Sulawesi Toraja (Celebes Kalossi)

Trace and I took part of this week off and took our kids backpacking for the first time.  We chose an easy route (we want them to love it!), and spent two nights at Island Lake, in the Grouse Ridge area of the Tahoe National Forest.  The scenery could not have been more stunning, with an array of wildflowers greeting us at every turn.  The kids climbed every granite boulder in sight, Trace and Jack fished, and we all took a swim at some point.  If you look closely at the header picture, you can see two kids out on that island–brrrr. 

Packed up and ready to head back home

There is nothing like being completely disconnected to reconnect you with each other. It was good for all of us to slow down and spend time in simple pursuits, like finding a way to the nearest high point, or exploring until we found Hidden Lake. And there’s nothing like a campfire for relaxing in the evening. I think the kids also enjoyed the experience of freeze dried food, and using a water purifier. It was all new and all fun.

We started each day with coffee made on our Aeropress, which makes a great backpacking coffeemaker (see photos below). It’s lightweight and makes a delicious and rich cup of coffee. Since the grounds are compressed into a puck, the clean up is simple too–something that especially counts when you are outdoors. If you need one for your next adventure, I know just the place to pick one up.

This week we have one of our favorite coffees to share with you. This is our Sulawesi Toraja, straight from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (formerly Celebes). This coffee comes the Toraja Coffee Farmers’s Cooperative, a group of twenty-three families in South Sulawesi. Toraja is the name of the indigenous people who grow the coffee. As members of the co-op they are able to work together to bring their coffee to market, and they are also working with a NGO to improve their farming practices and the infrastructure of their farms.

Sulawesi is an amazing island, with extreme geography. Rock cliffs rise from verdant green valleys, and the Toraja people have built unique homes that also soar. I have written before about their village traditions, and linked to their elaborate funeral rites here. Also on that blog post you can see a picture of a fairly new baby Archie being held by his uncle–and this week he turns one year old!

We have always had good experiences with coffees from Sulawesi (we also have our Organic Sulawesi Rantekarua Estate in stock), and this is no exception. In the cup it is earthy, nutty, sweet, and full-bodied. You can try a cup on us this week with the code backpack fun*. I hope that you are enjoying your summer as much as we are–and with just as much good coffee. Cheers!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Sulawesi Toraja (Celebes Kalossi). Code expires on 7.27.17. Limit one free cup per customer please. Valid only at Carolines Coffee Roasters, 128 S. Auburn Street, Grass Valley, CA. Code/Offer has no cash value.