Flavor Profile and Taste Differences Between Indonesian Mandheling and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Beans

Have you ever had these questions lingering in your mind: Is Indonesian Mandheling an Arabica coffee? Why are Blue Mountain coffee beans so expensive? What are the taste differences between Indonesian Mandheling and Blue Mountain coffee beans?

Regarding the above questions, FrontStreet Coffee has written many articles sharing information and has also conducted numerous comparative experiments for everyone.

First, let's understand Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans.

In Indonesia, the most famous coffee is undoubtedly Mandheling coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee currently offers four varieties of Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans, each with distinct flavor profiles, including the renowned Indonesian PWN Gold Mandheling.

Customers often ask FrontStreet Coffee, "What's the difference between your Indonesian PWN Gold Mandheling coffee beans and regular Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans?"

In fact, whether in appearance or taste, the differences between Indonesian PWN Gold Mandheling coffee beans and regular Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans are clearly distinguishable. However, FrontStreet Coffee discovered through detailed comparative brewing that Indonesian PWN Gold Mandheling coffee beans exhibit cleaner, clearer flavor profiles with more complexity than regular Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans! The primary reason for this is that Indonesian PWN Gold Mandheling coffee beans undergo three or more rounds of manual selection; the selected coffee beans are 18 screen size or larger, making the bean sizes very uniform, which naturally results in more balanced flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee · The Origin of Indonesian Mandheling Coffee Beans

Indonesia is located in Southeast Asia, and its coffee history dates back to 1696 when Dutch coffee farm owners sought broader coffee cultivation areas. After extensive exploration, they finally settled on Java Island in Indonesia. Within 30 years, Indonesia had established a solid foundation in the coffee market. Most of the Java coffee exported to Europe came from the Sumatra region, and Mandheling originates from Sumatra. Therefore, Sumatra can be considered an important coffee-producing region in Indonesia.

The name "Mandheling" is quite different from other coffee beans—it's not a region, place name, port name, or even a coffee variety name (like "Yirgacheffe" or "Sidamo" which are African region names). The name "Mandheling" is simply a mispronunciation of the Indonesian Mandheling ethnic group.

However, how did this ethnic group become associated with coffee? There's actually a serendipitous legendary story behind it.

During World War II, Japan occupied Indonesia. One day, when a Japanese soldier tasted exceptionally delicious coffee in a coffee shop, he immediately asked the owner the name of this coffee. However, due to language barriers, the coffee shop owner thought the officer was asking: "Where are you from?" and replied: "Mandheling tribe."

Then, after World War II ended, this Japanese soldier recalled the "Mandheling" coffee he had in Indonesia and asked an Indonesian broker to ship him fifteen tons of Mandheling to Japan. The result was overwhelming popularity in the Japanese coffee market. Thus, the name "Mandheling" has been passed down to this day. (This broker established today's renowned Pwani Coffee Company (PWN) in the Indonesian coffee industry, which is also the trademark owner of Gold Mandheling.)

FrontStreet Coffee · Introduction to Sumatra's Unique Coffee Processing Method

Most Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans use Sumatra's unique processing method: Wet-Hulled method. Due to the local weather characterized by frequent rain and constant typhoons, it's impossible to achieve the good weather required for sun-drying, and the local economy is not prosperous enough to afford the more expensive washing method. This led to the development of the locally distinctive Wet-Hulled method.

In the first stage, a wooden peeler is used to remove the skin and pulp, followed by 3 hours of fermentation and drying to reduce moisture content to semi-dry and semi-wet (30-50%). In the second stage, the mucilage and parchment layer are removed, and the final drying process continues for 2-4 days, reducing moisture content to 12-13%.

So, what are the common types of Mandheling? Next, FrontStreet Coffee presents four varieties of Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans: Lintong Mandheling coffee beans, PWN Gold Mandheling coffee beans, Tiger Mandheling coffee beans, and Aged Mandheling coffee beans.

1/ FrontStreet Coffee · Indonesian Lintong Mandheling Coffee Beans

Premium Mandheling produced in the Lintong region, featuring relatively large beans with hard texture. Indonesian coffee quality is quite diverse, but what we typically refer to as Mandheling are Typica or its varieties grown in the mountainous areas surrounding Lake Toba. Coffee connoisseurs from around the world have commented: "Sumatran Mandheling coffee is the coffee with the best texture in the world."

Mandheling coffee beans are relatively large with hard texture. Due to numerous defects, strict selection is required during coffee processing. Mandheling coffee is an indispensable variety for coffee blends and blends. The coffee flavor is rich, sweet, purely bitter, and mellow, with slight sweetness and subtle acidity.

FrontStreet Coffee · Lintong Mandheling Coffee Beans
Region: Lintong region
Altitude: 1100-1600m
Varieties: Typica, Caturra
Processing: Wet-Hulled

2/ FrontStreet Coffee · Indonesian PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Beans

Gold Mandheling was trademarked by Indonesia's PWN company, making Gold Mandheling exclusive to PWN.

