indonesia
As the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, the islands
of the Indonesian Archipelago offer a wide range of coffees. Most
of this is Robusta from small plantations but also there are some
distinguished Arabicas produced. Amongst the most notable are from
the islands of Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Flores and Timor. The
market name of Ankola is from northern Sumatra as is Gayo Mountain,
and Lintong, whilst there is a single-origin coffee from the island
simply called Sumatra. Celebes and Kalossi is from Sulawesi as is
Toraja.
Perhaps the most famous of all Sumatran coffees is the (very)
unique Luwak. The unique feature of this coffee is that the coffee
cherry is first eaten by an Asian Palm Civet - a mammal locally
called a Luwak. The cherry passes through the animal’s digestive
system and the undigested bean is collected from the animal’s dung.
This has the effect of greatly reducing the caffeine and produces a
lovely mellow coffee. Because of its obvious rarity, this unique
coffee is also the worlds’ most expensive. Nowadays the mammals are
held in captivity and fed on a diet of coffee cherries, making
collection of the beans a lot easier!
The island of Java is synonymous with coffee and, unlike most other
Indonesia coffees, which are grown on tiny farms and often
primitively processed, Java coffees are grown on large farms or
estates, mostly operated by the government, and are wet-processed
using modern methods. These display the low-toned rich character of
other Indonesia coffees, but are lighter in body and slightly more
acidic. Old Java, Old Government, or Old Brown are mature coffees
from Java, created to mimic the flavour characteristics of the
original Java coffee, which was aged in the holds of eighteenth-
and nineteenth-century ships during their passage to
Europe.
vietnam
Now the second largest producing country behind Brazil,
Vietnam’s coffee crop is almost entirely Robusta and is used mainly
for blending and for the processed and soluble coffee market.
Small plantations, located in the southern half of the country,
produce most of the coffee, which has a light acidity with mild
body but is generally not of good quality. There is a genuine worry
in the country that maintaining any sort of quality amidst such a
spectacular expansion of the industry, might prove to be extremely
difficult in the future.
india
Ranking number 6 in the list of world coffee producers, India
grows both Arabica and Robusta coffees – mainly in the southern
regions of the country.
The best known is from the Mysore area and is known by that name.
Most have good body with sweetness, whilst others can have moderate
body and can be rather bland. Monsooned coffee is a process whereby
the coffee is exposed to the monsoon winds in open warehouses. The
purpose is to recreate the natural ‘ageing’ that occurred during
the long sea voyages to Europe, similar to the Old Java from
Indonesia. This gives the beans a particular earthy flavour and a
unique smooth and rich taste with a spicy aroma.
papua new guinea
The best-known New Guinea coffees are produced on very large,
modern farm estates that produce a very clean, fragrant, and
moderately acidy coffee.
Other organically grown New Guinea coffees are produced on small
farms and processed by the farmers using technically simple means.
Both Arabica and Robusta are produced with one of the regions
finest arabica being from the Kimel plantation.
thailand
Coffee is a major economy in Thailand. Low quality Robusta is
the main crop - grown mostly in the south - whilst a small amount
of good quality Arabica is produced in the north.
Present cultivation techniques are focused on producing high yields
and chemical fertilizers and pesticides are commonly applied to the
coffee plantations.
About a third of Thailands’ production of robusta coffee is used
for the soluble, roasted, ground, and canned coffee market in their
own country.
the philippines
Most of the coffee plants in the Philippines were destroyed in
the late 19th century by disease.
Today some 90% of the current production is Robusta, specifically
for the instant coffee market. Some Arabica of sound quality is
also produced.
hawaii
Hawaii is a minor coffee producing island in the Pacific but it
has one most noteworthy and famous product – Kona coffee.
This coffee is rich, nutty and buttery and is regarded by some as
the best in the world. As with most of the other so-called ‘best’
coffees however, the name is often imitated and exploited. Ka'u is
another excellent Hawaiian coffee bean.