Under The Water
Working with Bekali Coffee has rejuvenated our passion for sourcing fine specialty coffee directly from the farm. This year, Bekali expanded its operation into Pasir Angling, Lembang, in northern West Java, where coffee farms sit between 1,475 and 1,800 metres above sea level. The project brings together around ten farmers cultivating approximately 15 hectares of coffee. For many, vegetable trading remains the main livelihood, while specialty coffee offers a new path they are exploring with Bekali. Typica is the dominant cultivar, alongside Catimor and Linie 3795. In a region where fully washed coffee remains the familiar method, Bekali is taking a different approach this year: nitrogen maceration washed.
The decision to use nitrogen rather than carbon dioxide is deliberate. Nitrogen is an odourless gas and provides a stable fermentation environment, allowing the coffee to develop without excessive fermentation aromas. Ripe cherries are carefully selected, picked, depulped, washed, and then placed through five days of nitrogen maceration. In the cup, the difference is clear. Rather than the sparkling, highly fermented character often associated with carbonic maceration, this coffee leans towards clarity, sweetness, and intensity. It feels less like a process imposed on the coffee itself.
Bekali's attention to quality continues through drying. The coffee is spread on raised beds under sunlight, allowing the early stage to dry quickly and evenly. At night, it is placed into hermetically sealed bags, protecting it from excess oxidation and unwanted moisture absorption. Repeating this cycle gives Bekali greater control over the drying environment and helps preserve the coffee's natural character. For us, this was our first experience roasting a nitrogen maceration washed coffee, and the result immediately showed an aromatic, elegant personality.
On the cupping table, sweet coffee blossom leads the fragrance, followed by delicate muscat grape and the fine texture of Ceylon tea. As the coffee cools, strawberry sweetness becomes more pronounced, while coffee blossom returns in the finish. As espresso, it turns bright and juicy, with lively lime acidity alongside soft peach and honeydew sweetness. With milk, the texture becomes rounder, bringing peanut butter and white chocolate, with a gentle soy-milk-like sweetness throughout.