Gold Mandheling is produced in the GAYO mountains of North Sumatra's Aceh region. The variety is Ateng, which is a hybrid between Arabica and Robusta, widely grown in Sumatra and other Indonesian islands. It's actually a branch of Catimor, with Ateng being the local name. Gold Mandheling 19 screen beans undergo four manual selections with higher quality requirements.

FrontStreet Coffee · Indonesian PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Beans
Region: Aceh GAYO mountains
Altitude: 1100-1600m
Varieties: Typica
Processing: Wet-Hulled

FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Gold Mandheling stands out among them. FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Gold Mandheling coffee beans are a selected premium coffee from the Indonesian green bean company Pawani. PWN Gold Mandheling is a trademark, established as Indonesia's top coffee brand. For this reason, Pawani searches throughout Sumatra Island to acquire and purchase high-quality coffee beans.

The coffee variety for FrontStreet Coffee's new harvest PWN Gold Mandheling is "Ateng." This seems like a very unfamiliar coffee variety. In fact, local Indonesian names for coffee varieties differ from ours. For example, what Indonesians call Tim Tim is what we call Timor, while Ateng is the local Indonesian name for Catimor. The Ateng variety is very suitable for cultivation and flavor development in the Aceh region.

3/ FrontStreet Coffee · Indonesian Tiger Mandheling Coffee Beans

Only Mandheling coffee beans with a defect rate below 4% and screen size 17 or larger can be called Tiger Mandheling coffee beans.

The main varieties of Tiger Mandheling coffee beans are Caturra and Typica. Caturra offers citrus and lemon acidity in taste, while Typica provides lasting aftertaste and full sweetness. This Tiger Mandheling coffee bean's overall flavor is relatively balanced with high clarity.

FrontStreet Coffee · Tiger Mandheling Coffee Beans
Region: Aceh
Altitude: 1500m
Varieties: Typica, Caturra, Sidikalong
Processing: Wet-Hulled

4/ FrontStreet Coffee · Indonesian Aged Mandheling Coffee Beans

Aged coffee beans are not simply coffee beans left to sit for a long time—this is absolutely not acceptable. Because coffee beans can also spoil over time. Coffee beans change from fresh green to white, then to yellow, and finally become tasteless or even develop insects. Like aged wines, green beans must undergo proper processing and long-term storage to be called truly aged coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee · Aged Mandheling Coffee Beans
Region: Sumatra
Varieties: Typica
Processing: Wet-Hulled

What are aged coffee beans? They are green beans that achieve natural aging through extended storage time (usually 2-3 years). These changes include reduced acidity, color changes, and thickened bean texture. The storage environment must be cool and well-ventilated. Due to the darker storage environment and longer time, aged coffee often exhibits complex flavors reminiscent of musty notes or what are commonly described as burlap bags or leather.

FrontStreet Coffee · Indonesian Mandheling Coffee Bean Brewing Guide

The grind size for brewing Mandheling coffee beans should be slightly coarser than for light-roast coffee beans (80% pass rate through 0.85mm screen, EK43S around setting 10). Unlike light-roast coffee beans that need to highlight terroir and increase complexity, FrontStreet Coffee wants customers to obtain a fuller, richer mouthfeel, so KONO dripper is chosen for brewing. For coffee amount, FrontStreet Coffee uses 15 grams of coffee beans with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, meaning 225 grams of water are injected; water temperature of 88°C is used to reduce bitterness from high-temperature extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee's standard brewing coffee dose is 15 grams with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio. First, preheat the dripper and slowly pour in the coffee grounds, keeping them as level as possible during pouring—avoid vigorous shaking or even tapping the dripper. The first stage involves pouring 30g of water in small circles in the center for a 30-second bloom, during which the coffee bed will gradually expand into a "hamburger" shape. The second stage pours 100g in circles from center outward, keeping the pouring height close to the coffee bed with slow movements to avoid over-agitation. The final stage injects 95g, also using small circles in the center. Stop extraction when all coffee liquid has dripped into the lower server. Extraction time should be between 1 minute 50 seconds and 2 minutes.

OK, now that we've introduced Mandheling, let's talk about Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Beans - What Coffee Variety Do They Belong To?

Blue Mountain coffee's fame is widespread. Some love its clean taste, while others enjoy its chocolate notes. The Blue Mountain region has been growing coffee since the 18th century and has always cultivated Typica coffee varieties (of course, in recent years Jamaica has introduced Yirgacheffe and Panama Geisha varieties for research experiments). The authentic Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans we can taste are 100% Typica variety.

Typica is the oldest Arabica variety. The top leaves are bronze-colored, tree leaves are long elliptical, leaf surfaces are smooth, tree bodies are tall and slender with slightly inclined branches. The flavor is elegant, but the plant constitution is weak with poor disease resistance, and each tree yields very low fruit production. Typica variety coffee trees have long terminal branches with few side branches. The flowers are white, growing at the base where leaf stems connect to branches. Mature coffee fruits are bright red, shaped like cherries, while the coffee beans are elliptical or slender-pointed in shape.

What Are the Flavor Characteristics of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Beans?

The excellent quality of Blue Mountain coffee beans creates their clean taste. In the medium-dark roast era, Blue Mountain coffee beans often exhibit a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and bitter, with subtle nutty and chocolate notes, leaving a very comfortable aftertaste. It represents the highest quality in coffee and is truly the king of coffee.

