Vietnam is a country of smallholder farms, averaging 1-3 hectares, and famers do not process their own coffee here but instead sell red cherry to wet mills, who process the coffee for export.
Vietnam is the world's largest producer of Robusta, which is generally not considered specialty coffee. However, in recent years, there has been a push to experiment with higher-quality Robusta harvests, creating better coffees that can stand on their own in the specialty sphere.
This lot is the result of one of those experiments, and we are exceedingly happy with the outcome. This honey-processed Robusta comes from a select cluster of smallholder farms in the Lam Dong province in the central highlands of Vietnam. The coffee is cultivated between 900 and 1,200 meters above sea level in a microclimate with rich volcanic soil and harvested using only red ripe cherries.
After harvesting, the cherries are floated to remove defects and then pulped, leaving as much mucilage content sticking to the parchment as possible. The coffee is then dried on raised beds in a greenhouse, providing good airflow to promote even drying.
Cupping Notes: A fruit-forward acidity with dark chocolate and caramel flavors anchored by a clean but distinctive Robusta characteristic.