by Nigel Ong
Flores is a less-known island in Indonesia, east of Bali and Komodo island. However, some coffee heads may have heard of or sampled Flores coffee, one of the main premium coffees from Indonesia.
How good is Flores coffee? I picked up a bag to sample and find out. I will share my findings in this post and compare the taste of Flores coffee with other coffee in my collection.
About Flores Coffee
Flores coffee (or Kopi Flores) in Indonesia refers to coffee planted and grown on the island of Flores, part of the Sunda Islands chain east of Java. The island chain also includes more popular islands such as Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, and Timor.
Coffee was not native to Flores. Instead, the Dutch introduced the plant to the island in the 18th century after they had taken control. Many plantations the Dutch started still operate today.
Like many parts of Indonesia, the warmer lowlands focus on growing Robusta beans, which are usually used to make mass-production coffee, such as instant coffee or flavorings. The highlands focus on producing high-quality Arabica beans.
The premium Flores Arabica coffee is predominantly grown in the Ngada and Bajawa regions around an inactive volcano, Mount Inierie. These regions benefit from the island’s volcanic soil and cool climate, making them perfect for growing coffee.
Flores coffee may not be as famous as Sumatra or Bali coffee. Still, it is gaining popularity with coffee enthusiasts due to its special flavors. Its biggest issue is the low production volume, making available coffee pricey.
How Does Flores Single-Origin Coffee Taste?
I picked up some Flores single-origin coffee beans during my recent trip to Indonesia. My bag comes from Sakha Coffee, an independent local roastery based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
My roast comes in whole bean, is 100% Arabica, and is roasted to medium intensity. The bag also claims that the coffee has orange, chocolate, and almond notes.
| Style of Coffee | Flavor and Taste |
| French Press | Soft, mellow, smoothHints of chocolate, nutsChocolate-like sweetness in the finish. |
| Pour-Over With Filter Paper | Light, less intenseChocolate and nuts notes Some citrusy taste |
| Espresso | Rich, fragrant espresso with a pale cremaWhiffs of chocolate and citrusChocolate bitterness and nutty flavor. |
| With Sugar | Accentuates chocolate noteReduces slight sournessEnhances sweet finish. |
| With Sweetener | Delayed sweetnessLonger finish |
| With Milk | Softens and mellowsMilky, rich, satisfyingSubtle sweetness from lactose |
| With Creamer | Creamy, rich, satisfyingSlight increase in sweetness at the finish. |
| With Ice | Muted flavors, somewhat boring. |
First Impression
I understand that the beans inside my coffee beans are from several regions within Flores itself. This means there may be beans from Ngada or Bajawa.
The coffee bag kept the beans fresh, so I could smell the coffee even before I opened the bag. Once I did that, I picked up a fragrant smell of coffee, with hints of chocolate and nuts.
The beans are roasted to medium darkness, with a matted look on the surface.
The beans also have quite even sizes. I did not see any giants or dwarf beans when I poured some of the beans out. I compared the beans of my Flores coffee with other roasts here to see the color differences.
For brewing, I will use the three default brewing methods, similar to my other reviews:
French Press: This brewing style makes a murky, full-flavored coffee with floating particles. This should allow me to sample the coffee in all its ‘glory.’ I expect full flavor and strong flavor with this coffee.
Pour Over With Filter Paper: This method produces a ‘cleaner’ version of the coffee without too much oil and particles floating about. This should help me to sample more of the subtle notes.
Espresso: Espresso can generally concentrate flavors well, especially at the crema. An espresso should help me better appreciate the flavors in this coffee.
French Press
For the French press, I used the 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio recommended by Illy Coffee. I also used my usual Bodum Caffettiera French press to make my brew, although you can always use your French press of choice.
If you prefer a cheaper option. Check out IKEA’s Upphetta French press.
The coffee looks alright, with a very inviting aroma. The taste of the coffee matches the aroma; the coffee is soft, mellow, and smooth to the palate.
Not much smoke or strong earthiness may make a coffee harder to drink. The acidity is medium, and does not trigger any sour taste in my mouth.
As I sipped the coffee, I picked up notes of chocolate and nuts. The slightly sour taste has a citrus touch, but I cannot confirm it to be orange, as the flavor notes on the coffee bag claim.
After swallowing the coffee, the coffee finishes okay when there is some lingering taste of chocolate-like sweetness. This is a comfortable, easy-to-drink cup of coffee.
Pour-Over With Filter Paper
These are the gear I use to make my pour-over coffee:
My pour-over brewing method is based on steps from Starbucks. I kept to a 1:18 ratio and used hot, off-boiling water for my pourings.
As expected, the pour-over coffee tastes lighter and less intense than the French press brew. The filter paper removed some coffee oils and particles, further mellowing the already soft coffee.
The chocolate and nuts notes are about the same, although the sour, citrusy taste came out more. The coffee finishes well, similar to its French press version.
If you like light, soft coffee, this version of Flores Coffee may work very well for you.
Espresso
I ground the beans to a fine consistency and then used my Wacaco Minipresso GR to pull an espresso shot.
