Differences, Distinctions, and Award Situation of Single-Origin Beans from Ijen Estate, West Java, Indonesia

Aromanis Estate Single Origin Coffee: Differences, Distinctions, and Awards in West Java, Indonesia

West Java is a first-level administrative province of Indonesia, lying in the western part of Java Island. It is bounded by the Java Sea to the north and the Indian Ocean to the south, and it also takes in a number of offshore islands, covering an area of 46,300 square kilometers. Java has a tropical rainforest climate, hot and humid all year round. The coastal plains in the north are the hottest, while the mountainous interior is far cooler. The heavy humidity often makes for an enervating climate.

From November to March the northwest monsoon brings more rain and cloud; from April to October the southeast monsoon brings clearer skies and less rain. Jakarta receives an average of about 1,760 millimeters (69 inches) of rainfall a year. Its average daily high is 30°C (86°F) and the average low is 23°C (74°F). Up in the Tosari highlands, at 1,735 meters (5,692 feet), the average temperature ranges from 22°C to 8°C (72°F to 47°F). Because volcanic ash periodically renews the land, Java's soil is exceptionally fertile.

Aromanis is also the name of a traditional Indonesian sweet made from simple flour and sugar, and here it lends its name to this coffee, hinting at a candy-like sweetness in the cup. The beans themselves come from Ciwidey and Garut in West Java. No special coffee variety is used; it is the processing that draws out such a distinctive flavor—though this flavor is not widely recognized in West Java itself.

Coffee Details

Region: Mount Tikukur, Indonesia

Altitude: 1,400-1,600 meters

Roast Level: Light

Processing Method: Honey Process

Taste Description: Intense fruit aroma, with plum and jackfruit flavors and a clean, sweet finish.

Flavor Profile: Complex floral notes on entry, tropical mango and jackfruit on the palate, a smooth, rich mouthfeel and a long-lasting finish.

West Java Honey Processing

This honey-processed Aromanis from West Java, Indonesia, cups as high as 92 points. In Indonesian, Aromanis means "sweet mango."

At the estate we experienced a completely different side of Indonesian coffee.

The farmers brewed coffee from their own plants for us using the simplest hot-water immersion method.

Meticulous cultivation and processing

Let the coffee's flavor break free from the established frame of Indonesian coffee.

Fruit sweetness, lemon fragrance and even floral notes

Are all boldly expressed across different varieties.

Truly overturning our idea of bitter, heavy flavors.

Hand Brew Recipe for West Java

15 g coffee, medium grind (4 on a small Fuji ghost-tooth hand grinder), V60 dripper, water at 88-89°C. First pour 30 g water and bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring to 105 g, then pause until the water in the coffee bed drops halfway before slowly pouring on to 225 g. Discard the tail of the brew. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

West Java Honey Processing Aromanis

Country: Indonesia

Estate: Aromanis

Region: Mount Tikukur

Roast Level: Light Roast

Processing Method: Honey Process

Honey Processing

Honey processing, also called Honey Process or Miel Process, produces what is known as Honey Coffee. Plantations in Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala all use this method. Honey processing means producing green beans that are dried in the sun with the mucilage still attached. Once the outer pulp has been removed, a layer of viscous, gelatinous substance remains on the bean. Traditional washed processing would rinse it away with clean water, but limited water supplies in some high-altitude regions led farmers to develop this direct-drying approach instead.

Honey processing is relatively complex, time-consuming and difficult. The first step is to select high-quality cherries, then remove the pulp while leaving the parchment intact—this parchment is the heart of honey processing. It is rich in sugars and acids, which slowly migrate into the bean as it dries. The second step is drying, the single most important condition for producing high-quality beans.

Honey processing lets coffee keep the cleanliness of the washed method. Although brightness drops somewhat, sweetness and caramel flavors rise. Depending on how much mucilage is left, honey coffee is divided into yellow, red and black honey processing. The great advantage of honey processing is that it preserves the natural sweetness of ripe coffee cherries, giving the cup elegant brown-sugar and nutty sweetness, while berry notes support a red-wine-toned aroma that makes it feel like a very refined product.

