Flores Navidad | Seasonal Single Origin

• Region Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara
• Growing altitude 1400-1700 masl
• Varietals Yellow Caturra, Typica, Kartika
• Process Anaerobic Natural, Thermal Fermentation
• Taste notes Cacao, Forest Fruits, Spice

An Extraordinary Coffee from Flores, Indonesia

This extraordinary coffee comes to us from Tuang Coffee, based on the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Produced through a close partnership with local farming communities, this coffee represents years of dedication to improving quality, creating better opportunities for farmers and showcasing the distinctive character of Flores coffee. Its unique thermal fermentation process brings added complexity and enhances the coffee's natural fruit character.

Origin & Producer

The story of Tuang Coffee began in 2014, when founder Andre Tuang made the decision to leave his job in Jakarta and dedicate himself to working alongside coffee farmers in Flores Manggarai. At the time, it was difficult to find coffee from the region that hadn't been blended with beans from other Indonesian origins, such as Sumatra, Java and Toraja. Much of the coffee was sold as commodity grade, leaving farmers underappreciated and facing limited market access and unfair payment systems.

Andre set out to change this by creating better opportunities for local producers and bringing greater recognition to the quality of coffee grown in Flores. By 2023, the organisation had grown to more than 2,500 members, working through 17 community leaders across its farmer groups. Coffee is sourced from three main village areas: Nati, Mbohang and Gulang, where approximately 250 farmers contribute to the production of these distinctive lots.

Farming & Sustainability

Quality begins long before the coffee reaches the processing station. Farmers receive seasonal training on when and how to pick their cherries at optimum ripeness, helping to ensure consistency and maximise cup quality. They are also provided with practical tools, including grass cutters to discourage the use of herbicides, alongside pruning scissors and protective gloves.

The farms grow a variety of coffee plants, including Yellow Caturra, Typica and Kartika, alongside crops such as ginger and clove. Sustainable farming practices are encouraged throughout the region, with dried grass, fallen leaves and pulped coffee cherry skins reused as organic fertiliser. Pruning is carried out only when necessary, while shade trees are maintained around the coffee-growing areas to support a healthy growing environment.

Cherries are carefully hand-picked by farmers in their respective villages before being transported to Ruteng, where they are processed at the Tuang central processing site.

Processing — Thermal Fermentation

This coffee undergoes a distinctive thermal fermentation process, designed to enhance its natural sweetness, acidity and fruit complexity. The process begins with carefully selected cherries harvested at peak ripeness, ensuring the highest possible sugar content before fermentation begins.

Once harvested, the cherries are exposed to a brief thermal stage at temperatures of approximately 70°C. During this stage, the cherries are pulped and placed in direct sunlight. The heat encourages the breakdown of natural sugars, initiating partial caramelisation and enhancing malic and lactic acidity. This helps develop greater complexity and a more pronounced fruit character in the finished coffee.

The coffee is then thoroughly mixed and transferred into a hermetically sealed fermentation tank. Maintaining an airtight environment is essential, allowing carbon dioxide (CO₂) to build pressure within the tank. Fermentation takes place over approximately 18 to 23 hours, with temperatures carefully controlled throughout the process. After around 15 hours, pH levels are regularly monitored to track fermentation and ensure it develops as intended.

The fermentation is carefully stopped once the sugars in the mucilage have been consumed, but before alcohol begins to develop. As CO₂ builds inside the sealed tank, the resulting pressure helps drive the coffee's natural flavours into the parchment, contributing to its distinctive character. Once fermentation is complete, the tanks are carefully opened and the coffee is drained before being laid out to dry naturally under the sun.

Quality & Character

Through a combination of dedicated farming, close community partnerships and innovative processing techniques, Tuang Coffee is helping to bring greater recognition to the exceptional potential of Flores as a specialty coffee origin. Every stage, from carefully timed cherry picking to the controlled thermal fermentation, plays an important role in developing the coffee's distinctive character.

The result is a carefully crafted coffee that celebrates the people, practices and unique growing conditions of Flores, Indonesia.