Coffee Advent Calendar Day 20 - Timor

Coffee Advent Calendar: Timor

NOTES: Plum, Almond butter, Caramel

ROAST: Medium

A bit of history before we delve into coffee in Timor. Coffee cultivation in Asia was devastated in the 1880s as leaf rust spread through the region. The most famous casualty was coffee in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), which was wiped out and basically shifted the Ceylon coffee industry into tea cultivation.

On East Timor, coffee was originally established over 400 years ago by Portuguese colonists. As leaf rust spread through Southeast Asia, a natural mutation was discovered in Timor in the 1920s that was resistant to the disease. The Timor Hybrid, as it was called, has been instrumental in bringing some genetic diversity that can assist in fighting such devastating diseases as leaf rust. It can be recognized by its characteristic bronze colour leaves.

This coffee comes from family owned farms organized around the Cooperativa Café Timor (CCT), which has more than 20,000 members who live in the Ainaro, Ermera and Lequisa districts of East Timor. Today, the average small producer cultivates coffee on less than one hectare of land. The main variety in these beans is Timor Hybrid.

Expect a velvety body and low acidity in a mild and well balanced cup. It has nutty notes and caramel sweetness.