Laos - Teng's Java (Filter)

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LAOS - Teng's Java

Filter Roast

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A BIT ABOUT THIS COFFEE

Teng specialises in washed coffees, producing Java and Typica near the village of Phudam Khuan on the Bolaven Plateau. Her gardens thrive beside an ancient extinct volcano, enriched by rich volcanic soil. Grown under forest shade with a focus on organic farming, her coffees are known for their distinct clarity and clean flavour profile.

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WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

Teng’s Java offers a clean, uniform yet distinct cup profile, layered with dried fruit and citrus notes, gentle honey-like sweetness, and subtle tea-like characteristics.

Its high-quality attributes are expressed in a mild, mellow style characteristic of Laotian coffee

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HOW TO BREW

V60

20g Dose

300g Yield 

2.45 Brew time 

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THE STORY

Teng lives in the quiet village of PhuDam Khuan, where we work closely with three households. Although the village sits at a slightly lower elevation than other parts of the Bolaven Plateau, we were drawn here for three reasons.

First, the people. The families here are generous, hardworking, and genuinely enthusiastic about collaborating with us. They have become friends as well as partners, and we visit them multiple times throughout the harvest.
Second, the quality. Coffees from this area offer a flavour profile that is both unique and exceptional.
Third, the environment — a combination of natural surroundings, heirloom varieties, and the care and attention given by each farmer.

Teng produces heirloom coffees, predominantly Java and Typica, and focuses on wet processing. In previous years, we purchased her coffee blended with other Typica lots. Once we began to better understand her coffee — particularly her Java — we knew it deserved to be separated and processed individually. This approach has since become a cornerstone of how we work in Laos: providing farmers with the incentive to separate and process their varieties independently. While this requires more work at the farm level, we pay a premium to ensure these distinctive lots can stand on their own.

We meet with each of our farming partners before, during, and after harvest. Agreements are made based on projected volumes, farmer capacity, and our quality standards. In most cases, we purchase everything each family produces at a price set by them, aligning as closely as possible with our volume requirements.

We purchase coffee as parchment — meaning it has been wet-processed and dried, but not yet dry-milled. Once collected, we manage the milling, sorting, grading, bagging, and export to Australia ourselves. This removes the burden of dry-milling and export logistics from the farmers and allows them to focus on production. By setting their own parchment price, they are better able to account for their total costs.

It is a model that requires significantly more involvement from us, but it is one we are proud of — built on transparency, shared responsibility, and long-term mutual benefit.