Dark Chocolate, Plum, Kukicha Tea
From the Frinsa Estate in West Java, Sarapan is a washed single origin with a calm, considered character - dark chocolate lifted by plum and a subtle kukicha tea note that lingers in a way you don't quite expect. It rewards a slower brew and a little patience, and it's well worth both.
Dark, chocolate-rich, quietly West Javan
Sarapan means breakfast in Indonesian, and there's something quietly fitting about that - this is a coffee that settles into the morning without demanding much of you, yet rewards a little attention. From the Frinsa Estate in Weninggalih, West Java, it's grown by Wildan and Atieq Mustofa and processed using the washed method, which keeps the cup clean and lets the bean's natural character come through clearly.
What comes through is a combination that's harder to pin down than most. Dark chocolate sits at the centre, familiar and grounding, but plum lifts it with a little fruit sweetness, and then there's something almost tea-like - kukicha, specifically, with its gentle, slightly grassy warmth - that gives the whole thing a quiet depth. It doesn't announce itself loudly. It builds slowly, and the more you sit with it, the more interesting it becomes.
Andrew at Fountain Rock roasts between light and medium to let that natural character come through, and this coffee is a good example of why that approach works. Brewed as filter or through an Aeropress it's particularly expressive, though it holds up well as espresso too if that's your preference.
About the Roaster
Fountain Rock is a Dorset-based roastery founded by Andrew Hall, whose background in science and technology led him to study sensory analysis, brewing and roasting with the Speciality Coffee Association before ever selling a single bag. That grounding shows in how they work - from the electric roaster with its integrated profiling software to the relationships they've built with farmers they pay well above fair trade rates, because good coffee starts long before the roast.
