Sumatra Organic Takengon Ratu Ketiara Women's Cooperative Wet Hulled

Around Lake Laut Tawar, in the highland city of Takengon in Aceh, sits one of the most distinctive coffee terroirs on earth. This lot comes from the Ratu Ketiara Gayo women's cooperative, where a younger generation of farmers has taken the lead. We selected it for its rare combination of full body and bright citrus lift.

Organic Fair Trade OriginIndonesia RegionGayo Highlands, Takengon, Aceh Elevation1,200-1,600m ProcessWet-Hulled (Giling Basah) VarietyTypica, Catimor The Source

The Women of Ratu Ketiara Gayo

The Gayo Highlands ring Lake Laut Tawar, where volcanic soil, isolated heirloom cultivars, and a long tradition of careful land husbandry combine to make Takengon a reference point for Sumatran coffee. Indonesia ranks among the four largest coffee producers in the world, and Aceh is its most respected arabica region. The fertile microclimates here sit at elevations of 1,200 to 1,600 meters, slowing cherry maturation and concentrating sugars in the bean.

Ratu Ketiara Gayo was established in 2017 as the newest unit of PT Ketiara, an umbrella group founded in 2009 by Ms. Rahmah, who started in coffee as a local cherry collector and became one of Indonesia's most respected coffee entrepreneurs. RKG is co-led by three of her young protégés and counts 971 members farming roughly 1,234 hectares, 80 percent of them women. The cooperative pairs Fair Trade and organic practices with a clear focus on quality and on putting women at the center of the trade.

The Craft

Wet-Hulled, City+ Roasted

This lot is processed by the traditional Sumatran wet-hulled method, known locally as giling basah. After depulping, the parchment coffee is hulled while still wet and high in moisture, then finished by sun drying on patios. That early hull removal is what gives Sumatran coffee its hallmark heavy body, low acidity, and savory, earthy depth. To understand how this differs from washed and natural processing, the key is that the bean spends much of its drying exposed rather than sealed in parchment.

We roast this coffee to City+, a medium-light level that respects the cup's natural weight while keeping the grapefruit-zest brightness intact. The goal is balance: enough development to carry the chocolate and herbal notes, restrained enough to let the citrus lift come through. Small batches, solar-roasted at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Grapefruit Zest Herbal Dark Chocolate Earthy BodyFull AcidityBright The Cup

Weight and Lift Together

The cup opens with grapefruit zest and a green, herbal edge, an unexpected brightness against the deep Sumatran body. As it cools, the weight settles into a smooth, full mouthfeel and the finish turns toward sweet dark chocolate, with the earthy character that defines wet-hulled coffee underneath. It is a cup that rewards slow drinking, shifting as the temperature drops.

Find Your Fix

The full body and low acidity make this a natural for Drip, Chemex, and Cold Brew, where the chocolate and earthy notes anchor the cup. A V60 or Aeropress will sharpen the grapefruit and herbal top notes if you want more lift. Explore the rest of our coffee beans and find your fix.

Roasted in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Packaged in reusable glass mason jars, returned locally for reuse. Solar-roasted.

Virginia Beach, VA