Java coffees share some of the low-key vibrancy of the best Sumatra and Sulawesi coffees, but tend to be lighter, cleaner, and brighter in the cup owing to having been subjected to sophisticated wet-processing and drying methods on large farms. At best they can be astoundingly sweet, buoyantly fragrant, and alive with nut, spice and vanilla tones. At worst they can display hardness or mustiness owing to the same moisture-interrupted drying that plagues all Indonesia coffees. Nevertheless, a really fine Java is a coffee treasure: restrained in acidity, yet light-footed, spirited and complex with nuance.
Of the four revived "old" estates that provide most of the good Java arabica — Jampit (or Djampit), Blawan, Kayumas and Pancur — Jampit and Blawan are the most likely sources of the Java coffee in American specialty stores.
Old Government, Old Brown, or simply Old Java describe Java arabica that has been held in warehouses for two to three years. Such matured coffee turns from green to light brown, gains body, adds pungency, and loses acidity. Old Java was a celebrated gourmet coffees until it disappeared from the market after World War II. It has been revived, although it remains difficult to obtain in the United States. A somewhat similar taste is offered by aged Sumatra and India Monsooned Malabar coffees.
Geographic Origins > Coffees from India and the Pacific :
India - Java - Papua New Guinea - Sumatra - Sulawesi - Timor