Thunder Juice - Indonesia

This is year 3 of purchasing coffee from the incredible Kerinci producers.

This lot has just finished its run on our Roasters Choice subscription, so there isn't much of it left, but if you can grab some whilst we've stock I would super recommend it!

About the producer

The 320 members of the Koerintji Barokah Bersama Cooperative live and farm on a plateau that sits at the foot of Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra. 

Mount Kerinci is one of the many volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a 40,000-kilometer horseshoe-shaped series of 452 volcanoes that are part of an almost constant dance of eruptions and plate movements. Mount Kerinci’s historic eruptions have assured that the surrounding area is lush and verdant with a deep supply of fertile volcanic soil. 

The cooperative is managed by Triyono, who leads members in processing and roasting their own coffees. They have a fully outfitted roasting facility, including a cupping lab, next to the dry mill. This is especially impressive considering the cooperative was founded in mid-2017!

Almost all farms on Sumatra are small. On average, farms are between 0.5 to 2.5 hectares. Coffee is usually the primary cash crop for farmers, but most also intercrop their trees alongside vegetables, potatoes and fruit. This intercropped produce will make up a substantial part of the family’s diet for the year.

In addition to growing coffee as a cash crop, many smallholder farmers also work as hired laborers at nearby tea plantations. Like coffee, tea is a huge cash crop in the area. The bigger tea plantations are often near coffee farms. When the coffee harvest is finished, coffee farmers will go there and pick tea leaves under contracted labor.

There are more and more initiatives by farmers on Sumatra to organize themselves into cooperatives. In the past, farmers did not have much leverage to get better prices for their cherry or parchment. In cooperatives, they can share resources, organize training and negotiate better prices. 

Processing

With this Anaerobic natural lot, coffee is first floated and separated by density before being laid on raised beds where workers remove underripes, overripes and damaged cherry. Then, ripe cherry is collected again and sealed in airtight, 20kg bags stored in a cool, dry location (keeping temperatures regulated between 18 - 22c) for 7 days.

After 7 Days, cherries are laid on raised beds under cover to protect from rain and sunlight, taking up to 20 - 23 days to dry the parchment before milling and sorting by hand.

Roast Profile: Medium/Light

Region | Kerinci, Sumatra

Variety | Andung Sari, Sigarar Utang

Process | Anaerobic Natural

Altitude | 1400-1700 MASL

Producer |  Koerintji Barokah Bersama

*Our coffee is freshly roasted each Monday and orders are dispatched on Wednesday and Friday with Royal Mail 24. Please allow 1-2 business days for your order to arrive.