[ROAST ON 25/8] Vietnam Lộc Rừng Liberica Carbonic Maceration Natural

Rare, bold, and nothing like your usual cup, this Liberica from Vietnam’s Lam Dong highlands is the kind of coffee you remember long after the last sip. Grown by the young and ambitious Loc Rung farm, its name means “gift from nature”. This Liberica is our first feature and also the first time they are processing this coffee. Liberica coffee represents less than 1% of the global coffee production.

My connection with this farm goes beyond the beans. I first met Kate and Quhyn in Vietnam, and what stands out in my memory isn’t a cupping table but sharing plenty of traditional Vietnamese rice wine. During a processing activity (which wasn’t even destined to become coffee), I teamed up with a Vietnamese girl who was absolutely obsessed with picking only the ripest cherries. That small but meticulous attention to detail is the same spirit that now runs through every step of Loc Rung’s work, and it’s why their coffees taste the way they do today.

The cherries for this lot are left whole, skins and all, and sealed in tanks where carbon dioxide replaces oxygen. Over 15 days of slow, oxygen-free fermentation, the coffee develops a heady mix of roselle and red fleshy brightness, then cumulates to exotic asian longan and descending into the familiar cacao nibs. For the unfamiliar, Liberica's can be quite intense, adjust the brewing accordingly. 

It’s a coffee for the curious. Powerful, aromatic, and a little unruly, yet with a richness that’s deeply satisfying. Whether you drink it straight or blend it for an accent, it holds its own in any cup.

Roaster's Notes: This coffee was roasted lighter than usual because I found the usual Libericas that we tried from Malaysia to be quite heavy but this rendition is not like this. But it is still a very interesting cup of tea/coffee. It reminds me of a flesh red longan tea. 

Flavour Notes: Roselle, Longan, Cacao Nibs, Dried Berries, Slightly winey

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