From source to sip
The story behind your next cup.
Around Lake Laut Tawar, in the highland city of Takengon in Aceh, sits one of the most distinctive coffee terroirs on earth. This lot comes from the Ratu Ketiara Gayo women's cooperative, where a younger generation of farmers has taken the lead. We selected it for its rare combination of full body and bright citrus lift.
The Gayo Highlands ring Lake Laut Tawar, where volcanic soil, isolated heirloom cultivars, and a long tradition of careful land husbandry combine to make Takengon a reference point for Sumatran coffee. Indonesia ranks among the four largest coffee producers in the world, and Aceh is its most respected arabica region. The fertile microclimates here sit at elevations of 1,200 to 1,600 meters , slowing cherry maturation and concentrating sugars in the bean.
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The Coffee Story
The SourceThe Women of Ratu Ketiara Gayo
The Gayo Highlands ring Lake Laut Tawar, where volcanic soil, isolated heirloom cultivars, and a long tradition of careful land husbandry combine to make Takengon a reference point for Sumatran coffee. Indonesia ranks among the four largest coffee producers in the world, and Aceh is its most respected arabica region. The fertile microclimates here sit at elevations of 1,200 to 1,600 meters , slowing cherry maturation and concentrating sugars in the bean.
Ratu Ketiara Gayo was established in 2017 as the newest unit of PT Ketiara, an umbrella group founded in 2009 by Ms. Rahmah, who started in coffee as a local cherry collector and became one of Indonesia's most respected coffee entrepreneurs. RKG is co-led by three of her young protégés and counts 971 members farming roughly 1,234 hectares, 80 percent of them women. The cooperative pairs Fair Trade and organic practices with a clear focus on quality and on putting women at the center of the trade.
The CraftWet-Hulled, City+ Roasted
This lot is processed by the traditional Sumatran wet-hulled method, known locally as giling basah. After depulping, the parchment coffee is hulled while still wet and high in moisture, then finished by sun drying on patios. That early hull removal is what gives Sumatran coffee its hallmark heavy body, low acidity, and savory, earthy depth. To understand how this differs from washed and natural processing , the key is that the bean spends much of its drying exposed rather than sealed in parchment.
We roast this coffee to City+, a medium-light level that respects the cup's natural weight while keeping the grapefruit-zest brightness intact. The goal is balance: enough development to carry the chocolate and herbal notes, restrained enough to let the citrus lift come through. Small batches, solar-roasted at our Virginia Beach roastery.
The CupWeight and Lift Together
The cup opens with grapefruit zest and a green, herbal edge, an unexpected brightness against the deep Sumatran body. As it cools, the weight settles into a smooth, full mouthfeel and the finish turns toward sweet dark chocolate, with the earthy character that defines wet-hulled coffee underneath. It is a cup that rewards slow drinking, shifting as the temperature drops.
