Java Gunung Tikukur

Java Gunung Tikukur - A journey into coffees rich history...

Producer: Small Holder Farms

Origin:West Java  

Region: Tenjolaya Ciwidey 

Altitude: 1250 Meters Above Sea Level

Cultivar(s):Catimor, Timor Hybrid (HDT), Typica

Process:Double Ferment - Fully Washed

Roast: Medium

Sensory Notes:Bright & Juciy: Vibrant notes of green grape, sugarcane, and ripe papaya. The clean fruit-forward acidity is supported by deep tones of toffee, chocolate, and molasses, producing a rich sweetness and lingering mouthfeel. A clean yet indulgent sensory experience from start to finish. A true testament to the excellence of coffees from Java.

DonX Score: 93

Named after a native turtle dove, Gunung Tikukur is grown and harvested by smallholder farmers in the Tenjolaya Ciwidey region. These producers deliver fresh cherry directly to a centralized wet mill, where it undergoes careful processing: Starting by floating to select only the ripest red cherries, followed by a 16-hour fermentation, and drying in solar dryers to preserve clarity and complexity in the cup.

Coffee from Java has a rich and influential history dating back to the late 1600s. The Dutch East India Company introduced coffee cultivation to the island of Java (now part of Indonesia) around 1699, bringing Arabica coffee plants from Yemen. Java quickly became one of the world's first major coffee-producing regions outside Arabia and Africa. By the 18th century, it was exporting large quantities of coffee to Europe, helping establish coffee as a popular beverage across the continent. The term "Java" became synonymous with coffee itself, especially in the United States. Although coffee leaf rust and colonial upheaval impacted production in later centuries, Java remains an important part of Indonesia’s coffee heritage, now producing both Arabica and Robusta beans known for their earthy, full-bodied flavor.

Although coffee was first planted successfully on Java around 1700, cultivation spread slowly throughout what would become the great archipelagic state of Indonesia. In fact, the green coffee of Java served as progenitor to the coffees of far off Central America and had begun its ascent to being considered, alongside Arabian Mocha, as one of the best coffees in the world, long before commercial cultivation spread to nearby islands.

Some of the large coffee estates created by the Dutch 175 years ago can still be found on the volcanic plateau at the eastern tip of Java, but most coffee farmers are smallholders growing coffee on an average of 1.5 hectare, many of them among a cluster of volcanoes in West Java, where coffee cultivation first began on the island. Although disease resistant Robusta became the dominate coffee crop, West Java has seen a steady increase in Arabica production in recent years.