Melayar
Direct trade gives us something beyond access to good coffee. It allows us to understand the people behind each harvest and follow the decisions that shape its quality. This is our fourth year working with Curtina Coffee. Each season brings a new reason to look forward to Kintamani. This harvest, we managed to secure four distinct micro lots from the region, each offering a different expression of Bali’s coffee landscape.
Wana, the mind behind Curtina Coffee, approaches coffee as a craft that is never quite finished. From refining farming practices to exploring new processing methods and improving grading standards, his work is guided by a quiet curiosity for what coffee can become. Before this harvest, Wana began experimenting with hermetic sealed natural processing, using GrainPro bags as the fermentation medium instead of the sealed tanks commonly associated with natural anaerobic fermentation. The method encourages a slower, cooler fermentation that can develop greater flavour complexity, though achieving consistent results remains a challenge. Through careful monitoring and adjustments to several processing parameters, Wana continues to refine the process, turning experimentation into something worth sharing.
Layana Tika is a good example of this ongoing pursuit. The latest harvest opens with layered red florals and the jammy sweetness of red berries. Brewed by hand, it delivers a lively cherry-forward profile balanced by red berry fruitiness and a subtle sweetness reminiscent of ripe coffee cherries. As espresso, black cherry and grape take centre stage, followed by a sparkling raspberry aftertaste and a wine-like finish. Add milk, and the cup moves in another direction, revealing chocolate and honey alongside unexpected notes of granola, melon and cocoa powder. Experimental processing rarely follows a predictable path, and that is part of its appeal. Each harvest brings a different expression of the same pursuit, shaped by curiosity, patience and a willingness to try again. Layana Tika is one of the fine Curtina microlots we are happy to bring to this year's table.
