We live for new coffee. While we have a fairly consistent lineup of favorites that we can offer year-round, single origin and single varietal coffees that are seasonally relevant and have limited availability intrigue our senses in different and exciting ways. So without further ado, I present…
Organic Timor-Leste
- Description: roasted figs, balsamic vinegar, dark chocolate
- Processing Type: Washed
- Elevation: 4593-5249 feet (1400-1600 meters)
- Coffee Variety: Hybrido de Timor
CCT’S WASHED BEANS (LEFT) VS. ROUGH FARMER-PROCESSED PARCHMENT
The Organic Timor-Leste is produced by Cooperativa Cafe Timor (CCT), which is one of the largest Fair Trade Certified cooperatives in the world. CCT formed in 1995, and has been directly responsible for a tremendous increase in the quality of coffee produced within Timor-Leste. For centuries, Timorese farmers had utilized rudimentary processing equipment, resulting in over-fermented, poorly washed and under-dried parchment. CCT centralized milling factories and drying processes, leading to a higher quality product that better represented the unique Hybrido de Timor bean.
CCT BUYERS INSPECT, WEIGH AND PAY FARMERS
AT ROADSIDE THE SAME DAY THEY HARVEST
While organic agricultural products have received steadily increasing attention over the past two decades, CCT was a leader in their field when they began offering organic coffee in 1995. In it’s first season, CCT, then called theNational Cooperative Business Association, purchased raw cherry from 800 farm families with cash payment on the spot, at prices five times higher than they used to receive for their far more labor-intensive parchment. Sam Filiaci (the director of CCT) also found a silver lining in the centuries of benign neglect of the Timorese coffee fields: The overgrown shade canopy and lack of funds for agrochemicals produced a naturally organic bean, just as that label was becoming hip in Western cafes.
NCBA AND CCT DIRECTOR SAM FILIACI
Since that initial purchase in 1995/1996, Starbucks has continued to buy half or more of CCT’s production. The market support that Starbucks provided fueled expansion that included four wet processing mills serving some 20,000 families. In addition, donations of medical supplies and grants provided through Starbucks C.A.F.E. practices program (a program that measures the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of farms and coops) have helped improve quality of life thousands of people living in East Timor.
- Jesse, January 9th
***All the information and pictures in this post about CCT and the NCBA came from a piece written by Jonathan B. Levine titled “Coffee in the Crossfire” ***
