Blue Batak, Indonesia (Espresso)

Blue Batak is sourced from Lintong (officially Lintong Nihuta), at the southern tip of Lake Toba in North Sumatra. For centuries, the indigenous Batak tribe has cultivated coffee in this highly volcanic area, settled here since the 13th century.

The region boasts fertile soils and diverse microclimates formed by its valleys. An ancient super-volcanic eruption around 70,000 years ago shaped the landscape, leaving behind numerous lakes and incredibly fertile grounds.

The soil is so rich that locals say, "You can plant a chair and harvest a table." Most farms are small, emphasising self-sufficiency, with farmers cultivating over 10 different crops on their modest plots.

The farming techniques carried out here are very unique and manual. From cultivation to drying, everything is done by hand and processed according to the local wet-hulled tradition known as Giling Basah.

Farmers pick ripe cherries at sunrise, then manually pulp them before fermenting the wet parchment in bags overnight. After spreading the parchment on patios to dry, it turns into a deep blue-green colour and is later hulled when dry enough. Following additional drying for two to three days, the coffee undergoes triple-handpicking and packing, resulting in a unique cup profile.