Sumatra Queen Ketiara Fair Trade Organic

by Equator Coffees
Wholebean

Tasting Notes

Strength/Intensity

3/10

Roast

Medium

About this Coffee

Previously sold under the name Gayo Mountain, we have renamed our Fair Trade and organic certified single origin Sumatra after solidifying a direct relationship with the cooperative Ketiara.

The coffee Equator purchases is exclusively from the women members of the co-op; they refer to this special selection as Queen Ketiara. We pay an additional premium for the “Queen” designation, with proceeds going to programs that benefit women.

Sumatra Queen Ketiara is processed using the wet hull method, which is seldom seen outside of Sumatra. While traditionally washed coffees are dried with their parchment layer intact, wet hulled coffees have their parchment removed before drying. Sumatra has notoriously unpredictable weather, and coffee producers need to be able to dry their coffee quickly so it doesn’t get rained on and have its quality compromised. This processing is one of the main contributing factors to Sumatran coffees’ earthy flavor profile. Like many other food processing methods, the wet hull process was created out of necessity and the result is a one-of-a-kind flavor profile.

WHY WE LOVE THIS COFFEE

Equator has been purchasing coffee from cooperatives in the Gayo Highlands for more years than we can count. We used to sell the coffee under the name Gayo Mountain, which allowed us to work with any cooperative in the region. In 2015, however, Equator solidified a purchasing relationship with Ketiara, a cooperative that produces great tasting coffee that transcends the stereotypical earthy character Sumatra coffees are known for. Ketiara maintains a flavor profile that is clean and balanced, with flavors of aromatic wood, dark fruit, spices and fresh tobacco. In celebration of the cooperative’s ability to provide consistent cup character, we have renamed our Fair Trade and Organic certified Sumatra, Queen Ketiara.

GOOD COFFEE, BETTER PLANET

In addition to being certified Fair Trade and Organic, another one of the reasons we were initially attracted to Ketiara, is the fact that it is led by a charismatic woman named Rahmah. After working in coffee for many years, she helped found Ketiara in 2009 with just 38 members and currently serves as the co-op’s chairperson. In the years since it was established, the co-op membership has expanded to nearly 2,000 smallholder farmers, over 50% of them being women. The coffee Equator purchases is exclusively from the women members of the co-op; they refer to this special selection as Queen Ketiara. We pay an additional premium for the “Queen” designation, with proceeds going to programs that benefit women.