August 2010

Aceh Gayo
As the Koffee Baron takes off this month for a search of new beans through SE Asia, we managed to hunt down a little bit of Indonesia ourselves to share with you all.  The Aceh Gayo coffee is widely regarded as one of the finest beans in the land.  From the Bener Meriah region of Northern Aceh in Indonesia the Gayo Coffee is named after the local people and their language.

Grown on lush mountains at 1200 metres above sea level this coffee has been blessed with a combination of perfect soils, climate and altitude.

Coffee offers one of Aceh's best prospects of economic redemption after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and decades of secessionist conflict and political instability.  Coffee has become the backbone of the market’s economy. Thousands of former rebels and sympathisers are being encouraged to harvest small coffee plots supplying local co-operatives.  Almost everyone in the area is involved in the system of growing and processing green beans.

Coffee was brought to Sumatra from Mocha in Yemen in 1690 by Dutch colonialists and has been a staple for Indonesian farmers since then.

Although not certified, observers of farming practices in Aceh have noted that chemical fertilisers are ignored with a preference towards animal manure and coffee skins, therefore rendering the coffee of the region organic.

Here at Yahava we feel a medium roast will best represent this special bean and we drop the roast when it just developing into the second crack.

The result is a smooth cup with earthy aromas and a sweet citrus finish.  Develops a clean and even crema as an espresso.

Follow the Baron’s travels through Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia on our new Travel Diaries web page www.yahava.com.au/pages/traveldiaries.html or at www.facebook.com/Yahava

ENJOY!
The Koffee Junkie