A single origin Arabica coffee, Bundja is processed with the double pass method. This method of using late ripened coffee was pioneered at Kauai Coffee Company in Hawaii and is being further refined at Mountain Top Estate. Late ripened coffee cherry is less dense and therefore floats in water, allowing for complete separation in the pulping process. Late cherry or floaters are slightly overripe giving the coffee a more distinct note. Handled properly this type of coffee will have fuller body and higher fruity characteristics.

Bundja is available in flat bean and Peaberry. Peaberry coffees are also rare in the industry because many mills do not take the extra effort to separate this single bean. Peaberry is produced by virtually all coffee trees. Healthy trees will produce 2% to 3% of their crop as Peaberry. Peaberries result when the coffee cherry only produces one seed. Coffee flowers are “perfect” or self pollinating with (normally) two ovaries that produce two side-by-side seeds (what we know as coffee beans are not beans at all, but seeds). When one of the ovaries is not pollinated or does not form a seed, the one seed rounds itself off and forms an oval or pea shape. The peaberry can then be separated by means of a slotted screen.

The more familiar flat beans are also separated through 64ths of an inch round screens from size 12 up to 20 screen. The larger and denser bean will usually produce the best quality cup. Screen size also creates a consistentency of size allowing for balanced development of the coffee during the roasting process. I will share more details of the intense grading that is necessary for a great cup of coffee in future articles.

After cupping the 2005 crop, I chose the peaberry over the flat bean as my favorite for this year. In my experience, peaberry tends to be more intense in the cup. Depending on the origin, there is heightened body (mouth feel) or acidity (brightness). Bundja Peaberry is exceptional in that both of these characteristics are up front and present in the cup. The body is full with a creamy, buttery feel. This coffee is clean, well balanced, sweet and mellow with faint orange and lime like acidity. Although still a young farm in the industry, Mountain Top Coffee has made great strides in production and quality, creating an incredible coffee that is a joy to roast and privilege to sip. This coffee works well as a filter coffee but really shines when brewed in a press pot. An extremely rare treat from “Down Under”, if you have a chance to enjoy this coffee be sure it is with a special dinner and a rich chocolate dessert.

About the Roaster

Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. is a roaster of specialty coffees in West Yellowstone Montana. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we are passionate about the close knit coffee community, from "seed to cup" and are proud to roast and provide some of the best coffees in the world on our website catalog and at our West Yellowstone, MT Coffee House.  At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. we feel it is important to roast our coffees appropriate to the origin characteristics rather than to a particular roast color.