PWN Golden Mandheling G1 Washed Specialty Coffee Beans: Flavor Characteristics, Growing Region, and Brewing Parameters

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The Most Famous Asian Coffee Origins

The most renowned coffee origins in Asia are undoubtedly the islands of the Malay Archipelago: Sumatra, Java, and the Kalimantan islands. Among these, Sumatra Mandheling coffee from Indonesia's Sumatra island enjoys the highest prestige.

The "Two Lakes, Two Mandhelings" Phenomenon

Both Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Lake Tawar in Aceh produce Mandheling coffee, creating what's famously known as the "Two Lakes, Two Mandhelings" phenomenon. The common characteristic of both is their rich, mellow body, but they differ in that Lake Toba's Mandheling tends to have a more subdued, deep aroma with hints of herbal notes, while Lake Tawar Mandheling features brighter fruit acidity, sometimes with notes of cedar or wood.

Types of Mandheling Coffee

Mandheling is divided into various regional types such as Lintong Mandheling and Golden Mandheling. So what exactly are the differences between these Mandhelings?

Golden Mandheling: The Premium Choice

Golden Mandheling is actually produced from Mandheling coffee sourced locally in Indonesia by Pwani Coffee Company, which registered the name "Golden Mandheling." Therefore, only Mandheling produced by this company can be considered authentic FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling. However, as cultivation techniques continue to evolve, many coffee farmers' Mandheling has gradually begun to match the premium quality of Golden Mandheling, but FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling still offers a bit more richness and a cleaner taste profile.

Brewing Method: Pour-Over Mandheling

For pour-over Mandheling: Use 15g of coffee, medium grind (Grind 4 on Fuji's ghost-tooth burr grinder), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and let bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring until reaching 105g, then pause and wait until the water level drops halfway. Continue slow pouring until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
Address: Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf life: 90 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast level: Dark roast
Origin: Indonesia

FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia Golden Mandheling

Golden Mandheling

Country: Indonesia
Grade: G1 · Triple hand-picked
Company: PWN
Region: Sumatra Island
Processing Method: Washed
Altitude: 1100-1600 meters
Flavor Notes: Toast, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs

The Difference Between FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling and Golden Mandheling

Some coffee friends have asked, as coffee beginners, what's the difference between FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling and FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling G1, as they really can't taste the difference. For professional-level coffee connoisseurs and taste-sensitive coffee friends, drinking both coffees side by side would reveal very obvious comparisons. The sweetness, cleanliness, richness, and wild spice notes of Golden Mandheling are superior to G1, which is one reason why Golden Mandheling is significantly more expensive than G1.

Taste Profile Comparison

FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling tastes cleaner than FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling. The original herbal, earthy, and woody notes of Mandheling are almost gone, but the caramel sweetness is more intense, and the fruit acidity is brighter and more elegant. Typically, FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling is best roasted until after second crack to effectively reduce off-flavors, but FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling offers excellent clarity and sweetness whether roasted before or after second crack, providing more flexibility in roast interpretation.

Additionally, Mandheling green beans may not look particularly appealing, but after roasting, the beans become beautifully colored and full. This perhaps teaches us not to judge people by appearance - after some refinement, one can be completely transformed!

About FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling

FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling is a premium among Indonesian coffees, and FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling is the finest among Mandhelings. FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling is carefully hand-selected to obtain full, lustrously colored Mandheling coffee beans - truly an exceptional beauty among coffees. To improve the high defect rate issue in Mandheling, the Japanese began adopting meticulous quality control long ago, using four manual selections to remove defective beans. Unfortunately, "Golden Mandheling" was trademarked by Indonesia's Pawani Coffee Company, making Golden Mandheling exclusive to PWN. PWN's is truly FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling in the truest sense. Golden Mandheling stamped with the PWN brand is also a guarantee of quality. PWN's Golden Mandheling undergoes three manual selections and one machine selection, resulting in beautiful beans.

PWN Company trademarked Golden Mandheling, meaning only Golden Mandheling produced by PWN Company can be considered genuine "Golden Mandheling." Many beans on the market not from PWN Company but bearing the Golden Mandheling brand should actually be called Specialty Mandheling. "Golden Mandheling" is not aged coffee - it's simply a product name created by a company.

The Legend of Mandheling

During World War II when Japan occupied Indonesia, a Japanese soldier drank exceptionally aromatic coffee at a café. He asked the owner for the coffee's name, but the owner misunderstood and thought he was asking where he was from, so he replied: "Mandailing." After the war, the Japanese soldier recalled the "Mandheling" he had drunk in Indonesia. He commissioned an Indonesian coffee merchant to ship 15 tons to Japan, and it became incredibly popular. And that's how the name Mandheling spread.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473