Flores is a small Indonesian island located about 200 miles to the east of Bali, and is northwest of Timor. The island is one of the few places on earth where Komodo dragons can be found in the wild and is part of the Komodo national park. Mountain elevations reach nearly 8,000 feet. It is known as the 'island of flowers' so named by the Portuguese not because of flowers, but rather by the colorful coral reefs that surround the island. The terrain is rugged and the island is replete with both active and inactive volcanoes which have created especially fertile soils ideal for organic coffee production.
Today there are twelve neighboring cooperatives in Flores and each them has been certified as organic. Almost all coffee there is Arabica grown between 1200 and 1800 meters. Among the major changes that have taken place are the harvesting of only fully ripe cherries, and, implementation of wet hull processing, also called semi-washed. The drying takes place on raised African beds here, an excellent development as the coffee is not in contact with soil and is exposed to air from all sides. In the local Bahasa language the process is called “giling basah” or literally, wet grinding. This method produces deep green/blue coffees, now commonly seen in those from Sumatra. It is also responsible for the heavy body, low acid nature as full drying within parchment results in higher acidity.
The desire to produce quality coffee has been contagious and the coops share information aimed at further improvement. Within just a few short years coffee from Flores has become a truly viable product in world trade.
Cup characteristics: Coffee from Flores is known for sweet chocolate, floral and woody notes. Very earthy and smooth, even more so than Sumatra. Background smokiness that makes for a distinctive cup. Mouth coating body and chocolaty texture.