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Indonesian LazuNa Coffee: A Rare Arabica Nearing Extinction

November 16, 2017
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Why Is LazuNa Arabica Coffee in Indonesia Facing Extinction?

LazuNa is a rare Arabica variety grown in the Takengon highlands of Sumatra, Indonesia. Dutch planters introduced it more than four hundred years ago, and it was exported to Europe as Traveler's Coffee. Today only about 500 hectares remain, all planted with trees over fifty years old, and the Indonesian Coffee Association says the variety could disappear within twenty years.

When Indonesia declared independence in 1945, LazuNa covered roughly 20,000 hectares in Sumatra before cultivation shrank sharply. The remaining trees are harvested by hand and processed with traditional Dutch methods, from picking through washing and sun-drying. The cup shows caramel sweetness, chocolate aroma, and a delicate oily mouthfeel.

On the highlands of Sumatra, Indonesia, grows a coffee that once captivated the European royal courts—Lasuna. Over four hundred years ago, the Dutch introduced this Arabica variety to Indonesia, and from then on, it traveled across the oceans under the name "Traveler's Coffee," becoming an expensive beverage that swept Europe for two centuries. However, times have changed, and today the pure-blooded Lasuna survives only in about 500 hectares of farmland in the Takengon region, where the trees are all over half a century old, relying on manual harvesting and traditional Dutch processing methods to continue its final lineage. According to the Indonesian Coffee Association, this variety may completely disappear within twenty years. Front Street Coffee takes you on an in-depth look at this rare bean, which combines caramel sweetness, chocolate aroma, and a delicate oily mouthfeel, allowing you to experience its unique charm—rich, sweet, and mellow with a long-lasting aftertaste.

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Indonesia's Finest Lasuna Special

The Indonesian Goddess on the Verge of Extinction—Lasuna

Over four hundred years ago, the Dutch, aboard their red-sailed ships, planted a top-grade Arabica coffee variety called Lasuna on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Later, this batch of coffee beans set sail from the port of Barawan and was sold to the European continent under the name "Traveler's Coffee." With its outstanding and unique flavor, Lasuna conquered most of the European royal courts over nearly two centuries and successfully ranked among the world's most expensive coffees.

When Indonesia declared independence in 1945, Lasuna coffee was cultivated on about 20,000 hectares in Sumatra, but today only 500 hectares of farmland remain in the Takengon region, and its output has shrunk dramatically. The truly pure-blooded Lasuna coffee trees are generally over fifty years old and must be harvested by hand, making them the very essence of essence among old coffee trees. These beans follow the most traditional Dutch processing methods, with strict control at every stage from harvesting to washing and sun-drying, and only then is Lasuna's ultimate flavor achieved. According to the latest revelation from an authoritative figure at the Indonesian Coffee Association, in another twenty years, Lasuna coffee will completely disappear from the earth. Faced with such a precious rarity, miss it and there will never be another chance!

Flavor description: caramel sweetness, chocolate aroma, delicate and smooth oily mouthfeel; a slight acidity gives the whole bean a fruity brightness, while the aftertaste shows distinct spice sweetness and cocoa notes, with a full throat feel—rich yet mellow, with an overall full-bodied and plump character.

Coffee's 36 aromas: maple syrup, almond, dark chocolate, cream, coffee pulp, straw, hazelnut

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.

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