Timor Leste Dry Process Dukurai

You may recognize this coffee name from previous years, and it's from many of the same small holders in this region. The biggest difference with this year's coffee is that the farmers are delivering whole coffee cherry to a central processing station instead of managing the wet processing individually at home. The cherry collection and new wet mill where the coffee is handled is run by the same Farmpro group who we've bought Timor Leste coffee from the last few years, and they only continue to refine their process. The Daurfusu wet mill is located in Dukurai village, Letefoho District. Initially comprised of 37 members in Dukurai, the operation has cast a wider net this year and is buying coffee from neighboring high altitude zones as well. Farmers in this area are growing a mix of cultivars, mostly Timor Hybrid and Typica, at altitudes of 1400 to 1600 meters above sea level. This is a dry process coffee, meaning the whole coffee cherry is laid to dry without any removal of the fruit. The dry times are quite long with all that wet, organic mass, usually upwards of 3-4 weeks time. The fermentation that occurs inside the cherry often leads to a fruity cup profile, bigger body, and muted acidity. The results can be wildly different than a wet processed batch from the same farm or station! It's a unique opportunity to taste just how profound an impact processing can have on the final cup profile.