a touch of robusta, brings out butter, roasted chestnut, and caramel and lends the cup sandalwood, herbal, and spice aromas.