It’s hard to say with a straight face you can learn a lot about a place in 3 days … but that’s what I am saying.
And that wasn’t really even 3 days in the coffee areas of Toraja! You land in Makassar (Ujang Padang) and then you must drive 7-8 hours to reach the heart of Tana Toraja, Rantepao, center of the prime coffee areas.
This was my first trip to SulawesiSulawesi coffees are low-acid with great body and that deep, brooding cup profile akin to Sumatra. The coffee is sometimes known as Celebes, which was the Dutch colonial..., way back in 2008.
In any case, it was far too short for such an amazing place. Coffee-wise, culturally, geographically, Sulawesi deserves at least a week of attention, perhaps more. We used our time well, and even this brief initial visit was very rewarding. I think with these images you can see why
But nonetheless I did learn so much, and it charted the course for my subsequent trips for sure -Tom