Sumatra Mandheling Coffee Bean Origin, Flavor Profile & Brewing Guide

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Mandheling Coffee

Mandheling coffee is produced in Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia, also known as "Sumatra coffee." Its unique and rich, mellow coffee flavor has been beloved by generations of coffee connoisseurs.

Introduction to Mandheling Coffee Origin

90% of coffee beans grown in the Indonesia region are of the Robusta variety, while the remaining 10% of Arabica coffee beans are mainly produced on the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi. Mandheling coffee specifically refers to Arabica coffee beans grown on the island of Sumatra, with varieties mostly consisting of timtim and Ateng.

Yes, Mandheling is not the name of a coffee variety, but rather the name of an indigenous tribe from Sumatra. Using Mandheling as the name for regional coffee beans is to help consumers more easily remember this coffee and allow everyone to immediately think of the Indonesia Sumatra growing region when they see the name.

Traditionally, Mandheling coffee is produced in the Lintong growing region of northern Sumatra, as well as the Gayo Mountain region in Aceh, which are also the main producing areas for premium Mandheling coffee. FrontStreet Coffee currently offers two Mandheling coffee beans, both from these two treasured regions.

Why is Mandheling Coffee from Sumatra So Famous?

The most important reason is that Mandheling Island has the high-altitude conditions required for growing Arabica coffee beans. The island's highest elevation reaches 3805m, and quality Mandheling coffee is grown in regions at altitudes of 900-1600m. The Lintong and Gayo Mountain regions恰好 satisfy these conditions. Additionally, these areas are near lakes, providing ample water for the coffee trees.

Lake Toba is located north of Medan, the capital of Sumatra Island, and is a high-altitude freshwater lake. Its average height is about 900m above sea level. This diamond-shaped lake is 100 kilometers long, 30 kilometers wide, covers an area of 1,130 square kilometers, and is a highland lake with an average altitude of around 1100-1600 meters.

The Gayo Mountain region is located in Aceh Province on the northern part of Sumatra Island. Coffee in the Gayo Mountain region is grown on the slopes surrounding the town of Takegon and Lake Tawar. The growing altitude averages between 1,110 and 1,600 meters in the production area. Coffee is grown by small farmers under shade trees, using the wet-hulled processing method to express unique flavors with deep and lively richness.

Flavor Characteristics of Mandheling Coffee

Due to the climate, terroir, and Indonesia's unique coffee bean processing methods, coffee beans from the Sumatra region of Indonesia are characterized by low acidity, high body, and同时 have herbal and spicy characteristics.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that a good specialty coffee bean allows one to taste the regional flavor characteristics of the coffee bean itself. To help friends experience the characteristic flavors of major popular coffee producing regions at a high cost-performance ratio, FrontStreet Coffee has launched 7 selected regional staple coffee beans.

The Mandheling coffee bean representing the Indonesia region comes from the Lintong growing region. Through FrontStreet Coffee's cupping, this Frontsteet Mandheling coffee from the Lintong region has flavors of toasted bread, nuts, caramel, pine, and herbs, with low acidity and rich body, making it very representative of the region.

Meanwhile, another Frontsteet Golden Mandheling coffee from the Gayo Mountains in Aceh is a Mandheling coffee bean with a cleaner taste and more pronounced sweetness. The Frontsteet Golden Mandheling coffee beans sourced by FrontStreet Coffee come from PWN (Pwani) Coffee Company, which is also the highest grade Mandheling coffee bean in all of Indonesia.

PWN Company purchases Mandheling coffee beans grown in the Aceh region for wet-hulled processing. After processing is complete, the Mandheling green beans undergo 1 machine selection + 3 manual hand selections to ensure that the produced batch reaches Indonesia's highest grade, G1 grade.

The purpose of machine selection is to first screen out beans that must be 18 mesh or larger. The subsequent multiple manual selections are to remove uneven defective beans. The reduction in defect rate greatly improves the quality of Mandheling coffee. Because the coffee beans are more uniform in size, they can heat more evenly during the roasting process, achieving better development and producing more sweet substances, resulting in a cleaner coffee taste.

Due to its extreme fame, many carefully selected Mandheling coffee beans are sold under the name of Golden Mandheling. However, Golden Mandheling coffee beans are a registered trademark of PWN Company. To help consumers identify authenticity, PWN Company provides certification certificates. As long as you are a first-hand buyer, you can obtain this certificate, and the gunny sacks containing the green beans are printed with the company logo. At FrontStreet Coffee's offline stores, you can see the certification certificates and gunny sacks printed with the PWN logo.

Brewing Taste Description of Mandheling Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee roasts both sold Mandheling coffee beans to a medium-dark roast level before the second crack to allow Mandheling coffee to exhibit low acidity and rich body. The longer the roasting time, the more porous the coffee bean structure becomes, and the faster the release of coffee substances. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests adjusting the grind size coarser when brewing Frontsteet Mandheling coffee, and not using water that is too hot, to reduce extraction in the later stages and decrease bitterness.

For products served at FrontStreet Coffee stores, the following drip extraction parameters are used: Dripper: KONO, Dose: 15 grams, Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15, Grind size: 70% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve, Water temperature: 88°C.

Three-stage pouring technique: First pour 30g of water for a 30s bloom; second stage, pour in small circles to 125g, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before continuing to pour, then continue pouring in small circles to 225g, and after all dripping is complete, the total extraction time is about 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

Frontsteet Lintong Region Mandheling Coffee Brewing Flavor: The entry has rich herbal aroma, dark chocolate, caramel, with sweet aftertaste.

Frontsteet-PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Brewing Flavor: The coffee has overall varied layers, rich and clean. Intense nut and caramel aroma with chocolate notes, persistent finish, and high balance.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473