This is our first Asian coffee, and we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of this coffee from the Kintamani region, a district and a village within that district, on the western edge of the larger caldera wall of the Mount Batur caldera in Bali, Indonesia.
We chanced upon this beautiful coffee when we were at the World of Coffee, Jakarta. It is a coffee produced by 42 smallholders from the Kintamani region, and the coffees were processed by Varion Coffee, an Indonesian Green Coffee exporter and trader.
When we first tasted the coffee sample, it was the kind of coffee that we love; clean, bright and pleasantly sweet. This is due to the washed process; the coffee went through a 24-hour fermentation, rinsed with water, then soaked for 12 hours in clean water. After that, the coffee was further washed and dried for 10 days on a tarpaulin.
What makes this coffee interesting is the origins of the varieties.
The USDA 762 was introduced to the Indonesian coffee sector in the 1950s as a selected variety from Ethiopia. It was first found in the Mizan Tafari region, not far from where Geisha was originally discovered. As a result, in some coffee-growing regions in Indonesia, USDA 762 has been mistaken for Geisha.
Due to the emergence of the hardier hybrids, USDA 762 is generally only grown at higher altitudes in Indonesia, where coffee leaf rust resistance is not as much of a priority.
This made way for the cross-breed varieties between the Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta (Catimor & Kopyol) or Liberica (S-795). These were essential as the coffee varieties must be able to adapt to the wet climate and the lower elevation of Indonesia's growing conditions.
What does this translate into your cup? You can expect silky mouthfeel, mild citrus acidity, and fresh melon sweetness transitions into a green tea-like finish.
Region: Kintamani
Producer: 42 smallholders from Kintamani
Processor: Varion Coffee
Origin: Indonesia
Species/Varietal: Kopyol, Line-S 795, USDA 762, Catimor.
Processing method: Fully Washed
Kintamani, Indonesia
Filter Coffee: 10 days onwards
Espresso: 16 days onwardsFilter Coffee:
1:17 of Coffee to WaterOur recipe:
14 grams medium setting grind size coffee
240 grams of 93°C water.We recommend brewing with 90 parts per million (ppm) water
- Start with a pre-wet of 60 grams, in a slow but circular motion to wet the grounds evenly.
- Followed by 120 grams for the next pour
- Ending off with the last pour of 60 grams
Espresso:
1: 2.30 of Coffee to Water
Recommend going with the basket's recommended dosage, and adjusting according to the ratio above
Our recipe:
20 grams of ground coffee to 46 grams of yield espresso liquid

