ACID - LOC RUNG, CATIMOR

ACID COFFEE
TOKYO, JAPAN

LOC RUNG, CATIMOR

POMELO
LEMONGRASS
GREEN APPLE

ORIGIN: VIETNAM
REGION: LAM DONG
PRODUCER: LOC RUNG
FARM: LOC RUNG
VARIETY: CATIMOR
PROCESS: CARBONIC MACERATION WASHED
ALTITUDE: 1,750–1,850 MASL

ROAST DATE: JANUARY 14, 2026

FROM THE ROASTER

OVER 1,800 METERS, THIS REMARKABLE VIETNAMESE COFFEE SHOWCASES A LEVEL OF VIBRANCY RARELY ASSOCIATED WITH CATIMOR. THIS CARBONIC MACERATION WASHED COFFEE DISPLAYS A BRIGHT, LIVELY ACIDITY THAT CHALLENGES EXPECTATIONS OF THE VARIETY. WHEN HOT, THE CUP PRESENTS A GLASSY, ASIAN-STYLE CLARITY WITH JUICY CITRUS CHARACTER, EVOKING LEMONGRASS AND POMELO. AS THE TEMPERATURE DROPS, THE FLAVOR BECOMES EVEN CLEANER, UNFOLDING INTO A CRISP, REFRESHING GREEN APPLE FINISH. THE RESULT IS A FRUITY, CLEAR CUP THAT RECALLS THE ELEGANCE OF TIMOR COFFEES WHILE REMAINING DISTINCTLY ITS OWN.

THIS COFFEE COMES FROM LOC RUNG, A YOUNG FARM LOCATED IN LAM DONG, SOUTHERN VIETNAM, ESTABLISHED JUST TWO YEARS AGO. THE NAME “LOC RUNG,” MEANING “GIFT FROM NATURE,” REFLECTS THE FARM’S PHILOSOPHY AND METICULOUS APPROACH. LOC RUNG CULTIVATES ITS COFFEE FROM SEEDLINGS AND MAINTAINS CENTRALIZED CONTROL OVER EVERY STEP OF PRODUCTION, INCLUDING HARVESTING, PROCESSING, AND SHIPPING. THIS RELEASE MARKS THE FIRST TIME A COFFEE GROWN AND PROCESSED ENTIRELY AT LOC RUNG HAS BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE JAPANESE MARKET.

CARBONIC MACERATION IS A FERMENTATION METHOD THAT GAINED GLOBAL ATTENTION AFTER BEING USED BY THE 2015 WORLD BARISTA CHAMPION. IN THIS PROCESS, COFFEE CHERRIES ARE PLACED INTO A SEALED FERMENTATION TANK AND CARBON DIOXIDE IS INTRODUCED TO REMOVE OXYGEN. THIS CREATES AN ANAEROBIC ENVIRONMENT WHERE ONLY SPECIFIC MICROORGANISMS CAN THRIVE. THROUGH STRICT CONTROL OF TEMPERATURE AND PH, FERMENTATION PROCEEDS CLEANLY AND PRECISELY, RESULTING IN DELICATE, FRUIT-FORWARD FLAVORS WITHOUT IMPURITIES. THE METHOD ORIGINATED IN WINEMAKING AND IS NOTABLY ASSOCIATED WITH BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU.

FOR THIS LOT, A CARBONIC MACERATION WASHED PROCESS IS USED. AFTER HARVEST, THE CHERRIES ARE DEPULPED TO REMOVE THE PULP BEFORE BEING TRANSFERRED INTO A FERMENTATION TANK FILLED WITH CARBON DIOXIDE. FERMENTATION CONTINUES FOR APPROXIMATELY 100 HOURS, AFTER WHICH THE COFFEE IS FULLY WASHED TO REMOVE REMAINING MUCILAGE. THE PARCHMENT COFFEE IS THEN DRIED ON BEDS UNTIL IT REACHES A MOISTURE CONTENT OF AROUND 12 PERCENT. BY REMOVING THE PULP PRIOR TO FERMENTATION, THIS METHOD PRODUCES A CUP THAT IS CLEANER AND BRIGHTER THAN TRADITIONAL CARBONIC MACERATION NATURAL COFFEES.

CATIMOR, A HYBRID VARIETY WITH ROBUSTA GENETICS, REVEALS AN UNEXPECTEDLY VIVID FRUIT PROFILE THROUGH CAREFUL CULTIVATION AND ADVANCED PROCESSING. THIS CARBONIC MACERATION WASHED COFFEE IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING EXPRESSIONS OF ASIAN COFFEE TODAY AND A CLEAR SIGNAL OF WHERE VIETNAMESE COFFEE IS HEADED NEXT.