Timorese Coffee Country

Coffee arrived in Timor with the Portuguese and became the country's economic backbone outside oil, with much of it grown by smallholders on mountain slopes under shade trees, largely without chemicals because farmers cannot afford them - which has made Timorese coffee accidentally and then deliberately organic. The hybrid variety discovered here, Hibrido de Timor, proved resistant to leaf rust and was used to breed varieties planted worldwide. Cooperatives in Ermera and around Maubisse welcome visitors during the harvest, and the mountain drives through coffee country are among the most beautiful in the country.

The main sights

• Harvest season - picking and processing from around June to September.
• Cooperative visits - smallholder washing stations and drying patios.
• Hibrido de Timor - the local hybrid that changed global coffee breeding.
• The mountain roads - shade-grown slopes between Dili and Maubisse.

When to go

Harvest runs roughly June to September, which is the interesting time to visit and coincides with the dry season. The mountain roads are far easier outside the wet months from December to April. Maubisse is cool at altitude year round.

Practical notes

Roads into coffee country are rough, slow and prone to landslides in the wet season - a 4x4 and a driver are the practical arrangement. Cooperative visits are informal and best arranged through Dili contacts rather than turning up. Facilities in the mountains are basic. Timor-Leste generally has limited tourism infrastructure and travel takes longer than distances suggest.

Nearby

Mount Ramelau, Maubisse town and the road south to the coast.