Sulawesi Toraja Sapan Minanga Tana Toraja

by Aaron (a Grand Reflection) on September 11, 2022

(reviewing as a city roast) Can a bean be both light and bright, and earthy at the same time? I would have thought that an impossible contradiction until I tried these beans. Low acid, but what little acid is there lends to a tobacco undertone. There's the hints of buttery cocoa, but more like baking chocolate. A hint of caramel sweetness on the back end too, but still earthy forward. But with all these "dark" flavor profiles, it's overall impression is indeed something like cedar. A very unique bean in both flavor and process; it seems to take a little longer to mature. Mine reached peak almost 3 weeks after roasting. [250g Roasted on a Gene Cafe, preheated, slowed to 444 temp for browning, 482 until first crack, one min at 472 for expansion, about 11 min total. Fairly light, only 10% moisture loss.]

by Micheal on June 20, 2022

Good stuff! I am a fry pan roaster and have worked thru many errors learning how to roast for peak flavor. The trick seems to be to stop roasting after the first crack. About 7 minutes with the pan at temp of 473* using a laser thermometer. A little high in temp is better than a little low for a constant crack. Do not let the temp get too high or you will burn the beans. When the crack slows, take the pan off the heat and cool quickly to stop the roast. Colander over a fan. I also use a propane fish cooker for heat.

by Mark Braswell on June 4, 2022

My favorite coffee I can afford. Mellow and yet very rich in flavor. No bitterness. Love it. I have a friend who lives in Jakarta. He was coming for a visit and I asked him to bring some Sulawesi. I had been drinking Kalossi which is also a Sulawesi, but never had Toraja before. I was overjoyed with the Toraja. Wow! My favorite coffee I can't afford is Yemen khulani natural. Double Wow!

by Scott on April 30, 2022

This is a very good bean at City roast. Probably my favorite bean so far. I like it slightly more than the Kalossi, as it has a more chocolate/caramel profile.

by Stacy Elenbaax on November 28, 2021

I absolutely love this coffee. Light roast just after the crack. It’s truly a delicious coffee & my go-to for an every day & special occasions. I’ve tried other peaberry coffees, but this by far exceeds them all in flavor.

by Ken Montgomery on September 20, 2021

I’ve used Sulawesi in several blends with outstanding results, the latest blended with equal parts of Costa Rican Tarrazu and the Sulawesi Toraja. Roasted to about 30 seconds past the first crack, the spicy quality of the Sulawesi and the chocolate/fruity notes of the Costa Rican coffee blend superbly. The coffee gassed out in two days. I use an OXO pour over to get optimal results.

by juliet0319 on June 13, 2021

Got this one as part of a sampler pack and did a medium roast as that's our normal roast preference. We understand why it's called a "sleeper" on the site; made in a moka pot and as pour over, we're hooked at first cup. It's got a chocolatey, nutty smoothness that makes for pleasant drinking.

by Mike on May 31, 2021

Sulawesi Toraja has been a long time favorite. Roasted at between City and City+ This ranks among the world’s finest coffee’s. The Coffee Bean Coral was quick to ship and everything was beautifully packaged. Thank you!

by Ken Montgomery on May 12, 2021

Excellent on its own with a nutty, honey-like mildness, I’ve used the Sulawesi as a blending bean with a Guatemalan and Nicaraguan beans that produce fine coffees with unique depth and smoothness.

by Kaleb Griffin on February 13, 2021

Got a sample of this on my Halloween surprise same pack. Roasted it yesterday up until right before 2nd crack. I have never had a bean that I could ever taste tobacco in, but it shines through in this one. It’s not overpowering but you can tell it’s there, a slight vanilla tobacco. It’s not something that I would have initially bought on my own, but since it came in the sample pack I gave it a shot, and it may be one of my new favorites.

by Bundaleer on November 25, 2020

This coffee has jumped up into my top 10 list. Will definitely become a regular on my shopping list.

by anniebskipper on November 21, 2020

At this house we like light roasts, yielding 86% or so of the starting weight. These beans delivered, with a very even bean-to-bean color suggesting they were all fully ripe when picked. The really low chaff also speaks to quality processing. Top notch for taste of course but don’t look to me for cupping accolades because of all my additions: sweetener and milk.

by Frank on November 19, 2020

Sulawesi is & has been my Go To coffee & CBC has done a great job in obtaining a fantastic crop! I air roast mine medium at 425F for about 16min to a nice chocolate brown which brings out the sweet, medium body I have come love about this varietal. I purchased 10# & then another 25# before the 1st shipment arrived. It will make a great gift to my coffee loving family this holiday season.

by Bob Stomp on June 15, 2020

What a delightful coffee. Glad I latched onto it. Great balance of brightness, complexity, body and finish. I prefer medium roasting, to just at the very end of the first crack. No oil showing on the beans. Two or three day rest and you're good to go. Fascinating how very different Sulawesi is from its cousin--Sumatra. Easily a top three coffee in my book, along with some of the top Kenyans. Toraja works for me more so than the other varietals. There was a HUGE improvement between one day rest and three days. One day result was 'meh'. Three was 'wow'. Patience, Grasshopper.

by E Rine on July 8, 2019

Simply excellent. Roasted about 10 seconds into 2nd crack. My new favorite.

by Jon on February 24, 2019

This coffee has so much complexity but is very approachable. Went with a FC roast and it brought out so many flavors. Will buy this one in the future along with the Misty Valley. This one has a new place in my regular orders

by Jeremy D Long on November 5, 2018

Does anyone have a good roast profile for this bean?

by Michael Smith on September 26, 2018

New to roasting but I've tried this and it has become a favorite. Even with minimal experience it came out excellent.

by Kathryn Curry on May 19, 2018

It's a full bodied coffee with excellent flavor and aroma.

by Don on May 7, 2018

We love this coffee!

by dean on January 31, 2012

I ordered some Jamaican just to see if it was worth the price, it's not. The Sulawesi is far better. A wonderful cup. The kind of flavor that makes say WOW! Take it off the heat just shy of second crack, or, for an entirely different taste, a few seconds into. But for gosh sakes, don't burn it !

by ctulya on March 29, 2010

Tried this at Full City Plus, rested 1 day and it tasted really burnt. Tried again at Full City and let it rest for 3 days. It was perfect, perfect, perfect! Cathy

by Anonymous on May 27, 2008

Roasted at City+ it was very woody/earthy, and I noticed that sweetness and spiceness. I hate to overroast a nice coffee, but I couldn't get enough of this coffee when I roasted it darker (FC+ and up). Even without rest this coffee is nice, though rest really did nice things.

by Anonymous on February 3, 2007

I keep going back to this one. Definitely has become my favorite as well. No matter how I roast it, it is good, full-bodied and flavorful. If you haven't tried it, you need to--just once & you'll be hooked!

Right on!! I had those same thoughts when I first tried it ~10 years ago...and it's still one of our favorites.
Russ