I tried an East Timor roast last summer and really enjoyed this coffee. Honestly, as a roaster  it is hard for me to prioritize my dozen – some origins – This one is an organic and Fair Trade coffee from Ermera , a district in East Timor, half of one of the easternmost coffee growing islands in Indonesia.

Ermera is an area of Timor-Leste (formerly called East Timor) with a long tradition of coffee growing and was the location of the main coffee plantation when Timor was occupied by the Portuguese. Timor freed itself from Indonesia in 1999, and the economy is slowly being rebuilt thanks in part to a growing coffee trade.

Thanks to Fair Trade , the poverty stricken members of the CCT cooperative (Cooperativa Café Timor) have access to free health care, which has saved many lives since the program started.

The Ermera is a very clean coffee similar to the better wet processed Javas. East Timor has some rugged terrain and a very hot climate. Timor coffee is always grown under shade, the only way the plants would survive! Farmers are not able to afford chemicals so East Timor coffee is organic – It has a satisfying full body but also some delicate flavors and aromas reminiscent of a fine Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. With its rich sweetness, earthy spicy accents, and fruitiness this is a great coffee to drink strong and black, just like the growers in Timor-Leste prefer to drink it. I like the Ermera roasted to a Full city, but with its full body it holds up well to a dark roast.

Try it and let me know what you think. Try 2 different roasts : )