Lindong Mandheling | Flavor Profile and Characteristics of Indonesian Sumatra Lindong Mandheling Classic Black Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Lintong Mandheling Premium Coffee Beans

Although the raw green beans of FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling may not appear particularly appealing, they transform into beautifully colored and plump roasted beans. FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling prominently showcases the distinctive characteristics of Indonesia's Mandheling region. The flavor profile represents a classic excellence in taste, predominantly rich and intense. Within its richness lies a mellow body and vibrant, lively complexity. It's neither astringent nor acidic, with the body and bitterness fully expressed. Mandheling is considered one of the world's most full-bodied coffees. When tasting FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling, you can distinctly feel a smooth lubrication on the palate, accompanied by lower acidity and a subtle herbal plant aroma.

FrontStreet Coffee Indonesian Lintong Mandheling

Country: Indonesia

Grade: G1, Triple Hand-Sorted

Region: Sumatra Island

Processing Method: Washed

Altitude: 1,100-1,600 meters

Flavor Notes: Toast, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs

01 | Region Introduction

The Origin of Mandheling

Mandheling is not a region name, place name, port name, or coffee variety name. Its origin actually stems from a mispronunciation of the Mandheling ethnic group in Indonesia. During World War II when Japan occupied Indonesia, a Japanese soldier tasted an exceptionally fragrant and mellow coffee at a café. When he asked the owner for the coffee's name, the owner mistakenly thought he was asking about his origin and replied: "Mandheling." After the war, the Japanese soldier recalled the "Mandheling" he had drunk in Indonesia and commissioned Indonesian coffee merchants to ship 15 tons to Japan, which proved extremely popular. The name Mandheling thus became established.

Mandheling comes in various types, such as Lintong Mandheling and Gold Mandheling. What exactly are the differences between these Mandhelings? Locally, coffee beans widely grown in Sumatra and other Indonesian islands are all called Mandheling. They are distinguished by different names based on region and green bean suppliers to differentiate Mandhelings from different areas and producers. FrontStreet Coffee has four Mandheling varieties: FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling, FrontStreet Coffee's Gold Mandheling, FrontStreet Coffee's Tiger Mandheling, and FrontStreet Coffee's Aged Mandheling.

What is the G1, G2, G3, G4 Grading Method?

Indonesian coffee beans use this defect-based grading system. Indonesian beans are mainly divided into 6 grades, namely G1~G6.

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic nation. As early as the 18th century during Dutch rule, Arabica coffee trees were introduced for cultivation. The main producing areas are located on Sumatra Island, Java Island, and Sulawesi Island. The Mandheling produced there features deep, low-acidity, full-bodied flavors, leading people to call it "the world's most important coffee." Among these, Sumatra has the largest production, with the northern Aceh province being the largest producing area.

Sumatra Island faces Java Island across the Sunda Strait to the southeast, faces the Malay Peninsula across the Malacca Strait to the north, is adjacent to Borneo across the Karimata Strait to the east, and borders the Indian Ocean to the west.

At the end of the 17th century, Typica was transplanted from India to Indonesia. After several hundred years of cultivation, variant Typica has developed in Sumatra. The beans are smaller than the original species but retain Typica's delicious flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling coffee beans are relatively large with hard bean texture. Defects easily occur during cultivation, so strict manual sorting is usually required after harvesting. If quality control is not strict enough, it can easily lead to inconsistent quality. Additionally, different roast levels directly affect the flavor profile, making it a controversial single-origin coffee.

Mandheling is also known as "Sumatra Coffee." Both the Lake Toba region in North Sumatra province and the Lake Tawar region in Aceh produce Mandheling coffee, which is famously known as the "Two Lakes, Two Mandhelings."

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic nation. As early as the 18th century during Dutch rule, Arabica coffee trees were introduced for cultivation. The main producing areas are located on Sumatra Island, Java Island, and Sulawesi Island. Sumatra Island faces Java Island across the Sunda Strait to the southeast, faces the Malay Peninsula across the Malacca Strait to the north, is adjacent to Borneo across the Karimata Strait to the east, and borders the Indian Ocean to the west.

