Sumatra, Kardon

When someone asks me to surprise them with a coffee that tastes like something they've never had before, I tend to put something like this in front of them. Sumatran coffees (love em' or leave em') offer a truly distinct and unique cup profile. Indeed, it is this distinctive character that put Sumatran coffee at the forefront of the market during the popularization of "single origin" coffee in the early days of specialty coffee. As time has marched forward, so too have Sumatran coffee producers. While they still farm and process coffee in a very traditional way, they blend this tradition with modern knowledge and advances in cross breeding, cultivar selection, and innovative processing techniques. Our long-time sourcing partner for Sumatran coffees, Crop to Cup, have been relentlessly passionate about the coffees grown on this island and the communities of producers behind them. Their dedication pays off with coffees like this.

Grind this coffee up, and you'll be met at once with a bouquet of fruity, earthy, spicy, and floral aromas such as: cedar, anise, and dried potpourri. On the palate you'll be awakened with a lush sweetness and acidity like ripe dark plum. The finish lingers with a savory dark chocolate aftertaste. 

This coffee comes from an area south of Sumatra's Lake Toba. Here, a young husband and wife duo, Kardon and Yulinda collect coffee from a group of 200 widows. They process this coffee separate. While the widows’ families have been in coffee for over 200 years, they often face a knowledge gap after their husbands pass away. Kardon and his team, with the support of Crop to Cup's Sumatra-based staff, assist these farmers with training. They teach farming practices and first-stage coffee
processing. Kardon receives wet parchment from each producer and then mills, dries, and prepares the coffee for export.

A great coffee, with great people behind it.