Where Does Sulawesi Coffee Come From? Is Sulawesi Coffee Bean Also Considered a Sumatra Bean?

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Sumatra Sulawesi Toraja Coffee

Indonesia consists of more than 17,000 islands scattered across the volcanic belt of the equator. Indonesia straddles both sides of the equator, with a humid tropical rainforest climate characterized by abundant rainfall and fertile volcanic soil that provides rich nutrients. The best planting areas across the entire archipelago are on the islands of Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi.

Overall, Indonesian coffee has a very rich taste, mellow flavor, with slight syrupy notes and excellent acidity. Its two main export markets are Germany and Japan, which indirectly reflects the excellent quality of this coffee. What attracts consumers is its superior quality characteristic of Arabica coffee beans. Indonesian coffee has a rich taste, mellow flavor, with slight syrupy characteristics, but its drawback may be some uncomfortable harshness or slight musty flavor, while others display earthy notes.

Sulawesi Island

Sulawesi: The former name of Sulawesi Island was Celebes. Sulawesi is one of the oldest islands in the archipelago, with exposed rocks dating back more than a million years. Yellow-red lateritic soils are found in the coffee production areas. These soils often contain several layers of clay beneath the surface, rich in iron content. The most famous growing region is Toraja, located in the highlands of South Sulawesi.

Kalosi, south of Toraja, is the main metropolitan area of this region, with two other lesser-known areas: Mamasa to the west and Gowa to the south of Kalosi. A few particularly interesting coffee beans are processed using the washed method, worth exploring and highly recommended to try whenever you have the opportunity. The semi-washed processing method is commonly used throughout Sulawesi Island, and the region also produces a considerable amount of Robusta beans. This region's name is most often used to represent Sulawesi coffee, known for its full body viscosity, rich flavors, and deep yet lively acidity.

Toraja

Toraja: A growing region in the southeastern highlands of Sulawesi Island, and also the name of the island's premium coffee beans. Toraja is not a place name, city name, or variety name, but rather refers to the "Toraja" people, an ethnic group skilled in coffee cultivation living in the central mountainous region of Sulawesi. Toraja is also a world-rare premium coffee bean, with an annual production of about 1,000 metric tons, distributed across the rugged slopes at approximately 1,200 meters elevation in central and southwestern Sulawesi. Cultivation and harvesting are difficult, with an average annual yield of only 300 kilograms per hectare, far below the average of over 1,000 kilograms in Central and South America.

Toraja coffee is washed or semi-washed, offering brighter acidity and more distinct layers compared to Sumatra's Mandheling or Golden Mandheling. It has rich caramel sweetness, but the earthy, aged wood notes and body are much more restrained than Mandheling, with slight floral aromas.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a dedicated coffee research establishment, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. Our comprehensive sharing aims to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three low-discount coffee events each month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible prices. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years!

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