Altitude (MASL)
High Mountain Grown
Bali Blue Moon Coffee
Unique Bluish Beans from the Kintamani Highlands
Kintamani Highlands, Central Bali, Indonesia
Coffee Overview
Bali Blue Moon is a distinguished coffee variety, named for the unique bluish tint of its beans—a remarkable result of the Giling Basah wet-hulling process used throughout Indonesia. This exceptional coffee represents the harmonious blend of ancient Balinese agricultural wisdom and volcanic terroir that creates one of Indonesia's most sought-after specialty coffees.
The bulk of Bali's coffee production comes from small family-owned farms where each producer uses a few acres to cultivate coffee alongside citrus trees in the rich volcanic soils of Mount Agung's Kintamani highlands. These smallholder farmers have perfected their craft over generations, maintaining traditional methods while producing coffee of exceptional quality.
Farms
Traditional Producers
Harvest Season
Seasonal Peak
Traditional Methods
Subak Abian System
Coffee Profile & Specifications
Bali Blue Moon offers a complex flavor profile that reflects the unique processing methods and volcanic terroir of the Kintamani Highlands. The wet-hulling process creates distinctive characteristics that set this coffee apart from other origins.
Cupping Notes
Dark Chocolate, Molasses
Orange Peel, Juniper
Orange Peel, Juniper
Flavor Profile
Brown Sugar, Bakers Chocolate
Clean Finish
Clean Finish
Processing
Wet-Hulled (Giling Basah)
Two-Step Sun Dried
Two-Step Sun Dried
Roast Level
Medium-Dark
Roast
Roast
Varietals
Bourbon (S795 & USDA 762)
Typica, Catimor
Typica, Catimor
Certification
Organic Certified
Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest Alliance
Volcanic Terroir
The Kintamani Highlands of Central Bali provide exceptional growing conditions for coffee. Situated at altitudes between 1,200 to 1,600 meters above sea level, the region benefits from the rich volcanic loam soil created by Mount Agung's ancient eruptions.
This volcanic soil, combined with the tropical highland climate and distinct wet and dry seasons, creates the perfect environment for slow cherry development and complex flavor formation. The unique terroir contributes to the coffee's distinctive characteristics and exceptional cup quality.
Smallholder Excellence
Each family farm carefully sorts their harvested coffee cherries before processing them with their own micro-mills. This attention to detail at every step ensures only the highest quality cherries enter the processing chain, contributing to the exceptional cup profile that defines Bali Blue Moon.
The Giling Basah Process
The wet-hulling process, known locally as "Giling Basah," is what gives Bali Blue Moon its distinctive bluish color and unique flavor profile. This traditional Indonesian processing method creates characteristics that cannot be replicated through conventional processing techniques.
Selective Harvesting
Farmers hand-pick only the ripest coffee cherries during the May to October harvest season. The cherries are carefully sorted to ensure optimal ripeness and quality before processing begins.
Depulping & Fermentation
Using their own micro-mills, farmers remove the cherry skin and ferment the beans overnight in their mucilage. This controlled fermentation develops the coffee's complex flavor compounds.
Initial Washing & Drying
The fermented beans are washed clean and laid out on patios to remove excess moisture from the parchment. This initial drying phase prepares the coffee for the unique wet-hulling step.
Wet-Hulling (Giling Basah)
Unlike conventional processing, the parchment is removed while the coffee still has high moisture content (30-50%). This exposes the green bean while it's still moist, creating the distinctive processing characteristics.
Final Patio Drying
The exposed beans are spread on raised beds and patios to complete drying until they reach export moisture levels (11-12%). This extended exposure creates the characteristic bluish hue and unique cup profile.
The Blue Moon Phenomenon
The wet-hulling process creates the signature bluish color that gives this coffee its name. When the parchment is removed while the beans still contain high moisture, the exposed green coffee develops a distinctive blue-green tint as it dries. This unique characteristic is prized by coffee connoisseurs worldwide and represents the perfect execution of traditional Indonesian processing methods.
Certifications
🌱 Organic Certified
🌿 Rainforest Alliance
🏔️ High Altitude
🇮🇩 Single Origin
Tri Hita Karana Philosophy
Balinese coffee producers maintain a traditional rural lifestyle organized around the Subak Abian system—an ecologically sustainable irrigation and farming method developed over 1,000 years ago by Hindu priests practicing Tri Hita Karana.
This ancient philosophy emphasizes the harmonization between the environment, humans, and God. These spiritual and ecological principles guide coffee cultivation practices, which means pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are never used, resulting in naturally organic coffee production.
Sustainable Partnership
Local producer groups have partnered with regional exporters like Indokom to achieve organic and Rainforest Alliance certifications, which align perfectly with their traditional conservation principles and enhance access to international markets.
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Excellence
The Subak Abian represents more than just an irrigation system—it's a complete agricultural philosophy that has sustained Balinese farming communities for over a millennium. This traditional structure organizes farmers around principles of mutual cooperation, environmental stewardship, and spiritual harmony.
Coffee cultivation in Bali follows these time-tested principles, with farmers growing coffee alongside citrus trees in diversified agroforestry systems. This intercropping method not only provides additional income but also creates natural pest control and soil conservation, eliminating the need for chemical inputs.
From Highland to Cup
The journey from the volcanic highlands of Kintamani to your coffee cup represents centuries of refined agricultural wisdom combined with Indonesia's unique processing traditions. Each step in the process—from selective harvesting to the distinctive wet-hulling method—contributes to the complex, full-bodied character that makes Bali Blue Moon one of Indonesia's most celebrated specialty coffees.
This collaboration between traditional farming methods and modern quality control creates exceptional traceability and ensures that each batch meets the highest standards for specialty coffee. The partnership with regional exporters enhances logistics while preserving the artisanal quality that defines authentic Balinese coffee.
The Indonesian Coffee Legacy
Indonesia's coffee industry, dating back to Dutch colonial times, has evolved into one of the world's most distinctive coffee origins. The wet-hulling process, developed to handle Indonesia's humid climate and infrastructure challenges, has become a signature characteristic that coffee lovers worldwide seek out for its unique flavor profile.
Bali Blue Moon represents the pinnacle of this tradition, combining Indonesia's processing expertise with Bali's unique volcanic terroir and spiritual agricultural practices. The result is a coffee that offers both exceptional quality and a deep connection to place and tradition.
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