FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where is coffee originally from? When was it discovered for the first time?
Coffee originally comes from the ancient coffee forests of Ethiopia, Africa. According to legend, it was first discovered around the 9th century by a goat herder named Kaldi, who noticed his goats became unusually energetic after eating berries from a specific tree. From Ethiopia, coffee culture spread to the Arabian Peninsula and eventually traveled around the world, making its way to tropical highlands like ours!
2. How many times do you harvest coffee every year?
In most highland regions, coffee is typically harvested once a year during the main harvest season (usually spanning a few months when the cherries ripen to a deep red). However, depending on local microclimates and rainfall patterns, some regions may experience a smaller second harvest known as the “fly crop.” During your tour, our guide will show you how to spot ripe cherries and explain where we currently are in the seasonal cycle.
3. How many species of coffee are there worldwide?
There are over 120 known species in the Coffea genus! However, two main species dominate the global coffee market:
- Arabica (Coffea arabica): Accounts for about 60–70% of world production, known for its complex flavors, pleasant acidity, and fragrant aroma. (Most highland coffee tours showcase premium Arabica!)
- Robusta (Coffea canephora): Known for its stronger, bolder taste and higher caffeine content.
4. Is your civet coffee (Kopi Luwak) from caged animals?
No, absolutely not. We are strictly committed to 100% cage-free and ethical practices. The wild civets live freely in their natural habitat within and around our highland plantation. We do not keep civets in cages or force-feed them. Supporting wildlife welfare and environmental sustainability is at the core of our values.
5. How do you find / gather the droppings of the civets in the plantation?
Yes, civets are animals of habit! They are naturally territorial and often return to specific spots—such as near prominent trees, rocky outcrops, or specific trails—which act as their “latrines” or toilet areas. Our experienced farmers know the plantation grounds intimately and track these natural foraging paths daily to carefully forage and hand-collect the droppings without disturbing the wildlife.
6. How do you process your coffee?
After harvesting only the fully ripe, red cherries, we process our coffee through careful, traditional highland methods:
- Sorting & Selection: Hand-picking to ensure only the highest quality beans move forward.
- Pulping & Fermentation: Removing the outer fruit skin using traditional washed, honey, or natural dry processes.
- Sun Drying: Drying the beans under the highland sun on raised beds to achieve optimal moisture levels.
- Hulling & Hand-sorting: Removing the parchment layer and meticulously sorting green beans before roasting.
- Fresh Roasting: Small-batch roasting to bring out the unique flavor notes of our highland terroir.
(During the tour, you’ll get to see and experience these processing stages up close!)