How to Best Brew Coffee with Mandheling Coffee Beans? How to Brew Mandheling Coffee Beans?

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Before brewing Mandheling with different brewing devices, it's essential to understand the characteristics of Mandheling and the design principles of these devices. This will help determine how to best prepare Mandheling coffee beans and what grind size and water temperature should be used with various brewing methods.

Mandheling is grown in Indonesia, with major production areas located on the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi. The northern part of Sumatra has relatively higher terrain, with the Aceh province where Lake Tawar is located and North Sumatra where Lake Toba sits being the main Arabica coffee production areas. Lake Tawar is situated in the Gayo Mountains of northern Aceh, Sumatra. Indonesia, straddling both sides of the equator, has a humid tropical rainforest climate with abundant rainfall and fertile volcanic soil that provides rich nutrients for coffee. However, due to its remote location and inconvenient transportation, coffee cultivation didn't begin until 1924, mostly using traditional shade-grown, pesticide-free organic farming methods.

Additionally, because Indonesia's humidity remains between 70-90% year-round with annual rainfall reaching up to 2,000mm, along with constant typhoons, farmers sought faster economic returns by adopting the wet-hulling method. In this process, after the standard washed processing, coffee beans with parchment are sun-dried for 2-3 days until reaching 20-24% moisture content, then the parchment is removed before further drying to 10-13% moisture content. This method makes the beans more susceptible to compression injuries, forming small cracks. These are what we commonly call "horsehoof" or "goat hoof" beans, which have higher defect rates but create a mellow, intense flavor with very distinct characteristics.

The main varieties of Mandheling are Catuai, Typica, and Sidikalong, offering flavors with lemon or citrus acidity and clean lemon notes with a sweet aftertaste. This Tiger Mandheling has relatively balanced flavor with high clarity, featuring distinct cream, dark chocolate, caramel, and nutty notes. Its green beans are round, yellowish-green, with good uniformity and higher moisture content. The roasting target is medium-dark, reducing excessive acidity while enhancing its body and balance.

So, what are the subtle flavor differences when brewing Mandheling with different devices? How can Mandheling coffee beans be best prepared?

V60 Pour-Over

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, using 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water for 25s bloom. Second pour to 120g, then wait until the water level drops to half before continuing to pour slowly until reaching 225g. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors. Because V60 has many ribs and faster drainage, stopping the pour can extend extraction time, better extracting the nutty and chocolate flavors from the later stages.

Flavor: Multi-layered, overall clean with lighter body, persistent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste, with a slight bitterness.

KONO Pour-Over

Dripper: KONO dripper

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:14, using 17g of coffee. First pour 25g of water for 30s bloom. Second pour to 238g. Extraction time around 2:30.

Analysis: The KONO dripper doesn't have many ribs at the bottom, and the filter paper fits tightly against the dripper, restricting airflow. This allows water and coffee grounds to have longer contact time in the dripper, ensuring sufficient extraction time and extraction rate for coarse grinds. This allows the coffee grounds to be fully extracted, enhancing the rich body and concentrating the flavors.

Flavor: High balance, clean, thick and solid body, persistent dark chocolate aftertaste.

Siphon Brewing

Device: Hario Siphon

Water Temperature: 89°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Method: Recommend 20g of coffee for 2 servings, water-to-coffee ratio 1:12. Add 240g of hot water to the bottom chamber. Use the post-addition method: add coffee grounds after the temperature reaches 89°C when bubbling, stir 4-5 times, bloom for 30 seconds, extract for about 30 seconds then turn off heat. Finally, stir quickly 2-3 times and wait for the coffee liquid to fall naturally.

Analysis: Siphon coffee is heated by flame, creating high, medium, and low temperature differences during brewing, thus creating rich flavor variations. At high temperatures, Mandheling coffee has very intense aroma with quality herbal notes. When the temperature drops to 70°C, it presents rich, full-bodied nutty flavors, and caramel sweetness gradually emerges completely.

Flavor: Rounded texture, rich body, prominent herbal and dark chocolate notes, with distinct caramel sweetness.

AeroPress Brewing

Device: AeroPress

Water Temperature: 85°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Method: For inverted AeroPress preparation, recommend adding 20g of coffee grounds with water-to-coffee ratio 1:15. First pour 100g of 85°C water, stir 3-5 times to fully wet the coffee grounds, let sit for 30s, add remaining hot water to 300g, let sit for 30s, then stir for 5s. At 1 minute 50 seconds, flip the AeroPress and press down vertically at a steady speed. Total time around 2:30.

Analysis: The AeroPress material has the advantages of slow heat dissipation and minimal temperature loss. Using 85°C water with appropriate pressure produces low acidity without bitterness, creating a clean and smooth mouthfeel. Complete immersion brewing maximizes and equalizes extraction, fully preserving Mandheling's flavors. The pressurized extraction during pressing can actually yield a richer body than other immersion methods. The AeroPress filter paper has high density, filtering very clean coffee that enhances sweetness and creates a smoother texture.

Flavor: Relatively rich body, refreshing herbal notes, moderate caramel sweetness and nutty chocolate flavors.

French Press Brewing

Device: French Press

Water Temperature: 88-89°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Method: 20g coffee beans, water-to-coffee ratio 1:14. Pour 88°C water into French Press to 280g, start timing. Put the lid on with the filter stopped at the highest position. Wait for 2.5 minutes, then press the filter to the bottom.

Analysis: Using immersion extraction, which is faster initially and slower later. Coffee grounds are completely soaked in water for even extraction, making Mandheling's flavor balanced and less likely to produce bitter flavors. The metal filter screen presses and filters the ground layer, retaining rich oils, increasing smooth mouthfeel, and enhancing body and caramel sweetness.

Flavor: Balanced flavor, rich texture, good oils, with slight sweetness.

Conclusion

The same beans, when brewed with different devices using appropriate brewing parameters and techniques, will produce different flavor profiles. Mandheling is medium-dark roasted, and using a 1:14 water-to-coffee ratio, controlling water temperature at 88-89°C, using a grind size similar to coarse sugar, and employing immersion extraction with time controlled around 2.5 minutes can enhance body and solid texture. If extraction time is too long, water temperature too high, or grind too fine, it will extract uncomfortable bitterness.

This concludes our sharing. We hope it has been helpful to everyone.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse variety of beans, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473