INDONESIA BEKALI HJ. CUCU SUKABUMI

West Java sits among Indonesia’s most celebrated coffee landscapes. Coffees from the western edge of Java are recognised for their breadth of flavour and a grounding caramel sweetness that anchors their complexity. This year we return to the region alongside Bekali Coffee a collective of young producers driven by a clear intention to restore the spirit of specialty coffee through transparency and traceability. These values are not an afterthought but the foundation of how they work shaping how West Java coffee is presented and understood.

What first drew us to Bekali was their decision to separate coffees by single producer and single varietal. On paper it sounds simple. In the field it is one of the most demanding commitments a producer can make. Working closely with Haji Cucu Bekali focuses on two farm blocks in Mekarwangi and Sukabumi. From these sites come two fully traceable lots of Red Caturra a varietal known for its red fruit acidity and juicy structure. To encounter this level of clarity from West Java again feels quietly significant.

The Sukabumi lot is one of the most compelling coffees we sourced from Bekali crafted from Red Caturra and shaped by a natural process it delivers vivid juiciness with bright articulate acidity. On filter it feels lifted and composed led by pomelo like acidity red grape sweetness and a gentle gooseberry tang that lingers with clarity. As espresso it opens with prune dried grape and plum before deepening into amarena cherry wrapped in maple like sweetness and with milk it softens into honeyed sweetness with a bittersweet chocolate finish delivering impeccable quality and consistency that captures the heart of specialty coffee drinkers.