Some coffees arrive once and make a great impression. Others come back, and that is when you know something real is starting to take shape.

Our latest release is Samoro, a wonderfully crisp and juicy washed lot from Letefoho in the Ermera region of Timor-Leste, and this is the second time we have purchased coffee from this producer group. We first released Samoro back in April, and bringing it back feels less like a repeat and more like a continuation of a relationship we genuinely believe in.

In the cup, Samoro is everything we love about balanced, sessionable coffee. Sweet pear, bright lemon acidity and a soft nougat finish. It is clean, approachable and versatile. Just as good as a black filter as it is with milk. The kind of coffee you can drink all day and keep coming back to.

But as always, the real story goes far deeper than tasting notes.

A Young Nation with a Long Coffee History

Timor-Leste, or East Timor, sits around 1,000 miles east of Bali, a mountainous tropical island with lush forests and some of the most dramatic landscapes in South East Asia. It is also one of the world’s youngest nations, gaining independence as recently as 2002 after centuries of colonisation by Portugal and a long period of Indonesian annexation.

Coffee was first introduced to Timor-Leste by the Portuguese in the 1800s and by the early 1900s it had become the country’s leading export. But during the years of occupation, the sector was largely neglected. Coffee forests were left unmanaged, infrastructure was minimal, and farmers were forced to sell to commercial buyers at prices that barely reflected the true value of their crop.

Fast forward to today and Timorese producers are working collectively to rebuild not just their coffee industry, but their identity within it. They are carving out space in the speciality world while rehabilitating the forests that were so long overlooked.

One of the most remarkable things about coffee in Timor-Leste is that it is entirely organically grown by default. Shade grown under towering Ai-Kakeu (Casuarina) and Ai-Samtuku (Albizia) trees, fertilised only with natural compost made from chicken manure, cherry skin and soil, and cultivated without chemicals. Not because it is fashionable, but because that is how it has always been done.

Karst and Why This Relationship Matters

Our connection to Timor-Leste comes through Karst Organics, a farmer focused importer and exporter who work exclusively in the country. Karst was founded by Stewart and Kar-Yee, who first travelled to Timor-Leste in 2017 and spent time in the Ermera region speaking directly with coffee farmers.

What they heard was a familiar story. Exceptional coffee, undervalued by commercial buyers, with little incentive for quality improvement or long term sustainability.

So they built Karst as an alternative model. One where farmers are paid a fair and stable price, agreed before the harvest, and supported year on year to improve quality, processing and access to international markets.

Stewart and Kar-Yee still spend the entire harvest period at origin. They know the producers by name. They are on the ground every season, cupping, advising, problem solving, and most importantly building trust.

Karst are now in their seventh year of operation and have direct partnerships with multiple producer groups in Letefoho. The price paid for cherry and parchment is consistently around $0.20 to $0.30 per kilo higher than commercial buyers, and crucially, it does not fluctuate with market swings. For producers, that stability is everything.

Samoro: 11 Farmers, Led by Orlando

This coffee comes from Samoro, a small cooperative of 11 farmers based in the south eastern part of Letefoho, farming at altitudes of 1500 to 1600 masl under the shadow of Mount Ramelau, Timor-Leste’s most sacred mountain.

The group is led by Orlando Soares, an experienced farmer who not only produces his own exceptional parchment, but regularly visits every member of the cooperative. Orlando oversees processing, shares knowledge, and makes sure that quality and consistency are maintained across all households.

Each farmer processes their coffee individually, using traditional fully washed methods passed down through generations. Pulping, fermenting, washing and then drying slowly on African beds. No shortcuts. No industrial scale. Just careful, hands on work at every stage.

This is now the fourth consecutive year that Karst has worked with Samoro, and the second year that we at North Star have bought this coffee. And the progress over that time has been huge.

As quality has improved, so has confidence. And as confidence has grown, so have volumes and incomes.

To put that into perspective:

In 2022, Karst purchased 1,678 kilos of parchment from Samoro at $3.00 per kilo. That meant a total of $5,035 paid into the community.

In 2025, that grew to 4,956 kilos at $4.00 per kilo, meaning $19,825 paid directly to the same 11 families.

That is not abstract impact. That is school fees, healthcare, home improvements, and genuine financial stability in a rural farming community.

And it is only possible because of long term partnerships. From Karst, from producers like Orlando and the Samoro group, and from roasters like us who are committed to buying coffee not just for flavour, but for future.

Why We Came Back for Samoro

At North Star, we talk a lot about relationships. About coffee as a collaborative effort. About knowing where our coffee comes from, who grows it, and how our buying decisions ripple outwards.

Bringing Samoro back for a second time felt like a natural decision. Not just because we loved the coffee, but because we believe in what this partnership represents.

2025 was a particularly bountiful harvest in Letefoho. Partly thanks to favourable weather, but also because more farmers are starting to see the results of pruning, replanting and forest management that began through a government rehabilitation programme launched in 2022.

This coffee is the product of patience, trust and consistency.

And in the cup, it is still a joy. Clean, sweet, crisp and endlessly drinkable. The kind of coffee you brew first thing in the morning and are still enjoying late in the afternoon.

Timor-Leste Samoro

Location: Letefoho, Ermera, Timor-Leste
Producers: Samoro Cooperative (11 farmers)
Lead Farmer: Orlando Soares
Altitude: 1500 to 1600 masl
Varietals: Typica, Timor Hybrid
Process: Fully Washed, African bed dried
Flavour Notes: Pear, Sweet Lemon, Nougat
Relationship with North Star: Since 2024

This may be our second release of Samoro, but it still feels like the beginning of something. A long term relationship with an origin that has so much potential, and with people who are doing the work, season after season, to realise it.