timor leste ermera lebudu kraik washed

medium/light roast | sweet & smooth

WE TASTE: blood orange, dried banana, toffee
OUR FAVORITE BREWING METHODOLOGY: V60, drip

ORIGIN: Ducurai Village, Letefoho Sub-District, Ermera Municipality, Timor-Leste

COFFEE VARIETIES & MILLING PROCESS: Timor hybrid and typica, fully washed and dried on raised beds

This coffee comes from 10 dedicated farmers in Ducurai village, organized under the group “Lebudu Kraik,” meaning “lower wetlands”—a name that reflects their position along the mountainside just north of Tatamailau’s peak. Lebudu Kraik is one of several smallholder groups we source each year through CBS, an exporter that began by training remote farmers in cultivation and processing, and has grown into a leader in traceability and quality. Each harvest, we receive detailed records including farmer names and farm data, offering a rare level of transparency and connection to the producers behind the coffee.

Coffee cultivation in Letefoho is deeply rooted in tradition. Trees are carefully maintained for decades, and the region’s tall, vine-like Typica varieties often require farmers to lean long wooden ladders against trunks to reach the canopy. Farms are small—typically between 0.5 and 1.5 hectares—and shaded by evergreen she-oaks that naturally enrich the soil. During harvest, cherries are picked by hand and processed at home using personal or shared pulping equipment, often handmade from wood and metal.

After fermentation in small containers, the coffee is dried on raised beds and meticulously sorted. Many of the region’s current quality standards have been shaped by CBS, whose investment in infrastructure—like improved drying systems—has helped farmers achieve more consistent results. Beyond coffee, Ducurai farmers maintain diverse livelihoods, growing crops like taro and cassava, raising livestock, and often producing their own compost, all while adhering to organic practices.