Philippine Lot 1018 Sitio Belis Experimental Yeast

Our 3rd year of very special and experimental “nano-lots” with our partners in the Philippines, this uniquely processed coffee stems from Sitio Belis in the Benguet mountain region. This particular coffee has yeast added to the anaerobic (in full cherry) fermentation to further manipulate the environment.

Lot 1018 starts with a subtle yet juicy first sip, along the lines of star fruit which brings gentle, almost floral notes. Sweetness of red velvet accompanies cashew butter creaminess for a delicately full and smooth cup.

Sitio Belis sits atop a mountain range in Benguet, Philippines with an elevation of 1400 – 1700 MASL. It is blessed with natural springs that flow all-year round and is home to vegetable and coffee growers. This community has been cultivating coffee since the end of WWII and while sayote is their primary crop, they expanded their backyard coffee plantation when buyers came looking for supply. The individual farmers of the Ibaloi tribe have been processing their coffees in different ways, with practices that were either passed on from their forefathers or from farmers who have joined trainings outside the community. There were no set standards and quality had been inconsistent.

With the creation of the community washing station, farmers and their children were trained together. In addition, those who have less trees were given the opportunity to earn more by working in the processing while those who had more trees were given financial aid to hire pickers so they could harvest more.

Farmers bring fresh picked cherries to the mill every day and are immediately processed as honey or washed coffees. The honey processed coffees are pulped and dry-fermented for 24- 48 hours before they are placed on raised drying beds. Washed coffees go through wet fermentation for 36-48 hrs. They are washed multiple times in order to completely remove the mucilage and are then left to dry on raised drying beds. This year, with typhoons and monsoon rains during harvest, more time was required for drying. Most coffees took 4-6 weeks to dry. The coffees are then kept in grainpro bags and rest for 4-6 weeks before they’re hulled and hand sorted.