Sumatra Blue Batak

We love Blue Batak, it is a unique coffee. It has a strong body that fills the whole mouth, some really nice herbal notes, cedar, black tea flavors and an acidity reminiscent of rhubarb and grapefruit. It is also very complex; the combination is irresistible.

The coffee is produced by a collaboration of many small farmers, descended from the Batak people, who use the so-called Giling Basah process for their coffee, where the cherries are completely peeled before going into their final drying phase, a process unique to Indonesia. After being peeled, the green beans turn a deep bluish hue, hence the name Blue Batak. 

Blue Batak comes from the Lintong region (officially Lintong Ni huta), located at the southern tip of Lake Toba in North Sumatra, bordering the world's largest volcanic crater lake. For centuries, coffee has thrived in this volcano-rich region, cultivated for generations by the indigenous Batak tribe who settled here in the 13th century.

Every step, from growing to drying, is meticulously carried out by hand according to the local tradition of wet peeling called Giling Basah. At sunrise, farmers pick ripe coffee cherries and peel them using manual pulpers. After that the wet parchment is stored in bags for overnight fermentation, it is then spread out on patios for initial drying. Once the parchment has reached the desired dryness and the beans turn a bluish-greenish color, it's time to peel the parchment down to the coffee bean itself. After a further two or three days of drying, the coffee is triple hand-picked and rested before export.