This lot originates from a group of 52 smallholder farmers located in the Rawabogo area, which features an abundance of freshwater springs that provides the local population clean water suitable for agriculture. Most of the area surrounding Rawabogo village consists of rice fields, coffee plantations, and other commodities. These farmers work plots averaging 1.5 hectares at elevations around 1300 masl, growing typical local varieties. 

Atypically for Indonesia, this coffee utilizes a fully washed process whereby ripe cherries are pulped within 6 hours of harvest, dry-fermented for around 16 hours and then thoroughly washed. The parchment coffee is then patio dried for 10-12 days, until the optimum moisture content is reached.

Country of Origin: Indonesia

Region: Rawabogo village, West Java

Producer Type: Small Holder Farmers

Processing: Washed

Processing Description: 16 hour fermentation, dried in green house patios

Growing Altitude: 1350 MASL

Plant Species: Arabica

Varietals: Catimor, Tim Tim, Typica

History of Coffee in Java

Although coffee was first planted successfully on Java around 1700, cultivation spread slowly throughout what would become the great archipelagic state of Indonesia. In fact, the green coffee of Java served as progenitor to the coffees of far off Central America and had begun its ascent to being considered, alongside Arabian Mocha, as one of the best coffees in the world, long before commercial cultivation spread to nearby islands. At the same time, it should be noted that nearly all coffee from any island in the Dutch East Indies was considered “Java” until the early 20th century, so whose to say what Java was before then. 

Growing Coffee in Java

Some of the large coffee estates created by the Dutch 175 years ago can still be found on the volcanic Ijen Plateau at the eastern tip of Java, but most coffee farmers are smallholders growing coffee on an average of 1.5 hectare, many of them among a cluster of volcanoes in West Java, where coffee cultivation first began on the island. Although disease resistant Robusta became the dominate coffee crop, West Java has seen a steady increase in Arabica production in recent years. Arabica generally grows above 1200 meters and virtually all coffee is fully washed.