West Java Honey Process Aromanis Estate Specialty Coffee Beans: Flavor Characteristics, Origin, and Brewing Parameters

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West Java Honey Processing

The honey-processed Aromanis from West Java, Indonesia, scores an impressive 92 points in cupping. The name "Aromanis" comes from Indonesian, evoking sweetness and a soft, marshmallow-like quality.

At the estate we experienced a completely different side of Indonesian coffee. Farmers brewed coffee they had grown for us using the simplest hot-water infusion method. Meticulous cultivation and processing let the coffee's flavor break free of the established Indonesian mold.

Fruity sweetness, lemon fragrance and even floral notes were all strongly present across different varieties, genuinely overturning our expectation of rich, bitter intensity.

To hand-brew West Java coffee: use 15g of coffee ground to a medium size (small Fuji ghost-tooth setting 4) in a V60 dripper, with water at 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the coffee bed drops to halfway before continuing to pour, slowly, until the total reaches 225g. Avoid the tail end. The water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, and the extraction takes 2:00.

West Java Honey Processing Aromanis

Country: Indonesia
Estate: Aromanis
Region: Mount Tangkuban Perahu
Roast Level: Light Roast
Processing Method: Honey Process

Honey Processing

Honey processing, also called the Honey Process or Miel Process, produces what is known as honey coffee. Estates in Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and elsewhere have adopted this method. In honey processing, the raw beans are dried with their mucilage still intact. After the outer pulp is removed, a layer of viscous, gelatinous substance remains on the parchment. Traditional washed processing rinses it off with clean water, but because water resources are limited in some high-altitude growing areas, growers developed this direct-drying approach instead.

Honey processing is a relatively complex, time-consuming and difficult method. The first step is selecting high-quality fruit, then removing the pulp while leaving the endocarp, which is the core of honey processing. The endocarp holds abundant sugars and acids that slowly permeate the beans during drying. The second step is drying, which is also the most important condition for producing high-quality beans.

Honey processing lets coffee keep the cleanliness of washed processing. The brightness decreases somewhat, but sweetness and a caramel-like mouthfeel increase. Depending on how far the process is taken, honey coffee is divided into yellow honey, red honey and black honey. The great advantage of honey processing is how well it preserves the original sweet flavor of ripe coffee fruit, giving the cup elegant brown sugar notes and nutty fruit sweetness, while berry flavors support a wine-toned aroma. These are considered very elegant coffees.

Varieties: Jember, S-795
Altitude: 1,400-1,600 meters
Flavor: Fruity, plum, jackfruit flavors, clean sweet aftertaste

West Java, Indonesia

West Java Province is a first-level administrative region of Indonesia, located in the western section of Java Island. It borders the Java Sea to the north and the Indian Ocean to the south, and includes offshore islands. Covering 46,300 square kilometers, Java has a tropical rainforest climate that is hot and humid year-round. The plains along the northern coast are the warmest, while the mountainous areas are considerably cooler. High humidity often creates enervating conditions.

From November to March is the northwest monsoon period, with more rain and cloud; from April to October is the southeast monsoon period, with more sunny days and less rainfall. Jakarta's average annual rainfall is about 1,760 millimeters (69 inches). Its average daily high is 30°C (86°F), with a low of 23°C (74°F). In the inland highlands of Tosari, at 1,735 meters (5,692 feet), the average temperature runs from 8 to 22°C (47-72°F). Java's soil is very fertile because volcanic ash periodically renews the land.

Aromanis is a traditional Indonesian sweet snack made from the basic ingredients of flour and sugar. Naming this coffee Aromanis suggests that the beans carry a marshmallow-like texture. The beans themselves come from Ciwidey Garut in West Java. No special coffee seeds are used; rather, it is the way the fruit is processed that produces such a distinctive flavor. Of course, that flavor is not widely recognized in West Java itself.

The cherries are picked from the branches, separated from the fruit, rinsed and dried straight away. The beans are "diserok" — turned — every hour to ensure even drying, including at midnight. "It is precisely at night that this matters most, because of the high humidity," said Arief of Transformasi Coffee (August 5, 2014).

The processing takes 25 to 26 days, which is no surprise given that Aromanis beans cost a little more than ordinary beans. The farmers' cooperative sells Aromanis green beans for 130,000-150,000 rupiah per kilogram, while Transformasi Coffee retails them at 80,000 rupiah per 200-gram pack.

Coffee Details

Region: Mount Tangkuban Perahu, Indonesia
Altitude: 1,400-1,600 meters
Roast Level: Light
Processing Method: Honey Process
Taste Description: Strong fruit aroma with plum and jackfruit flavors, clean and sweet aftertaste.

Flavor: Complex floral notes on entry, then tropical fruit on the palate reminiscent of mango and jackfruit, with a smooth, rich mouthfeel and a long-lasting aftertaste.

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: FrontStreet Coffee, Bao'an Qianjie, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Coffee Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Contains Sugar: Sugar-free
Origin: Indonesia
Roast Level: Light roast

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the honey-processed, fruit-forward profile of this West Java coffee is what you are after, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Washed Geisha is a fine place to explore the same family of flavors from another origin. Boquete's mountains are often wrapped in cloud, with humid days and cool nights, and the fertile soil brought by the Barú volcano makes the region ideal for growing the prized Geisha. This is an estate-grade, entry-level Geisha planted at 1,600 meters, and the nutrient-rich volcanic ash feeds the intense floral aromatics in the cup: jasmine, green tea, honey, citrus and orange.

Geisha rewards a gentle hand. Brew it as a pour-over with a medium-fine grind and keep the water on the cooler side so the jasmine and green-tea notes stay lifted rather than turning bitter.