Varieties: Jember, S-795

Altitude: 1,400-1,600 meters

Flavor: Fruity aroma, plum and jackfruit flavors, clean and sweet finish

Indonesia, West Java

The cherries are picked from the branches, separated from the fruit, rinsed and then dried straight away. The beans are "diserok" (turned) every hour to ensure even drying, midnight included. "This is very important at night because of the high humidity," said Aliyev of Transform Coffee (August 5, 2014) — translated from the original Indonesian.

The processing takes 25-26 days. Not surprisingly, Aromanis beans cost a little more than ordinary coffee. The farmer cooperative sells raw Aromanis beans for 130,000-150,000 rupiah per kilogram, while Transform Coffee offers them at a retail price of 80,000 rupiah per 200-gram pack.

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee

Shelf Life: 90 days

Net Weight: 227 g

Packaging: Bulk coffee beans

Roast Level: Roasted beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Indonesia

Roast Degree: Light roast

Coffee Regions of Indonesia

The island of Sulawesi, lying between Borneo and New Guinea, is sometimes also called Celebes. Coffee from this island has full-bodied beans and a rich aroma. The best beans come from Kalossi and Rantepao in the south. Among the many brands, you might try Celebes Kalossi coffee.

Overall, Indonesian coffee has a strong flavor, a mellow body, a slightly syrupy quality and excellent acidity. Its two main export markets are Germany and Japan, which indirectly reflects the quality of the coffee. What draws consumers in is the superior character of its Arabica beans. You can add milk or cream to high-quality Indonesian coffee without worrying about masking the taste. Indonesian coffee is graded in six levels, with AP the best — though no one seems to know exactly what those two letters stand for.

When steamships replaced sailing ships, coffee from these islands faced the same problem as coffee from Mysore, India: consumers had grown used to coffee shaped by long sea voyages and were unwilling to accept the taste of this "fresh" coffee. To solve it, the Indonesian government tried to imitate voyage-aged coffee by "aging" beans for up to a year. Unfortunately, this moisture-processed coffee was never widely accepted, which damaged its good name.

Even so, Indonesia's "aged" or "journey" coffee is still produced today. It is generally sold under brands such as "Old Government," "Old Brown" and "Old Java."

Yet for all the impressive coffee it produces, it is puzzling that locals prefer to drink Turkish-style coffee rather than the renowned European-style coffee of their own islands.

Coffee Origin Details

Origin: Mount Tikukur, West Java

Altitude: 1,400-1,600 m

Varieties: Arabica

Producer: Aromanis

Flowering Period: March-May, September-November

Processing Method: Honey Process

Cupping Score: 92 points

Flavor: Mango, red wine, peach juice, intense fruit aroma, with plum and jackfruit flavors and a clean, sweet finish

The honey-processed beans from Indonesia's Aromanis Estate taste nothing like typical Indonesian coffee. This bean carries its own intense fruit aroma — mango, red wine and peach juice, plus plum and jackfruit — with a clean, sweet finish, cupping at up to 92 points. It is hard to believe this is an Indonesian bean. Its name, Aromanis, means "sweet mango" in Indonesian.

Indonesia

Population: 237,424,000

In Indonesia, coffee gradually spread from Java to neighboring islands, first reaching Sulawesi in 1750, though it did not extend into northern Indonesia at the time. Planting around Lake Toba only began in 1888, and eventually reached the Lake Tawar area of the Gayo region in 1924.

SUMATRA

Sumatra has three main growing areas: Aceh in the north, the area just south of Lake Toba, and the more recently emerged islands near Mangkuraja. Smaller areas trace back to Takengon and Bener Mariah in Aceh Province and to Lintong, Sidikalang, Dolok Sanggul and Seribu Dolok around Lake Toba. In the past, beans sold from this region were generally called "Sumatra Mandheling," yet there is no place actually named Mandheling — the name comes from the local tribal people. Mandheling is usually graded Grade 1 or Grade 2. The grading is undoubtedly based on cup quality rather than the green beans themselves as commonly assumed. Still, I have reservations about recommending Grade 1, since the grading has become so widespread. Sorting different varieties into different batches seems odd, so most Sumatra beans are blends of unknown varieties. Sumatra beans are exported through the port of Medan, but long delays before export hurt bean quality given the humid climate.

