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Jagong

Jagong, Sumatra
Counter Culture Direct Trade Certified • Certified Organic
We’ve spent years studying the mysterious coffees from the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, grown by the Gayo people in the mountains surrounding Lake Tawar. Years ago, we made an exciting discovery: in a little valley called Jagong there sits a small coffee mill which produces, by far, the most beautiful coffees of the region. Deep notes of dark chocolate and spice layer atop a heavy, syrupy body. Just a touch of fruit rounds out the experience – mouthwateringly profound and intense. View Map.

Harvest Information

Process: Wet Hulled

Elevation: 1600-1800 meters

Varieties: Bergundal Typica, Tim-Tim, Ateng
Sumatra has for hundreds of years been one of the most important coffee origins in the world. The vast island produces coffees of unique character – no other coffee in the world has quite the same flavor. Great Sumatran coffees are deep, heavy, and syrupy, with a chocolate-and-spice flavor that makes it one of the most beloved of coffee origins. For coffee buyers, however, Sumatra can be a problem; inferior coffees from Sumatra can be inconsistent, uneven, or downright dirty-tasting. The distance from Sumatra, along with the complexities of the Sumatran coffee world and the political troubles they've experienced over the past decade have combined to make Sumatra one of the last frontiers for the coffee buyer – most buyers have never even visited the island.

The first time I visited Sumatra in 2004, I was overwhelmed. I learned about the unique "Giling Basah" processing technique unique to Sumatra, and I studied the complex trading system that exists between farmer, miller, and exporter throughout the island. I learned that this system often works against coffee quality, as farmers improvise processing technique and drying equipment. I learned that great Sumatran coffees would remain as rare as hen's teeth, since there was so little control over processing. That year, I couldn't even visit the region of Aceh, the home of the Gayo people and the heartland of Sumatran coffee, since they were still in the midst of a decade-long civil war.

After peace in Aceh broke out in 2006, I was finally able to visit the region and explore their coffee farms and culture. One of my goals on that trip was to learn the source of the coffees from a trader known as Irham, which we had identified as our favorites. I met with Irham – who speaks no English, and I no Gayo – and he took me right away to the valley where the coffees we had loved the most had come from- the little valley of Jagong.

We are proud of our association with Gayo, and feel fortunate to be able to share these coffees with our customers. Photo by Peter Giuliano. And, lo and behold, there in Jagong sat an amazing rarity – what we call in the coffee trade a "Wet Mill," or a place where farmers can bring their coffee cherry for expert fermentation, washing, and drying. Wet Mills, also called "Washing Stations," are commonplace in places like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Guatemala, but are unheard of in Sumatra, where most farmers improvise machines to process coffee on their own farms. This backyard processing, in Sumatra at least, is what leads to imperfect, uneven coffees. And here, in Jagong, sat a perfect tool of coffee craftsmanship! As it turns out, the mill had been built as an experiment by the Dutch in the 1980s, which had been abandoned when the Acehnese civil war broke out. The valley of Jagong was depopulated during the war – it was far too dangerous to live or farm there. As hostilities drew to a close, local farmers began to use the mill again, and it turns out we bought some of the first postwar coffees from this little mill. It was such a novelty, farmers were still learning how to really craft coffees here. We immediately recognized what a rare find we had on our hands, and dedicated ourselves to developing and supporting the coffees from Jagong, and deepening our relationship with the Gayo Organic Coffee Farmer's Cooperative, who owns and manages the Jagong mill, along with Irham, their partner exporter.
Great Sumatran coffees are deep, heavy, and syrupy, with a chocolate-and-spice flavor that makes it one of the most beloved of coffee origins. Photo by Peter Giuliano.
Since then, we've stayed engaged with Jagong, working to develop quality and transparency in this coffee. This year, we experienced a major breakthrough – a long trip in January brought us to a new level of transparency and communication, the coffees are better than ever, and we even were able to source our very first microlot from the region. To celebrate this milestone in our relationship with the farmers of Jagong, we are rechristening the coffee "Jagong" after years of calling it simply "Gayo" after the people of the region.

-Peter



FEATURED COFFEE

Butare
 MAY FEATURED COFFEE
Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, and San Ramon varieties
Counter Culture Direct Trade Certified • Certified Organic • Shade-Grown
High in the rocky canyons of Guatemala's Huehuetenango district sits the Recinos family’s Finca Nueva Armenia, one of the most perfect farms in Central America. The family farm's pedigree is unparalleled: they've won a number of international coffee tasting contests and established Finca Nueva Armenia as one of the first certified organic coffee farms in Latin America. The quality of their craftsmanship is evident in every cup: clean, clear notes of green apple, grape, and almond above a crisp acidity and juicy body. View map.
Regularly $14.25

$13.25 (per 12 oz bag)

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