The earth and vegetation give Toraja coffee a distinct full-bodied caramel flavor, which is widely sought after by coffee connoisseurs
One of the most famous types of coffee grown in Indonesia is from the highlands of Toraja. Located 1,500 meters above sea level, Toraja is an ideal place to cultivate coffee producing some of the best beans in Indonesia. The earth and vegetation give Toraja coffee a distinct full-bodied caramel flavor, which is widely sought after by coffee connoisseurs. Indulge yourself in the quint essential of Toraja Arabica coffee. Sip it while fixing your sights on the breathtaking views as the heights of Toraja seemed to stand proud in perfect composition with its surroundings. With all its astounding qualities, no wonder Toraja coffee has the “Black Gold” stamped on its back.
Coffee war was an epic battle started when the Buginese tried to conquer Toraja in the 1890s, solely triggered by the highly valued coffee trade
The Dutch Governor of Batavia was the first person to bring coffee to Indonesia. Arabica seed were brought to Indonesia by boat from Sri Lanka in 1696. The first commercial crop consisting of 2000 pounds of coffee was shipped out of Batavia in 1717.
Coffee was brought to Toraja in the 1850’s. The arrival of rust disease in 1876, which devastated many of the large coffee plantations on Java, helped to increase the uptake of coffee planting in Toraja by small independent farmers. Like any other valuable treasures, Toraja coffee sparked up feuds between noblemen in the past. Coffee war was an epic battle started when the Buginese tried to conquer Toraja in the 1890s, solely triggered by the highly valued coffee trade.
When the first coffee crop left Indonesia the value of a price of a kilogram of coffee was several hundred dollars. It was a luxury good that was out of the reach of common people. The only people who could afford coffee were nobles and rich merchants. In 2014 Indonesia was the third largest producer of coffee in the world, producing over 540,000 metric tons and coffee had become one of the most popular commodity crops in the world.
The fact has landed Toraja coffee under the Geographical Indication Protection (GI) for its flavors so distinct that equals it to none in the world
Today most of the coffee produced in Toraja is still grown by independent smallholders with about 5% coming from seven larger estates. As a result of the mountainous terrain coffee yields from Toraja are relatively low at around 300 kilos per hectare. The coffee from the region is still picked and sorted by hand ensuring a high-quality coffee.
The small capacity for coffee production combined with the quality of the coffee beans makes Toraja coffee some of the most sought after in the world. What makes the taste so invigorating is the complex algorithms embedded within the atmosphere of Toraja as a geographical standpoint, creating an environment that produces the perfect Arabica coffee. The fact has landed Toraja coffee under the Geographical Indication Protection (GI) for its flavors so distinct that equals it to none in the world. Yet the best place to sample coffee from Toraja will always be in the highlands where it is.