Ask most Australians where their coffee comes from and they'll name Brazil, Colombia or Ethiopia. Few would guess one of our most interesting coffee origins is barely an hour and a half's flight from Darwin.

Timor-Leste is one of the world's youngest nations, independent since 2002. But its coffee story goes back to the Portuguese, who planted the first trees in the 19th century. Today coffee is the country's largest export after oil and gas, and it supports tens of thousands of smallholder families in the mountains.

Timor has also left its mark on coffee far beyond its borders. In the 1920s, a natural cross between arabica and robusta was discovered growing on the island. The Timor Hybrid, as it became known, resisted the leaf rust disease that devastates coffee farms. It went on to parent many of the rust-resistant varieties grown around the world today.

Maubisse

Maubisse sits in the central highlands of Ainaro, at around 1,400 metres. The nights are cool, the rainfall steady and the soils rich. Families farm a few hectares each, under a canopy of native shade trees. That shade, and the altitude, slow the ripening of the cherries. Slower ripening builds more sugar in the bean, and that's where the sweetness and clarity in the cup come from.

Our lot is certified organic and Rainforest Alliance. That reflects the low-input farming these families have always practised, and it earns them a price premium.

From the roaster to the cup

I buy our Maubisse through Bennetts, the coffee brokers in Melbourne, and we roast it to a medium profile that lets the origin do the talking.

Straight out of the roaster, it tastes like slightly unripe blackberries, fresh and a little tart. But first impressions aren't the final word. Like every coffee we roast, it goes through our cupping protocol about 24 hours later. We follow the Specialty Coffee Association's cupping standards, so we grind it, smell it and slurp it the same way cuppers do around the world. That's when the full picture comes through:

  • Aroma: jasmine, orange blossom and ripe stone fruit
  • Flavour: peach and apricot, gentle citrus and a honeyed sweetness
  • Body: medium and silky
  • Finish: clean, sweet and lingering

It opens up as it cools, so take your time with it.

How to brew it

  • Pour-over (our pick): 15g coffee to 240ml water, at 93–94°C, with a medium-fine grind. Bloom for 30 seconds, then pour gently for a total brew time of around 2:15–2:45. The paper filter gives you maximum clarity.
  • Batch brew: the same ratio and temperature.
  • AeroPress: a 1:12 ratio at 93°C, with a 2-minute steep.
  • Espresso: aim for 30–34 second shots at 94–95°C. The slightly longer extraction rounds off the brightness.

A hidden gem

Each season we cup several East Timor lots and choose the one with the most clarity and sweetness. Maubisse keeps delivering, which is why we keep coming back. In a market full of hyped origins, it offers real complexity without the premium price.

It's roasted fresh to order in Robe and available in 250g and 1kg, whole bean or ground, with free shipping Australia-wide.

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Or explore our full range of specialty coffee.