This is the second year we have partered with a processor in West Java who runs Cikole Estate. West Java is THE place for coffee innovation in the Indonesian archipelago. Case in point almost a third of the submissions for Indonesia's Cup of Excellence came from this area responsible for less than 20% of the country's Arabica production. It's proximity to the specialty coffee metropolis of Jakarta is one of the reasons for this region's innovative approach to coffee.
Jakub L is the operations manager and head processor for Cikole Estate. Jakub is originally from the neighboring island, Sumatra, where he grew up near Medan where his family owns their own coffee farm. He likes to experiment, try new things and is open to new processes. cikole Estate coffee is from an area called Batu Lonceng in Maribaya. The typica varietal is picked from the lush forest here, (1300-1500 MASL), just slightly northeast of Bandung. The coffee plantation is nestled deep in the forest while surrounded by villages where many of the farmers who tend the coffee live.
The coffee cherries are picked, then transported by truck to Cikole Estate, about 30 minutes away, where there is a washing station and greenhouse to prepare the coffee for fermentation and sortation.
Read more about Troy Kiper of Bright Java here.
