East Java Ijen Highlands - Carbonic Anaerobic Natural

We Taste - Muscadine wine, cacao, Boo Berry

Mt. Ijen towers over the world's biggest, most acidic lake. Kawah Ijen lake effervesces a bright turquoise color from volcano-infused sulphuric and hydrochloric acid and minerals. The vented nutrients do more than turn the breathtaking lake acidic; they infuse the local soils with minerals that improve soil fertility, water retention, and aeration, improving coffee harvest yields and cherry quality in East Java, one of the oldest coffee growing regions outside of Ethiopia, Yemen, and India.

Smallholding farmers, often Pandalungan Madurese in heritage, live across the Ijen Highlands, growing fruit, vegetables, and tobacco as well as coffee varieties Typica, Lini S288, S795, Cobra (Colombia Brazil), USDA, and Andungsari. Farmers exchange their fresh harvest with cherry collectors who assess quality. Once purchased and transported to the Bottolingo wet mill, all cherry deliveries are checked for sugar content using a BRIX refractometer. This informs producer Kevenka Coffee in determining the best processing method. For this microlot, Kevenka founders Kenny and Kevin Soewondo anaerobically ferment the whole coffee cherry in tanks for two days, before filling the tanks with with carbon dioxide for the final four days of fermentation. This modern style imparts a remarkably tropical, boozy fermentation, catalyzed by light-medium roasting to taste like Muscadine wine, fruit punch, and Boo Berry cereal. At a week off-roast, expect a velvety-syrupy body paired with a complex acidity, accented by citric and acetic elements. As the roast enters its second and third week, look for the brightness to mellow a bit, bringing forth flavors like cardamom and cacao.

Roast: Light-Medium - Sweetest, most flavorful brews in the 10 - 30 day range.
Process: Carbonic Maceration, Anaerobic Natural - Whole coffee cherries are sorted and washed, then sealed in tanks without air and anaerobically fermented. For two days, temperature and pH are constantly monitored. The next four days, carbon dioxide gas is pumped into the tanks to ensure a saturated environment. This time gives the coffee its heightened boozy sweetness. Post-fermentation, the cherries are sun-dried for 11-13 days. If the humidity is too high, the drying may be gently finished in a mechanical dryer at temperatures below 104℉.
Varieties: Typica, Lini S288, S795, Cobra (Colombia Brazil), USDA, Andungsari
Elevation: 1,100 - 1,500 masl
Location: Ijen Highlands, Botolinggo Village, East Java Province, Indonesia
Producers: Botolinggo wet mill + Driyorejo dry mill by Kevenka Coffee, founded by brothers Kenny + Kevin Soewondo
Farms: Smallholding farmers surrounding Mt. Ijen
Grades / Certifications: Microlot
Harvest: June - Aug. 2025

Brew Guides
Espresso: 1:2.3 in 28-29 sec.
Filter: 1:16.5