Most of the Java Island coffee is grown on government estates, but the Ijen volcano complex is a bizarre place in East Java where sulferic gas is steadily emitted from a crater, and the gas is on fire, and always burns blue. There are incredible night-time photos of the blue flame glow in the middle of a circle of volcanic mountains around it. Anyway, this coffee came from the Srikandi Mountain in this Ijen complex, and was cultivated by the Sunda people who then double sorted it and wet-hulled it as is typical in Indonesia. In a medium roast, it's nice but not particularly memorable. Just at 2nd cracks you have medium body, sweet, smooth, a little chocolate, nothing wrong here. You can blend with it, or drink it straight. But as a dark roast, it's a little more interesting. About 20 seconds of 2nd cracks and you have a chocolate sweetness and a cinnamon spiciness on your tongue after you swallow with some savory tomato and cola notes. Very smooth, and the chocolate stands out as it cools. Not as earthy as a Sumatra. No bitterness or burnt flavors until you hit about a minute of 2nd cracks. At that point, you're going to need some cream to mellow it out. In short, this is a more interesting Java bean than most. It holds its own and makes a fun alternative to the classic Sumatra dark roast. US Arrival March 2024
