Is Lintong Mandheling from Sumatra Definitely Inferior to Golden Mandheling?

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Product Information

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee · Indonesia Sumatra Mandheling

Country: Indonesia

Grade: G1, 3 times hand-picked

Region: Lindong, Sumatra Island

Processing Method: Traditional Wet-Hulling

Altitude: 1100-1600 meters

Flavor: Toast, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs

Sumatra Mandheling Overview

The most famous coffee growing regions in Asia are the islands of the Malay Archipelago: Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan. Among these, Sumatra Mandheling coffee from Indonesia's Sumatra Island enjoys the highest reputation.

Both Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Lake Tawar in Aceh produce Mandheling coffee, which is known as the famous "Two Lakes, Double Mandheling." The common characteristic of the "Two Lakes, Double Mandheling" is their rich and mellow flavor, while the difference lies in the fact that Lake Toba's Mandheling is more subdued, deep, and even carries grass jelly notes, whereas Lake Tawar Mandheling has brighter fruit acidity, sometimes with cedar or woody flavors.

Gayo Mountain Coffee

Gayo Mountain coffee possesses unique flavors and high quality. The coffee beans have strong, distinctive herbal flavors with slight honey notes, moderate and balanced acidity. Gayo Mountain coffee ranks alongside Blue Mountain coffee as one of the two most famous coffees in the world!

The coffee named Gayo comes from the local Gayo tribe. They all live in the mountainous areas of central Aceh Province, near the freshwater Lake Tawar, and people named the mountain "Gayo." During the Dutch colonial era, coffee plantations were dominated by large estates, but now the vast majority are local Islamic tribes. They retain their original way of life under patriarchal tribal rule, still following traditional farming methods. About 90% of coffee production comes from these small farmers. Due to small planting areas in the mountains and poor living conditions for farmers, coffee is mainly grown with manure and farm fertilizer, with minimal fertilization. Therefore, coffee produced in Aceh is primarily organic coffee.

Additional Product Details

Name: FrontStreet Coffee · Sumatra Gayo Mountain Mandheling Longberry

Region: Gayo Mountain, Lake Tawar

Processing Method: Wet-Hulled

Variety: Arabica & Typica variants

Origin: Lake Tawar, Sumatra, Indonesia

Altitude: 1500m-1650m

Grade: 2 screen hand-picked Long Berry / >21 Mesh

Flavor Description: Smooth mouthfeel, clean, high body, chocolate flavor, balanced sweetness

Wet-Hulling Processing

Country: Indonesia

Grade: G1·3 times hand-picked

Company: PWN

Region: Sumatra Island

Processing Method: Washed

Altitude: 1100-1600 meters

Flavor: Toast, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs

The most famous coffee growing regions in Asia are the islands of the Malay Archipelago: Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan. Among these, Sumatra Mandheling coffee from Indonesia's Sumatra Island enjoys the highest reputation.

Wet-Hulling Flavor Characteristics

To summarize the wet-hulled flavor, aside from subtle differences, we generally believe that wet-hulled beans carry earthy, smoky, and chocolate flavors, with acidity described as "low acidity," full-bodied yet seemingly subdued.

The low acidity originates from shorter, less effective fermentation processes and longer drying times. The "earthy" flavors and similar characteristics of wet-hulled beans are subject to much debate. Some say this relates to the bean varieties used in wet-hulling regions (Timor & Catimor: with Robusta lineage), others say it's the result of organic interactions between raw beans and the environment, and some even attribute it to too many defective beans! Of course, there are quite many.

Defect Sources in Wet-Hulling

There are numerous sources of defective beans in wet-hulling processing. First, natural defects from the coffee cherries themselves are inevitable. Another contributor to defects is the hulling process, along with corrosion during transport of wet parchment beans, damage from sunlight and moisture to exposed raw beans, and additionally, inconsistent weather causing uneven drying speeds also detracts from the flavor. Why does Mandheling require so many rounds of hand-picking? There's certainly a reason for that.

Processing Method Comparison

Finally, let's summarize the characteristics of various raw bean processing methods:

Acidity: Washed > Semi-washed > Honey > Wet-Hulled > Natural

Sweetness: Natural > Honey > Wet-Hulled > Semi-washed > Washed

Production Risk: Wet-Hulled / Natural > Washed / Honey > Semi-washed

Equipment Cost: Washed / Semi-washed > Honey / Wet-Hulled > Natural

Water Usage: Washed > Semi-washed > Honey / Wet-Hulled

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473