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| MoreCoffee! in Sumatra - 2007 Sumatra is a large coffee producing region/island in the country of Indonesia - a country known for having some of the world's most exotic coffees. As you probably know, Sumatra was hit by the earthquake / tsunami in 2004 and it did take quite a bit out of Sumatra's production capabilities in the north, but the Lake Toba / Lintong region is still running at full blast (it's more inland) and is barely able to keep up with the world's voracious demand of Sumatran coffee. In August of 2007, MoreCoffee!'s Casey Cobb took a week-long trip to visit an exporter/importer we buy from. He documents his trip in this travelogue. |
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| But before we get on with the story... It might be helpful to understand how Indonesian coffee arrives to your coffee house before we get into what Casey was actually doing in Sumatra. Coffee is grown by a farmer with a crop size of typically about 50-150 trees. Each tree can produce 1-2 lbs of coffee a year so we are talking about relatively small lots of coffee. When harvest comes and the coffee cherries are red and ready to pluck, the farmer enlists help to harvest his coffee. He takes his crop, removes the fruit using a rudimentary pulping machine (see pictures of the one we bought for our store!) and dries the coffee for a few hours in the sun on mats or patios in his yard. He then sells it to people called "collectors". Collectors buy small lots of coffee directly from farmers and sell them at the local markets to people called "Producers". Small farmers typically don't have the money for processing machinery or drying patios so Producers fill this gap by investing in machinery and people to properly dry the coffee. They buy coffee they feel is quality by gauging moisture, color, weight and general appearance of the coffee the Collectors are hawking at the market. After a purchase, the Collector returns to her facility, continues drying the coffee on large cement drying patios. It is important to note that if the coffee is dried on porous mats or plastic, it can oftentimes take on a dirty flavor or over-earthiness. Cement drying patios are most definitely the preferred method of drying specialty coffee. The drying process is very important and labor intensive because the coffee must be quickly collected and covered if there is a sudden shower of rain (a very common occurrence in Sumatra). If the coffee is allowed to get wet, you can end up with musty or mildewy coffee. |
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| Up until this point, the coffee bean is not yet a raw coffee bean as we know it. It is still in its "parchment" - a thick outer "shell" that protects the green bean inside. However, when the coffee reaches a certain level of moisture (the Producer knows this point from experience), she will put the coffee through a machine that removes the parchment. The producer will then continue to dry the parchment-free green coffee for a few more days. At this point, the coffee is bought by exporters who will warehouse, grade and sort the coffee, send samples to overseas buyers, and eventually load up a 40 foot container full of coffee bags for export. This is a very broad overview, but it will help you understand what Casey is talking about in his travelogue below. So on with the show! Part 1 - Sumatra Travelogue Part 2 - Sumatra Travelogue Part 3 - Sumatra Travelogue Sumatra Trip Pictures |
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