Laos: Nong Kali
- Origin: Nong Kali, Bolaven Plateau, Laos
- Geo coordinates: 6°05’45.3″N 38°30’14.2″E
- Altitude: 1.200 m
- Coffee farmers: Collaboration of 298 farmers from 18 villages in the Jing Jhai Coffee Cooperative
- Variety: Java, Typica (Arabica)
- Processing: Honey
A coffee that stands out
With Coffee Circle, we are always on the lookout for the best coffee beans in different countries of origin. Laos is a fairly new country of origin for us and the Jing Jhai Coffee Cooperative (JJCC) has been an important partner of ours for a few years. In addition to the Jhai Robusta coffee, we were also excited about these Arabica beans this year. Comparatively little coffee is produced in Laos and most Arabica is brought across the border to Vietnam to be sold as commercial coffee. However, this coffee clearly stands out from the mass-produced coffee and has exciting individual flavor attributes. We liked the coffee so much that we’re eager to share it with you.
The coffee grows in natural forest gardens, some of which are more than 60 years old. The coffee cherries are picked by hand, as the coffee trees, which are more than five meters tall, can only be reached by ladder. After picking, the coffee cherries are placed in water to sort out the so-called floaters as unripe cherries. The cherries are then de-pulped and the slippery sugar layer (the mucilage) is left on the beans during drying, allowing the sweetness of the pulp to react with the beans and add complexity to the coffee. This form of processing is also known as „honey processing“.
We are excited to share the new crop with you again. The amount of coffee that JJCC produces is comparatively small so we can include this coffee in our portfolio again for a few months. So, grab it as long as the Nong Kali is available!
