STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 29 By Diana Jendoubi Q A Justin Metcalf is the director and chief education officer at the ASEAN Coffee Institute and owner of Aurigin Coffee Roasters. In December, Metcalf presented at the 2025 Asian Interna- tional Coffee Conference in Ho Chi Minh City, where he met with STiR Coffee and Tea Media to discuss the positive impact of the ASEAN Coffee Appreciation Protocol, the importance of spotlighting lesser-known varietals, and the dynamic ASEAN specialty coffee market. STiR Coffee and Tea Media: Why is it essential for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to have their own coffee appreciation protocol? Metcalf: The biggest reason we developed the ASEAN Coffee Appreciation Protocol (ACAP) is that ASEAN coffees have been evaluated for far too long through systems that were never designed with our region in mind. Most traditional cupping frameworks were built around high-grown arabica from the West. While they are excellent for that purpose, they don't fully capture the diver- sity of flavors, species, and processing methods that define coffee in ASEAN. STiR: What gets missed when cupping ASEAN coffees with standard Western cupping methods? Metcalf: When you apply those Western cupping systems directly to ASEAN coffees, several things get overlooked. First, our flavor language is different. Coffees from Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and across the region often express notes like jackfruit, longan, palm sugar, tamarind, hibiscus, dark botanicals, guava, and fermented tropical fruit. These are completely normal for our terroirs and species, but they don't fit neatly into the traditional arabica descriptors such as citrus, berry, or stone fruit. As a result, the coffees can be misunderstood or undervalued simply because the language isn't designed to describe them. Redefining ASEAN Coffee: Q&A With Justin Metcalf Justin Metcalf presenting at the 30th Asian International Coffee Conference in Ho Chi Minh City on December 3, 2025. Photo credit: Diana Jendoubi Second, we work with a broader spectrum of coffee species. Robusta, li- berica, and excelsa play a major role in ASEAN's coffee identity, yet they don't align well with the evaluation criteria cre- ated for washed arabica. Judging these coffees through a strictly arabica-based framework is a bit like judging a durian using an apple-tasting rubric — you miss everything that makes it special. Third, our processing traditions cre- ate unique sensory outcomes that Western protocols often categorize as faults. Wet- hulling, high-humidity naturals, extended fermentations, and traditional drying prac- tices produce flavor expressions that are regionally authentic but can fall outside the expectations of Western cuppers. Finally, Western cupping often sepa- rates flavor from culture, and in ASEAN, coffee is deeply tied to how people ac- tually grow, roast, brew, and consume it. When you remove the cultural context, you lose a significant part of the story. ACAP was created to address these gaps. It provides a structured, science- aligned appreciation system that finally reflects the true identity of ASEAN cof- fees. It gives our farmers, processors, roasters, and baristas a shared sensory language and, importantly, enables the international market to understand and value our coffees more accurately. Producers, roasters, and brewers at World of Coffee Jakarta in May 2025 showcased the unique flavors and complex aromatics of liberica. Photo credit: Diana Jendoubi

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