KIMU MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: SEPTEMBER 2026 EDITION
Something's brewing at KIMU. This month we're heading to the misty peaks of Sulawesi for a wet-hulled coffee and a chocolate orange mocha to match.
☕ Coffee Culture: What Is Giling Basah (Wet-Hulling)?
You've probably heard Sulawesi and other Indonesian coffees described as heavy-bodied and almost syrupy, low in acid. That comes down to how they're processed. Most coffee dries slowly as parchment coffee until it reaches roughly 11 to 12 percent moisture before that papery layer is removed. Indonesian producers do it differently.
After the cherries are depulped and fermented overnight, then washed, the wet parchment dries only briefly on patios, just enough to shed excess water. Then it's hulled early, while the bean still holds around 30 to 35 percent moisture, exposing the raw green bean to finish drying naked in the sun. That's Giling Basah, "wet hulling" in Indonesian.
That early exposure changes the bean's chemistry, softening acidity and building the syrupy body and earthy depth Sulawesi is known for. It also gives the beans their telltale blue-green cast before roasting. It's a method born out of necessity, a humid climate, small farms, limited drying space, that became a defining flavor signature.
🍫 Recipe: Sulawesi Orange Mocha
This month's Sulawesi brings dark chocolate, vanilla, and a bright citrus edge, so we built a warm drink that leans into all three.
• 2 tbsp KIMU Sulawesi, regular drip grind
• 3/4 cup water, brewed strong (drip or pour-over)
• 1 tbsp dark chocolate syrup or melted dark chocolate
• Pinch of vanilla bean or 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk, steamed
• 1 wide strip orange zest
Brew the Sulawesi as a strong regular drip or pour-over coffee. Stir the chocolate and vanilla into the mug first, pour the coffee over, then top with steamed milk. Finish with the orange zest, twisted over the cup to release the oils. Let the oils, not the fruit itself, do the work here. A little goes a long way against that dark chocolate base.
🌎 Origin Spotlight: Toraja, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
This coffee is grown by small producers organized around the Cooperative of Toraja Coffee Growers, in the central mountain region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Torajan tribe has lived here for generations, maintaining a traditional village lifestyle built around houses with distinctive boat-shaped roofs.
The growing region itself is dramatic: humid lowland rice paddies flanked by thousand-foot rock walls capped in perpetual mist, with coffee grown as high as 2,000 meters above sea level, among the highest growing elevations anywhere in Indonesia.
Most farms here average under 3 acres. In recent years, producers have organized around community micro-mills to raise processing standards, and partnered with regional exporters like Indokom for logistics and milling, improving traceability and helping farmers earn more through direct trade.
A landscape as layered as the cup it produces.
drinkkimu.com