Altitude: Aceh 1,100-1,300 m; Lake Toba 1,100-1,600 m; Mangkuraja 1,100-1,300 m

Harvest: September - December

Varieties: Typica (including Bergandal, Sidikalang, Djember), Timtim, Ateng, Onan Gajang

JAVA

In Indonesia this region inherited Dutch colonial traditions and customs, so there are more large coffee estates. Four main plantations cover 4,000 hectares, once government-owned. At the time, coffee from this region enjoyed a first-class reputation, though I believe that recently many blends have replaced "Mocha-Java" with other beans. Java coffee stayed expensive for a long time but showed significant price reductions in the 20th century. Growing areas cover the region around the Ijen volcano in eastern Java as well as the west.

Altitude: 900-1,800 m

Harvest: September - December

Varieties: Typicas, Ateng, USDA

SULAWESI

Even though seven large estates supply about 5% of Sulawesi's production, local output is still dominated by smallholders. Most Arabica is grown at high elevations around Tana Toraja, while Kalossi in the south has become a brand. There are two lesser-known areas: Mamasa to the west and Gowa south of Kalossi. A few especially interesting washed coffees are worth seeking out, and I strongly recommend trying them if you get the chance. Semi-washed processing is the common method in Sulawesi, and the region also produces a considerable amount of Robusta.

Altitude: Tana Toraja 1,100-1,800 m; Mamasa 1,300-1,700 m; Gowa average 850 m

Harvest: May - November

Varieties: S795, Typicas, Ateng

FLORES

Flores is a small island about 320 kilometers (200 miles) east of Bali, one of the Indonesian islands. As a region that joined the coffee industry relatively late, it has built a good reputation for cultivation. In the past much of the coffee produced in Flores was consumed domestically or blended with other coffees for export, and was rarely sold directly as "Flores coffee." The island has both active and dormant volcanoes, and the mixture from the Bajawa volcano has a significant positive influence on the main growing areas. In terms of processing, semi-washed is the most common method here, though some coffees are still fully washed.

Altitude: 1,200-1,800 m (Flores region)

Harvest: May - September

Varieties: Typicas, Ateng, Robusta

BALI

Coffee came to Bali relatively late, first growing in the Kintamani highlands. Production was badly hit when Mount Agung erupted in 1963, killing more than 20,000 people and devastating much of eastern Bali. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the government distributed Arabica seedlings to boost production, but some believe the effect was limited, since about 80% of the island's current output is Robusta. Although tourism brings in the largest income, agriculture employs the most people, with Japan historically the largest buyer.

Altitude: 1,250-1,700 m

Harvest: May - October

Varieties: Typicas, Typica derivatives, Robusta

Java produces refined, aromatic coffee with relatively low acidity, a delicate mouthfeel and good balance. Java's aroma and acidity surpass those of Sumatra and Sulawesi. Its best plantations include Blawan, Jambit, Kayumas and Pankur. Java Mocha is a blend of Java coffee and Yemen Mocha.

Sumatra, the second-largest island of the Indonesian archipelago, is the country's petroleum-industry center, and its rubber and timber are also famous exports. Yet Sumatra's coffee is even more remarkable — similar to Java coffee but with slightly heavier beans. Mandheling and Ankola beans are also highly prized, with Mandheling even praised as the world's fullest-bodied coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Indonesia is also home to some of the world's most distinctive coffees, and FrontStreet's Indonesian lineup is a great way to explore them. FrontStreet Mandheling comes from the Lintong region around Lake Toba in Sumatra and is processed by the classic wet-hulled (Giling Basah) method, then medium-dark roasted to bring out its low-acid, full body and rich caramel, dark chocolate and toasted-bread aromas with a long, sweet finish — ideal for anyone who loves a bold cup. For the top tier, FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling is sourced from PWN's premium lots, rigorously screened by density, size, shape and color and then machine- and hand-sorted, giving even, plump beans and less earthy, grassy character, with sandalwood, herbal, spice, roasted hazelnut, caramel and dark chocolate notes in a clean, sweet, full-bodied cup. If you prefer espresso, the FrontStreet Classic Blend brings Mandheling together with Brazil plus a touch of Robusta and a deep roast, delivering a Mamba-style cup with golden crema and intense dark chocolate, nut and caramel aromas that even a beginner can pull with authentic Mandheling character.