Characteristics of Aged Mandheling Coffee Beans Preserved for Over a Decade - A Cross-Century Sumatran Coffee Bean Story

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The use of the Sumatran tiger on Sumatran coffee packaging is well justified. The Sumatran tiger is the only tiger species that lives on an island far from the mainland, found exclusively on Indonesia's Sumatra island. Their habitat ranges from plain forests to high mountains, with only about 400-500 wild Sumatran tigers remaining, primarily in five national parks on the Indonesian island.

Sumatran coffee beans are also one of the most representative coffee beans from Indonesia. FrontStreet Coffee specializes in fresh roasted premium coffee, including five varieties of Mandheling coffee beans. Due to different origins or processing methods, these coffee beans exhibit subtle differences in flavor profiles.

Sumatran Coffee Regions and Varieties

Sumatra island is primarily divided into two main growing regions. The southern region mainly centers around Medan, Lake Toba, and the Lintong area. This is the traditional "Mandheling" growing region where various Mandheling varieties we know originate. We often see Mandheling G1, Golden Mandheling, Tiger Mandheling, and others all produced in this region.

Lintong region Mandheling beans are basically pure Arabica varieties. It's said that in recent years they've been mixed with Robusta bloodlines, but the specifics are unknown. From bean appearance, they look more like pure Arabica. The processing method is mainly the most traditional washed method, though in recent years, processing plants like WHANA have begun using natural and honey processing methods, with noticeable improvements in quality.

FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling comes from the Lintong region of Sumatra, grown at altitudes of 1100-1600 meters. Typica and Caturra varieties are processed using the common Indonesian wet-hulled method, with flavor notes of: toasted bread, nuts, caramel, pine, and herbs.

FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling comes from Mount Gayo in Aceh, Sumatra, grown at altitudes of 1100-1600 meters. The Ateng coffee variety is processed using the wet-hulled method, with flavor notes of: spices, herbal notes, caramel, pine, nuts, and chocolate.

Unlike other Mandheling varieties, Golden Mandheling coffee beans undergo G1 grade selection with three rounds of manual sorting, resulting in beans that appear very uniform in size. Golden Mandheling specifications are 18 screen or above, with fewer than 3 defective beans (300g raw bean sample), belonging to the highest G1 grade. The color is dark green, and the shape is neat flat beans. After strict screening, Golden Mandheling not only eliminates the characteristic earthy impurities of regular Mandheling but also tastes cleaner and brighter, with stronger sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee's Tiger Mandheling comes from Sumatra, grown at altitudes of 1500 meters. Caturra, Typica, and Sidikalong varieties are processed using the wet-hulled method, with flavor notes of: nuts, cream, dark chocolate, caramel, and pine.

FrontStreet Coffee's Aged Mandheling comes from Sumatra, grown at altitudes of 1500 meters. Caturra and Typica varieties are also processed using the wet-hulled method. The special processing of Aged Mandheling gives it a rounder, deeper flavor, as intoxicating as aged Pu-erh tea.

The Heritage of Aged Coffee

Aged coffee actually has a long history in Indonesia. Because early shipping wasn't so developed, transporting coffee from Indonesia to other countries took considerable time. Over time, the originally moisture-rich fresh coffee beans gradually dried, and the sea breeze added a very special flavor. Due to modern shipping advances that have greatly reduced transportation time, coffee with such special flavors has become a specially processed coffee bean variety.

It's worth noting that those who thoroughly understand Mandheling should know that Mandheling coffee beans are mostly roasted to a dark degree. The reason we commonly see Mandheling as dark roast is twofold: first, due to its processing method and mixed varieties, this bean has a relatively high defect rate, and dark roasting can perfectly mask this flaw; second, Mandheling was first discovered by Japanese people, who also prefer texture-oriented coffee tasting. So it's easy to understand why Mandheling is roasted so dark.

Natural Process Mandheling

In addition to the four wet-hulled Mandheling coffee beans mentioned above, FrontStreet Coffee also has another "uncommon" Mandheling coffee bean - Natural Process Mandheling.

Natural Process Mandheling comes from Lake Toba, Sumatra, from the Wahana Estate. This area grows at altitudes of 1000-1700 meters. Bourbon and Typica variety coffee beans are processed using the natural method. In terms of roast degree, FrontStreet Coffee experimented with a medium-light roast for Natural Process Mandheling, with flavor notes of: melon, fermentation aroma, mango, tropical fruits, and peach.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's recommended brewing method for Sumatran coffee:

FrontStreet Coffee recommends brewing method: 【Pour-over method】

FrontStreet Coffee suggests using Kalita wave-shaped drippers or KONO drippers, flannel filters - these types of immersion-extraction-focused drippers for brewing these four wet-hulled processed Mandheling coffee beans.

Pour-over water temperature: 86-88°C (Due to the dark roast degree, high water temperature can easily lead to over-extraction)

Pour-over grind size: Medium grind (Slightly coarser than the grind for light roast beans to reduce extraction rate)

Pour-over coffee-to-water ratio: 1:13-1:14 (Use a smaller ratio to highlight the rich texture of Sumatran coffee)

FrontStreet Coffee's Four Mandheling Coffee Beans Pour-over Parameters:

Brewing parameters:

1. Filter: KONO
2. Water temperature: 86-88°C
3. Grind size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4
4. Roast degree: Dark roast
5. Bloom time: 30 seconds

Brewing technique:

15g coffee grounds, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, Fuji Royal "ghost tooth" grinder setting 4, KONO dripper, 86-88°C water temperature. First pour 30g of water for 30s bloom, second pour to 125g, wait until water level drops to half, continue pouring to 225g. Total extraction time 2 minutes.

What's particularly special is that because Natural Process Mandheling uses a medium roast degree, the brewing technique differs from the medium-dark roast Mandheling coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee has accumulated extensive experimental experience with brewing techniques, ultimately standardizing brewing parameters for coffee beans of different roast degrees as much as possible.

For example, FrontStreet Coffee's light-medium roast coffee bean brewing parameters are: V60 dripper, 1:15 ratio, 15g coffee dose, 90°C water temperature, grind size (80% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve), while medium-dark roast coffee bean brewing parameters are: Kono dripper, 1:15 ratio, 15g coffee dose, 88°C water temperature, grind size (70-75% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve).

Natural Process Mandheling Coffee Brewing Parameters:

Brewing parameters:

1. Filter: Hario V60 #01 dripper
2. Coffee dose: 15 grams
3. Ratio: 1:15
4. Water temperature: 90°C
5. Grind size: Fine sugar

Brewing technique:

First pour 30g of water for 30-second bloom, second pour 95g of water (scale shows 125g), completed in about 1 minute, third pour 100g of water (scale shows 225g), completed in about 1 minute 40 seconds. Extraction time 2 minutes 10 seconds, remove filter to complete brewing.

Pour-over Mandheling Flavor Summary:

Golden Mandheling: Multi-layered, rich and clean, high balance, intense nut and caramel aroma with chocolate notes, long-lasting aftertaste.

Lintong Mandheling: Herbal and medicinal notes on entry, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet aftertaste.

Tiger Mandheling: Pine and spice aromas, relatively balanced texture with distinct cream, dark chocolate, and nut flavors.

Aged Mandheling: Woody, malt, and caramel aromas greet the nose. The texture is less wild than traditional Mandheling, with more richness and refinement, giving a mature and steady feeling. Lower acidity, with aged Pu-erh, caramel, herbal, and chocolate flavors on entry, full of sweetness.

Natural Process Mandheling: Tropical fruits, fermentation sensation, moderate acidity, smooth texture, obvious sweetness.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473