Timor Leste Eratoi

High in the mountains of Letefoho, 1,800 metres above sea level, 40 smallholder farming families tend their coffee with quiet precision. Led by farmer Simao Pedro de Deus, the community of Eratoi is one of the highest altitude growing regions in Timor-Leste, and one of the most remarkable stories in our range.

A direct trade relationship built on fair value

This coffee comes to us direct trade through Karst Organics, an importer and exporter operating with full transparency across the supply chain. Karst pays $4.00 per kg for parchment – a premium price that directly reflects the quality and care invested by each farmer. Combined with the increasing cherry yields coming from healthier, better-nurtured trees, household incomes in Eratoi are rising year on year. That’s not a marketing claim. It’s a measurable outcome of trading coffee the right way.

Every step of processing happens within individual households, using traditional techniques passed down through generations — a practice that speaks to both the integrity of the craft and the deep cultural relationship these farming families have with their land.

An origin with a story worth knowing

Timor-Leste is one of the world’s youngest nations, having only gained independence in 2002 after centuries of Portuguese colonisation and Indonesian annexation. Coffee was introduced by the Portuguese and became the country’s leading export – yet the industry was largely neglected during the long years of occupation. Today, Timorese farmers are reclaiming that legacy, rehabilitating their coffee forests and carving out a well-deserved place in the global speciality market.

All coffee here is grown organically beneath native shade trees, fertilised only with natural inputs – chicken manure, cherry skin, and soil. No chemicals. No shortcuts. Just land, tradition, and time.

In the cup

Expect a clean, elegant profile: crisp green apple, delicate white wine acidity, and a refined black tea finish. The 1,800m altitude and fully washed process – finished on raised African drying beds – deliver clarity and complexity in equal measure.

When you buy this coffee, you’re not just tasting a place. You’re directly supporting the people and practices keeping it alive.

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Coffee Info:

Tasting Notes: Green apple, white wine & black tea.
Region: Eratoi, Letefoho, East Timor
Altitude: 1800 masl
Varietal: Arabica – Typica, Timor Hybrid
Process: Fully Washed, African Bed Drying.
Roast Level: Medium
Best for: Espresso, Filter, Aeropress, Cafetiere

Brew Ratios:

Espresso: 18g in, 36g coffee out in 28-32 seconds.
Filter / v60: 16g coffee, 280ml water, 4 mins brew time.
French Press (cafetiere) 15g coffee, 300ml water, 3.30 mins brew time.
Aeropress (Inverted method): 15g coffee, 1 min 100ml bloom, 150ml, plunge slowly @ 3 mins for 30 seconds.

Note: If ordering ground for Aeropress, we recommend ordering filter grind.