AUSTRALIAN COFFEE: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

AS A FARM-BASED COFFEE PRODUCER AND ROASTER, WE’RE OFTEN ASKED ABOUT THE REALITY OF GROWING COFFEE IN AUSTRALIA. WHILE THE INDUSTRY IS STILL YOUNG, THERE’S A DEPTH OF EXPERIENCE HERE - FROM AGRONOMY TO PROCESSING TO CUPPING -THAT WE DRAW ON EVERY DAY. THIS FAQ ADDRESSES SOME OF THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS WE HEAR, BACKED BY EMPERICAL INSIGHTS AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1: CAN HIGH-QUALITY COFFEE REALLY GROW AT LOW ELEVATION?

IT'S A COMMON MISCONCEPTION THAT GREAT COFFEE REQUIRES EXTREME ALTITUDE. WHILE ELEVATION CAN INFLUENCE FLAVOUR DEVELOPMENT, IT'S ONLY ONE PART OF A MUCH LARGER EQUATION. WHAT MATTERS IS HOW ALTITUDE INTERACTS WITH LATITUDE, CLIMATE, AND CULTIVATION PRACTICES.

IN OUR CASE, JACK MURAT IS LOCATED IN MAREEBA, FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND, AT A LATITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 17° SOUTH AND AN ELEVATION OF AROUND 600 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL (MASL). THIS COMBINATION - LOW ALTITUDE BUT HIGH LATITUDE - MEANS OUR MICROCLIMATE PRODUCES DAY-NIGHT TEMPERATURE SHIFTS SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU’D FIND AT MUCH HIGHER ALTITUDES IN COUNTRIES CLOSER TO THE EQUATOR.

COMBINED WITH PROPER FARM MANAGEMENT - CHERRY SORTING, NUTRITION, IRRIGATION, AND CONTROLLED FERMENTATION - THIS LETS US PRODUCE COFFEES THAT SCORE ABOVE 85 AND STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH WELL-KNOWN ORIGINS.

Q2: IS CATUAI A 'LOW-QUALITY' OR COMMERCIAL VARIETY?

VARIETY IS IMPORTANT - BUT IT DOESN’T DETERMINE QUALITY ON ITS OWN. CATUAI IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED IN A WORLD FULL OF TRENDY CULTIVARS, BUT IT'S A STURDY AND RESPONSIVE VARIETY THAT CAN DELIVER EXCELLENT CUP RESULTS WITH THE RIGHT PROCESSING. THROUGH EXTENDED FERMENTATION AND DILIGENT DRYING, WE’VE PRODUCED CATUAI LOTS THAT SCORE ABOVE 87 ON THE SCA SCALE. QUALITY COMES FROM PRACTICE, NOT JUST GENETICS.

WE’RE ALSO BEGINNING TO TRIAL NEW VARIETIES IN THE FIELD, AND IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THEY COMPARE UNDER AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONS IN THE COMING YEARS.

Q3: WHERE IS COFFEE GROWN IN AUSTRALIA — AND WHY MAREEBA?

COFFEE IS PRIMARILY GROWN IN THE SUBTROPICAL AND TROPICAL ZONES OF QUEENSLAND AND NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES. IN MAREEBA - OUR HOME REGION - WE BENEFIT FROM ABUNDANT SUNLIGHT, CONSISTENT RAINFALL, AND WELL-STRUCTURED FLAT LAND THAT SUPPORTS CONTROLLED IRRIGATION. THE COMBINATION OF SOIL, WEATHER, AND TOPOGRAPHY MAKES THIS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST VIABLE COFFEE-GROWING REGIONS.

Q4: WHAT MAKES AUSTRALIAN-GROWN COFFEE DIFFERENT FROM IMPORTED BEANS?

THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS FRESHNESS. IMPORTED COFFEE CAN SPEND MONTHS IN TRANSIT, AFFECTING FLAVOUR, MOISTURE CONTENT, AND SHELF LIFE. OUR COFFEE IS STORED IN TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED CONDITIONS AND MOVES DIRECTLY FROM FARM TO ROASTER TO CUSTOMER IN A MATTER OF DAYS. THIS REDUCES AGEING, PRESERVES SWEETNESS, AND HELPS MAINTAIN CUP QUALITY.

