Timor-Leste Organic Single Origin

Varietal: Hibrido de Timor-Leste (HDT, Timor Hybrid)
Type: 100% Arabica, Organic
Producer: Smallholder farmers, Ainaro district
Elevation: 1,400 to 1,550 m.a.s.l
Process: Washed
Region: Maulau, Maubisse sub-district, Ainaro district
Country: Timor-Leste
Cup Profile: Dark Chocolate, Ripe Plum & Molasses with a full, syrupy body

Timor-Leste's path to independence was one of the most harrowing of the modern era, a decades-long struggle for self-determination marked by immense sacrifice and resilience. Since independence in 2002, the country has been rebuilding, and coffee has played a central role in that recovery. This green coffee reaches us through Wayne and Aydee, owner’s of the Wholemeal Cafe in Takaka, who has spent years cultivating genuine direct-trade relationships with the smallholder farming families of Maulau and Maubisse in the Ainaro district. By buying directly, bypassing intermediaries and paying fair prices straight to the growers, Wayne and Aydee’s partnership helps these communities build real economic independence, cup by cup.

Maulau sits in the highland interior of Ainaro district, tucked into the Maubisse sub-district at 1,400 to 1,550 metres above sea level. At this altitude, cooler temperatures and fertile volcanic soils slow cherry development, building natural sweetness and aromatic complexity into the bean long before processing begins. Grown without synthetic inputs on small family plots, this organic coffee is truly wild-cultivated. Ripe cherries are selectively hand-picked, then processed using a washed method, pulped, fermented, and sun-dried to produce a clean, expressive cup that lets the terroir speak clearly.

In the cup, this Timor-Leste organic single origin is bold, generous, and deeply satisfying. The body is full and syrupy, the kind of dense, coating texture that signals quality from the very first sip. Dark chocolate anchors the flavour with depth and a gentle roasted warmth; ripe plum adds a dark, jammy sweetness that builds through the mid-palate; and molasses rounds everything out with a rich, earthy base note that lingers long into the finish. Low acidity, high sweetness, deeply satisfying. A coffee for those who love something substantial and complex, equally at home as a rich espresso, a slow plunger on a cold morning, or a smooth, full-flavoured filter brew.

•        Organic: wild-grown, chemical-free, Timorese highland farming

•        Direct trade via the Wholemeal Cafe, Takaka: fair prices paid directly to farming families

•        Supports economic independence for communities in Maulau and Maubisse

•        Low food miles from source to roaster

•        Roasted with care in Mapua, New Zealand

Tasting Notes: Dark chocolate, ripe plum & molasses with a full, syrupy body
Suitable For: Espresso, Filter, Plunger, Stovetop, Aeropress