Harvesting and Processing
All Arabica coffee in Indonesia is picked by hand, whether it is grown by small-holders or on medium-sized estates. After harvest, the coffee is processed in a variety of ways, each imparting its own flavors and aromas to the final product.
A small number of farmers in Sulawesi, Flores and Bali use the most traditional method of all, dry processing. The coffee cherries are dried in the sun, and then dehulled in a dry state.
Most farmers on Sulawesi, Sumatra, Flores, and Papua use a unique process, called “Giling Basah” (or Wet Hulling). In this technique, farmers remove the outer skin from the cherries mechanically, using rustic pulping machines, called “luwak”. The coffee beans, still coated with mucilage, are then stored for up to a day. Following this waiting period, the mucilage is washed off and the coffee is partially dried for sale.
Collectors and processors then hull the coffee in a semi-wet state, which gives the beans a distinctive bluish-green appearance. This process reduces acidity and increases body, resulting in the classic Indonesian cup profile.
Larger processing mills, estates and some farmers' cooperatives on Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Bali produce “fully washed” coffee.
The most unusual form of coffee processing in Indonesia is “Kopi Luwak”. This coffee is processed by the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphoditus). The animals eat ripe coffee cherries and their digestive process removes the outer layers of the fruit. The remaining coffee beans are collected and washed. Coffee experts believe that the unique flavor of Kopi Luwak comes, at least in part, from the extraction of naturally occurring potassium salts from the beans during the digestive process. This results in a smooth, mild cup, with a sweet aftertaste. Kopi Luwak is very rare, and can retail for more than $600 per kilogram.
Read more about this topic: Coffee Production In Indonesia