Fruity and Herbal: Indonesia Natural East Java Mount Ijen

We’re big fans of Indonesian coffee, and over the past several years, we’ve been sourcing some fun, fruity coffees through Kevenka Coffee (formerly Belift Green Beans). Founded by Kevin Soewondo and Kenny Soewondo, and Kevenka works closely with producing partners to showcase specialty coffees from Java and other producing islands. 

A view of mount ijen from afar

Our latest coffee from Indonesia comes from Ijen Highlands in East Java. The Ijen volcano complex draws a steady stream of tourists eager to see the world’s largest acidic crater lake and its sulphuric blue fires. The rich volcanic soil and the dry tropical climate in the area make it an ideal area for growing crops, and here, farmers grow coffee alongside fruits, vegetables and tobacco. 

cherries being delivered at the bottolingo wet mill

There are many smallholder farmers in Ijen, and to maintain cup quality, farmers focus on managing their farms and producing sweet, ripe cherries while Kevenka focuses on processing. For this natural processed coffee, farmers bring their freshly picked, ripe cherries to cherry collectors, who assess their quality before transporting them to the Bottolingo wet mill. The cherries go through another assessment before it is accepted into the wet mill for processing. The cherries are then sorted by density and color and are dried for 11-13 days. Afterwards, they are packed and shipped to the Driyorejo dry mill where they are hulled, sorted, and prepared for export. 

After sorting, cherries are placed on drying patios and are raked regularly to promote even drying

This coffee has subtleties but maintains quite a bit of complexity. Flavors reveal themselves in layers as it cools. Its acidity reminds us of soursop–a tropical fruit popular in Southeast Asia that tastes like a combination of strawberries and citrus fruits with a creamy, banana-like texture. Its sweetness is reminiscent of grape candy and has a cooling, herbal finish similar to chamomile.  We love this coffee served black and is delicious both hot and and iced!