I like what I see. It is a fragrant espresso with a rich, thick crema that can rival those from a proper coffee shop. However, the crema is a little pale, probably because the beans are not roasted very dark.
Aroma-wise, the espresso has little smoke. Instead, I picked up whiffs of chocolate and a citrusy, acidic smell.
The espresso concentrates the flavor of the roast, which helps me to sample the drink better. The coffee has good chocolate bitterness and a nutty flavor in espresso form.
This is a decent soft espresso, although it will be miles behind the smoky, intense, and hard-hitting espresso you usually see in coffee shops.
With Sugar
I brewed a cup of French press Flores coffee before adding a brown, coarse sugar stick to my cup. I took a quick sip and decided that a stick of sugar was enough with this coffee.
Appearance-wise, sugar added some sheen to the coffee and also made it slightly more thick in texture. As for taste, it accentuated the chocolate note and cut into the slight sourness of the coffee.
I also think the sugar enhanced the finish by leaving sweet notes on my palate longer after swallowing the coffee.
With Sweetener
With sweetener, I turn to probably the most popular artificial sweeteners out there – Equal. The active sweetener inside equal is Aspartame, which has different properties to sugar.
As a result, the sweetness I get from Equal is different from sugar. The sweetness seems to come a bit later, meaning when I sip the coffee, I pick the initial flavor first before the sweetness comes in.
It also leaves later. This means Equal greatly lengthened the finish of the coffee. You may find this enjoyable, but not me. I prefer the natural sweetness of sugar.
With Milk
Next, I added a single shot (about 30 ml or 1 oz) of whole, UHT, fresh cow’s milk into my Flores coffee.
The coffee further softens and mellows out an already easy-to-drink coffee. This makes the coffee very milky, rich, and satisfying to drink. The smoothness reminds me of Asian White Coffee.
There is also some subtle sweetness, thanks to the lactose in the milk. This is the second best way to enjoy Flores coffee after black.
With Creamer
I added two teaspoons of Coffee Mate non-dairy creamer to my coffee. I stirred to dissolve everything evenly and went in for my sip.
The creamer did about the same thing to my cup as milk. It mellows the coffee further and brings out the chocolate note of the coffee more. I also enjoy the richer, sweet taste.
There is also a slight increase in sweetness at the finish.
My only issue is that the creamer somehow does not enrich the coffee to the depth that coffee does, which means the milked version of Flores coffee tastes better to me.
With Ice
I brought a fresh brew of Flores coffee with half a cup of ice in a glass. I then stir things in to ensure the coffee is chilled before drinking.
There’s nothing special here, to be honest. The coffee tastes just fine. I think the ice has muted many of the flavors in the coffee, making it a bit boring.
Flores coffee, when iced, is no match to a regular iced Americano you can get from Dunkin, or Starbucks. There’s no deep, dark, satisfying bitterness in iced Flores coffee compared to an iced Americano.
Flores Single-Origin Coffee vs Indonesian Single-Origin Coffee
I took out my collection of Indonesian single-origin roasts and made coffee with them. I then drank them side by side with my Flores coffee:
- Papua Wamena Roast
- Java Roast
- Sulawesi Toraja Roast
- Sumatra Gayo Roast
- Bali Kintamani Roast
Flores coffee would be one of the more enjoyable coffees on the list. However, I would not consider it the best; perhaps a shared second place with the Java Roast.
I prefer the Papua Wamena roast still, as it has a stronger cocoa and fresh-bread flavor that I find deeply enjoyable.
Flores Single-Origin Coffee vs Popular Medium Blends
I also brewed a bunch of popular medium roast blends in my collection. I then sampled them side by side with my Flores coffee:
- Dunkin Original Blend
- McCafe Premium Roast
- Starbucks House Blend
- Gevalia House Blend
- Folgers House Blend
It may not be a fair comparison – these are blends, made to be balanced and less edgy in flavors than single-origin coffee.
However, some may taste more enjoyable than my Flores coffee, such as the Dunkin and the McCafe. It has a stronger, more intense taste that leaves me more satisfied.
I would also think the Dunkin and McCafe coffee can match better with food than the Flores coffee.
Flores Single-Origin Coffee vs Regular Coffee
I picked up a cup of regular Americano from the most regular of places, a 7-Eleven.
I want to compare my Flores coffee with a regular cup of joe, especially those $1 coffees you can get from gas stations or convenience stores.
There is no doubt here – the Flores coffee wins here. My Flores coffee tastes better, with better flavor depth and a more pleasant finish. It gives me more satisfying sips, too.
Where To Get Flores Single-Origin Coffee?
If you want the exact Flores coffee from Sakha Roastery, you may be out of luck. Sakha’s website does take online orders, but unfortunately, it does not ship overseas or take credit cards.
One good thing is that you can find Flores single-origin coffee from other roasters.On Amazon, roasters such as Tentera offer Flores coffee. If you venture further, you may find roasters such as Smokin Beans, Joe’s Coffee Traders, or Nusa Coffee Company offering Flores roasts.