AFTERNOON BERRIES - Timor Leste Washed Typica

A Resilience-Forged History

Coffee was first introduced to the mountainous island of Timor in the 1800s by Portuguese traders. Through centuries of political turmoil, colonization, and the country's eventual independence in 2002, coffee has remained a constant, grounding force for the Timorese people. Today, it stands as the young nation's largest non-oil export. Timor Leste is famously known for gifting the coffee world the Híbrido de Timor (Timor Hybrid) — a spontaneous, natural cross between Arabica and Robusta discovered in the 1920s. This resilient varietal provided unmatched resistance to coffee leaf rust and has since been used globally to protect farms from disease.
Farming in Timor Leste is deeply rooted in rural community life, relying on manual labor and generational knowledge. Smallholder farmers hand pick cherries amidst lush, natural shade canopies, preserving a rustic approach to cultivation.


Generational Farming & Evolving Agriculture

Most of Timor Leste's coffee is grown by smallholder families in high altitude municipalities like Ermera and Aileu. Historically, these farms were grown in "wild" or unmanaged forest gardens, making the coffee organic by default as it thrived in the fertile volcanic soil. In recent years, a massive push toward specialty coffee has transformed the region. Farmers are now applying focused agricultural practices — including careful pruning, strict cherry sorting, and improved processing infrastructure. This dedication has resulted in exceptionally healthy yields, a remarkably low defect percentage, and higher cup quality that can compete on the global specialty stage.


Unveiling a Hidden Gem at WOC Bangkok

We recently brought this incredible Timor Leste coffee to the World of Coffee (WOC) Bangkok Roaster Village, and the feedback was absolutely phenomenal. As the ONLY booth at the entire event featuring coffee from this origin, our goal was to unveil a true hidden gem and invite the audience to revisit an origin that the specialty coffee world has overlooked for too long. We specifically chose Timor Leste coffee to showcase for its beautifully sweet and clean character — a direct testament to the farmers' recent improvements in agriculture and strict sorting for low defect percentages. By presenting this coffee through three distinct processing methods, we were thrilled to showcase the full spectrum of what modern Timor Leste has to offer.