Java Sunda Wet Hulled Siki Alit

This lot is from a collector in the Garut District, near Gunung Papandayan where altitudes range from 1600 to 1800 meters above sea level. "Collectors" are intermediaries of sorts who buys partially processed coffee and whole cherry from small scale farmers and then process it down to the dried seed/bean. Whereas many collectors create large blends of all the coffee they buy, this supplier pays special attention to separating the lots that he buys by region, these smaller lot sizes adding a layer of quality control, not to mention more specific provenance. "Siki Alit" roughly translates to "small seed" in Bahasa, which is how collectors refer to coffee from this region as it tends to be smaller and dense in the high altitude zones. This is a wet hulled coffee, and if not familiar, there are a few things you should know. Number one, it looks a lot different than most other processes we sell. The coloring is quite dark, and there tends to be a high allowance for defects in the typical "Grade 1". The reason for the appearance lies in the way the coffee is processed. It starts off like wet process, with the cherry and fruit being removed from the seed with a pulper and typically fermentation. The coffee is then laid to dry, but only for about a day. After that, the farmer bags up the wet coffee and sells it to a collector who takes it home and dries the rest of the way. But before the coffee is sent to the patio, they use a hulling machine to remove the outer parchment layer while the coffee is still wet ("wet hulled"!). This crucial step leaves the wet beans exposed to the elements for several days, and has a big impact on the cup. Wet hulled flavors are very distinctive, rustic, earthy, and deep toned. And while not for everyone, they have quite a devoted following (we count ourselves among them!). Read more about Giling Basah tradition here.