How to Distinguish Authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Beans?

A type of Blue Mountain flavored blend coffee often appears on the market. The so-called "Blue Mountain blend" actually has no connection to Blue Mountain coffee.

This situation occurs because early Blue Mountain coffee was rare and expensive. Operators created coffee that mimicked Blue Mountain's taste by mixing beans with dark roasting based on Blue Mountain's flavor profile. Therefore, conscientious merchants in domestic and international markets tell customers that this is blended Blue Mountain, Blue Mountain-style, or Blue Mountain-flavored coffee beans, not genuine Blue Mountain coffee. According to official CIB information, China's first import record for Blue Mountain coffee was in 2011 when the Hangzhou Coffee and Western Restaurant Association imported 1000 barrels of Blue Mountain coffee (specification: 70kg).

Therefore, since 2011, there has been legitimate channel Blue Mountain coffee in China, and Japan's monopoly on Blue Mountain has ended.

As for how to distinguish authentic from fake Blue Mountain, some might teach you to distinguish by bean appearance, aroma, or taste. But since most people don't have deep knowledge of coffee beans, the simplest way to verify authenticity is to ask the merchant to provide Blue Mountain coffee certificates and Blue Mountain barrels.

There are three types of certificates:

1/ Quality certification issued by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board.

2/ Authorized sales certificate issued by Blue Mountain coffee bean manufacturers.

(Blue Mountain coffee is distributed by 4 Jamaican government-licensed processing producers and exported by 16 licensed exporters)

3/ Certificate of origin for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee beans are exported by coffee board-designated export companies, with green beans packed in wooden barrels and featuring Rainforest Alliance certification.

FrontStreet Coffee · Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Previously, Blue Mountain coffee only used washed processing, but starting last year, experiments began with natural processing for Blue Mountain coffee fruits. This year, FrontStreet Coffee also had the opportunity to see the appearance of natural-processed Blue Mountain coffee.

Washed processing first uses machines to remove fruit skin and pulp, then uses fermentation to remove the mucilage layer. After fermentation, coffee beans are dried to about 12% moisture content and finally stored until export. Natural processing directly dries coffee fruits, reducing moisture content to about 11% before removing fruit pulp and other parts.

FrontStreet Coffee · Introduction to Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Before 2019, Clifton Farm's Blue Mountain coffee consistently used washed processing for green beans. During processing, fruit skin and pulp are first removed, followed by 12-18 hours of fermentation. The fermented beans are then placed in pools and moved back and forth, using the friction of beans and water power to wash coffee beans until smooth and clean. After washing, the coffee beans are still encased in parchment with 50% moisture content and must be sun-dried to reduce moisture content to 12-14%, otherwise they will continue fermenting, becoming moldy and spoiled.

Afterward, coffee beans are sorted and stored in specialized warehouses. The washed processing method ensures Blue Mountain coffee has rich aroma, balanced taste, and maintains its essential character without any flavor being overly prominent or lacking. In 2019, Clifton Farm broke from its traditional model by using natural processing for the first time. Influenced by market trends, Blue Mountain coffee experimented with natural processing in 2019 and began exporting small batches of natural-processed Blue Mountain for the first time in 2020.

For FrontStreet Coffee, this natural-processed Blue Mountain coffee changes Blue Mountain's inherent flavor structure due to the altered processing method. When FrontStreet Coffee introduces coffee beans from specific regions to customers, we always recommend washed-processed coffee beans first because washed processing best represents the region's characteristic flavors.

Of course, Blue Mountain coffee's adoption of natural processing is more about following market developments.

FrontStreet Coffee · Brewing Guide for Washed Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee · Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1
Region: Jamaican Blue Mountain region
Estate: Clifton
Altitude: 1310 meters
Varieties: Typica
Processing method: Washed

FrontStreet Coffee uses a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio with a grind size of 75% pass rate through 20 standard screen. FrontStreet Coffee aims to highlight Blue Mountain coffee's characteristics: balance, richness, and gentle fruit acidity. Water temperature of 88°C is used. For dripper selection, first consideration is given to slower-flow equipment like KONO drippers, Kalita wave drippers, and flannel filters.

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, starting with 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Using small circular pours, when reaching 125g, the pour is paused. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 230g then stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Extraction time is 2'00".

FrontStreet Coffee · Washed Blue Mountain Coffee Beans · Brewing Flavor

The taste is very clean, complex, and gentle, with chocolate sweetness and very strong body. The flavor is rich and mellow, with perfect balance of coffee's sweet, sour, and bitter notes. It has no bitterness at all, only moderate and perfect acidity, with a lasting fruity aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee · Natural-Processed Blue Mountain Coffee Beans · Brewing Flavor

Slight berry acidity reminiscent of preserved plums and mulberries, overall balance, black cocoa and nut flavors, with slight fermentation and smoky notes.

Through comparison, unlike washed Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee, the natural-processed Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 exhibits slight berry acidity reminiscent of preserved plums and mulberries, along with subtle tea notes.

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