Q5: HOW IS AUSTRALIAN COFFEE PROCESSED?

WE EMPLOY MANY TECHNIQUES USED AT LEADING COFFEE ORIGINS - INCLUDING FLOATING, EXTENDED FERMENTATIONS, AND SUN DRYING ON RAISED BEDS. OUR INFRASTRUCTURE COMBINES TRADITIONAL METHODS WITH MECHANICAL HARVESTING AND ADVANCED COLOUR SORTING TO SEPARATE CHERRIES BY RIPENESS. THIS ALLOWS US TO PRODUCE WASHED, NATURAL, AND HONEY PROCESSED LOTS WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF CONSISTENCY AND CONTROL.

Q6: IS AUSTRALIAN-GROWN COFFEE CONSIDERED SPECIALTY GRADE?

YES. BASED ON OUR MOST RECENT HARVEST, AROUND 80% OF OUR LOTS CUPPED BETWEEN 81 AND 87 POINTS USING STANDARD SCA PROTOCOLS. WHILE THE INDUSTRY HERE IS SMALL, THE QUALITY POTENTIAL IS HIGH - AND WE’RE SEEING MORE PRODUCERS INVESTING IN SPECIALTY-PRODUCING PRACTICES.

Q7: WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO BREW AUSTRALIAN-GROWN COFFEE AT HOME?

OUR COFFEES ARE ROASTED TO HIGHLIGHT CLARITY AND SWEETNESS. FOR ESPRESSO, WE RECOMMEND A 1:2 BREW RATIO IN 26–28 SECONDS. FOR FILTER, USE A 1:15 RATIO AND A BREW TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 83–86°C TO AVOID OVEREXTRACTION. MOST IMPORTANTLY: USE FRESH COFFEE, GRIND JUST BEFORE BREWING, AND ADJUST BASED ON YOUR PREFERENCE.

Q8: DOES AUSTRALIAN-GROWN COFFEE TASTE DIFFERENT FROM AFRICAN OR SOUTH AMERICAN COFFEE?

YES - AND IT SHOULD. AUSTRALIAN COFFEE TENDS TO SHOWCASE SWEET, CLEAN, AND BALANCED FLAVOUR PROFILES, OFTEN WITH NUTTY, FRUITY, OR STONE FRUIT NOTES. OUR VOLCANIC SOIL ORIGIN AND TROPICAL CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTE TO THIS DISTINCT PROFILE, DIFFERENT FROM THE FLORAL INTENSITY OF EAST AFRICAN OR THE CITRIC ACIDITY OF MANY SOUTH AMERICAN LOTS.

Q9: WHY DOESN’T AUSTRALIA EXPORT MORE COFFEE?

THE AUSTRALIAN COFFEE INDUSTRY IS SMALL - GROWING LESS THAN 1% OF OUR NATIONAL CONSUMPTION. MOST PRODUCERS FOCUS ON DOMESTIC CUSTOMERS WHO VALUE FRESHNESS AND LOCAL TRACEABILITY. HOWEVER, EXPORTS ARE INCREASING AS QUALITY CONTINUES TO RISE AND INTEREST BUILDS INTERNATIONALLY.

Q10: ISN’T MECHANICAL HARVESTING JUST ABOUT CUTTING CORNERS? DOESN’T IT HURT QUALITY?

NOT NECESSARILY. WHEN PROPERLY CALIBRATED AND SUPPORTED BY SORTING TECHNOLOGY, MECHANICAL HARVESTING CAN BE BOTH EFFICIENT AND HIGHLY SELECTIVE. THE KEY TO QUALITY LIES IN POST-HARVEST PRACTICES - SORTING, FERMENTING, DRYING - AND NOT JUST HOW THE FRUIT IS REMOVED FROM THE TREE. IN OUR EXPERIENCE, THE RIGHT SYSTEMS CAN MATCH OR EVEN EXCEED THE SELECTIVITY OF HANDPICKING IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS.