What's the big deal? Why "genuine?" Here's the story:
Sulawesi arabica used to be grown strictly in the mountains in the center of the island of Sulawesi. Toraja (also known as Torajaland) is the mountainous area where the coffee is grown, and Kalossi is the small town in central Sulawesi which serves as the collection point for the coffee from that area. Some shippers call this coffee Sulawesi Toraja, others Sulawesi Kalossi, and a few still refer to it as Celebes (the old Dutch colonial name for the island).
A few years ago, people started to plant coffee around Malakaji mountain, southeast of Makassar, in the very south of the island. The soil and growing conditions in this region is very different from that in the traditional areas, and the coffee is definitely inferior.
An additional problem with the coffee in Malakaji is theft; people from Makassar go there at night and steal coffee by stripping all cherries off the trees, both ripe and green. After processing you can't really see the difference, but the mix of ripe and unripe coffee results in an uneven roast and even worse cup.
As you might imagine, the first picks (all ripe) sell at a higher price, especially that from Kalossi/Toraja; however, since most of the coffee is sold at market in Makassar, the first picks and the lower quality blend often get mixed in order to lower the price.
The standard Kalossi/Toraja nowadays is, unfortunately, the blend of the good and the bad. Some shippers work with coffee from both areas; only a few work exclusively with genuine Kalossi/Toraja. We looked, we cupped, we found it. Enjoy.
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