Timor-Leste - Mota Bandeira Washed
Vanilla, Sweet Cocoa & Velvety
The result of an ongoing relationship with local producers in Timor-Leste's Atsabe Region, this coffee is wild-grown in the shady forests of the Ermera Municipality without fertilisers or chemical additions, and as such, is organic by default. Named after the mighty Mota Bandeira waterfall, expect a full-bodied cup with notes of vanilla and sweet cocoa, and a velvety finish that carries effortlessly through milk.
Origin - Atsabe - Timor-Leste
Process - Washed
Varietal - Hibrido de Timor, Moka, Typica
Altitude: 1400-1600MASL
Roasting Profile - Espresso Medium
Best Served - White
We pride ourselves on our commitment to roasting Coffee That Does Good. Feel good knowing your purchase is helping the Reef Restoration Foundation in their efforts to re-plant 1 million baby coral on the Great Barrier Reef by 2026!
Under the guidance of Raw Material, producers in the Atsabe region abide to best picking practices, with only ripe cherries being picked and sold for processing. The cherries are first floated in water and are sorted by density, with the low density, less mature cherries that float to the surface removed to be processed separately and sold at the local market. Workers then meticulously hand-sort the higher-density mature cherries, removing all damaged or underripe fruit by eye.
The harvest is then pulped, separating the cherry from the parchment coffee. Fermentation time varies from 16-24 hours, depending on the altitude of the washing station, which ranges from 1,000-1,8000 MASL. Once fermented, the parchment is washed again and residual 'floaters' and cherry skin is removed in the process. These floaters are not discarded, but instead sold with other low density coffee at the local market.
The parchment is then transported to raised beds, where they are dried in high sun for one month. The lots are turned regularly to ensure even airflow and sun contact. When the cherries have reached a drying level of around 14%, the coffee is then transported to lower altitudes with higher temperatures, to complete the drying phase. Once complete, the cherries are separated from the parchment, and prepared for export at the Railaco dry mill. In efforts to minimise waste, the remaining cherry is saved for redistribution as fertiliser to be used by the farmers who grew the harvests.
For more information on our relationship with local producers in Timor-Leste click here.