This coffee begins with a clear and defined sweetness from the first sip: that blend between date and cashew cream feels delicious without being heavy. The fruit appears clean and juicy, with a hint of red grape or currant which brings balance. The beautiful thing is how it changes as it cools: a smooth, milky texture appears, leading to a strawberry milkshake aftertaste, long and enjoyable. It's a very easy coffee to savor, with a well-balanced flavor that doesn't need any fuss to shine. It doesn't try to be complex: it's simply delicious.
History
Aulia Kahfi was born among coffee trees, in the humid, green hills of Bebesen, Aceh, in northern Sumatra. Rakyat Farm, which he now manages with complete dedication, is part of his family heritage—a small plot full of history, where coffee has always been more a way of life than a crop. As a teenager, however, specialty coffee still had no clear place in his community. Coffee was sold quickly, without much thought, and quality was rarely rewarded. For that reason, Aulia spent several years working in small local mines searching for vesuvianite—a semiprecious stone found in volcanic soil—a demanding job that taught him the value of manual labor and patience.
But something in coffee kept calling him back. He returned to the farm determined to do things differently, to understand the potential of the beans he had seen growing since childhood. What began as a small step back soon became a lifelong project. With a car borrowed from a friend, Aulia started visiting neighboring farmers to buy ripe cherries, always looking for those deep, dark-red fruits at their perfect point. Over time, he built a small network of up to fifteen farming families, gathering cherries from areas as diverse as Lukup Sabun, Pantan Sile, and Ratawali. His talent and sensitivity for processing quickly became evident, and in 2019 his work gained recognition when one of his lots reached 9th place in the Sumatra Prestige Cup—a clear sign that his intuition and effort were leading him in the right direction.
Today, still young but with a remarkable sensory maturity, Aulia continues to experiment and refine every step. In Sumatra, where farmers often combine coffee with small plots of fruit, corn, or vegetables to support their families, this careful and patient work requires real dedication. That blend of humility, intuition, and affection for his environment is present in every cup.
Variety and process
The process behind this lot is a slow-dried Natural, handled with the calm precision that defines Aulia’s work. Only very ripe cherries are selected, then soaked in clean water for two days to stabilize fermentation and remove any damaged fruit. After that, they are spread out on raised patios for 12 to 15 days, turned constantly to achieve even drying in Sumatra’s unpredictable climate. This combination of rigorous selection, initial hydration, and extended drying results in an especially sweet and fruity profile, where Sumatra’s characteristic intensity becomes surprisingly juicy and clean.
As for the varieties, this lot is almost a living museum of Aceh’s coffee genetics. It’s composed of Abyssinia, Ateng, Caturra, Gayo, Timtim, and Typica—a fascinating mix that blends ancient lineages, spontaneous mutations, and local adaptations. Abyssinia and Gayo are rarely found outside Indonesia, known for their hardiness and deep, grounding cup profiles; Ateng and Timtim are local selections, resilient and productive, deeply tied to the island’s coffee history; Typica brings elegance and structure; and Caturra adds sweetness and clarity. Together, they form a sort of “varietal ecosystem” that expresses itself in the cup with layered complexity, moving from creamy and lactic sensations to juicy, fruit-driven notes. It’s a lot that speaks of genetic diversity, adaptation, and the hybrid identity of Indonesian coffee—where every plant has something to say.
RECIPE
For espresso:
Uses 17 grams of dose to extract 48 grams of final beverage in a cup in a time of 27”
For filter:
We use 18 grams of ground coffee and 306 grams of water at 93°C. We make two pours. The first is 54 grams, we wait 45 seconds, and then make the next pour, for a total time of 1:50-2:00.