About Lake Toba

Mandheling is also known as "Sumatra Coffee." The homeland of premium Mandheling—the Lake Toba region—is located at the northern end of Sumatra Island, Indonesia.

Lake Toba (Indonesian: Danau Toba, English: Lake Toba) is a volcanic lake located in northern Sumatra Island, Indonesia. The lake is diamond-shaped, 100 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide, covering an area of 1,130 square kilometers. It's an alpine lake with an average elevation of about 900 meters; additionally, it's the world's largest volcanic lake.

Lake Toba, located in central North Sumatra province. In 1888, Dutch colonists moved "Java Mandheling" north to the Lake Toba region. The area around South Sumatra's Lintong and Lake Toba can be called Mandheling; the Lintong area is the true Mandheling producing region. Mandheling is produced in the mountainous areas around Lake Toba. This lake's geographical location is north of Medan, the capital of Sumatra Island, and belongs to an alpine freshwater lake. The average height is about 900 meters above sea level. The commonly referred Mandheling refers to Typica or its variant coffee beans grown in the mountainous areas around Lake Toba.

About Lake Tawar

Lake Tawar is located in the Gayo Highlands of northern Aceh Province, Sumatra.

Lake Tawar is located in central Aceh Special Autonomous Region. It's situated at the northern end of Sumatra Island. Most coffee produced in North Sumatra is Gayo, mainly of the Ateng variety. The Lake Tawar at the northern end can be called Aceh coffee or Lake Tawar coffee. Its area is less than one-tenth of Lake Toba. However, in recent years, coffee quality and production have surpassed Lake Toba.

02 | Processing Method

Wet Hulling, also known as Wet Hulling, is called "Giling Basah" in the local language and is the traditional Indonesian coffee processing method. Judging by name alone, Wet Hulling seems similar to wet processing (washed processing), however, these two processing methods yield completely different cupping flavors. Coffee processed by Wet Hulling is typically full-bodied and intense, with a very distinct personality.

Wet Hulling Process Steps

① Remove skin and pulp, retaining parchment and mucilage

② Ferment in water tanks

③ Wash away mucilage

④ Sun-dry with parchment for 2-3 days until moisture content reaches 20-24%

⑤ Hull the parchment

⑥ Dry the green beans until moisture content reaches 12-13%

⑦ Prepare for export

Lintong Mandheling G1 - Grade 1

The most famous origins for Asian coffee include 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 the Lake Toba region in North Sumatra province and the Lake Tawar region in Aceh produce Mandheling coffee, which is famously known as the "Two Lakes, Two Mandhelings." The common characteristic of the "Two Lakes, Two Mandhelings" is that they are both full-bodied and fragrant. The difference is that Lake Toba's Mandheling is more muted, deep, and even has a grass jelly flavor, while Lake Tawar Mandheling has brighter fruit acidity, sometimes with cedar or woody notes.

From left to right: FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling G1, FrontStreet Coffee's Tiger Mandheling, FrontStreet Coffee's Gold Mandheling

FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling Flavor Description

1. Taste: Fragrant and rich, with a sweet-bitter character. The entry is strong and stimulating, with clove and woody aromatic flavors. FrontStreet Coffee's medium-dark roast Lintong Mandheling has low acidity, with spice and mint notes, plus a strong, persistent thick sweetness.

2. Aroma: Dry fragrance has glutinous rice, malt, spice, caramel, and woody flavors. The wet aroma after adding hot water reveals deep burnt caramel and pine notes, plus a subtle earthy fragrance.

3. Visual: Full, uniform beans that become quite large after roasting. Green beans appear brown or dark green.

1. Light Roast: Fuji "Ghost Tooth" grinder 3.5, water temperature 90°C, coffee-to-water ratio 1:15

2. Medium-Dark Roast: Fuji "Ghost Tooth" grinder 4, water temperature 88°C, coffee-to-water ratio 1:15

3. Dark Roast: Fuji "Ghost Tooth" grinder 4.5, water temperature 86°C, coffee-to-water ratio 1:15

(FrontStreet Coffee typically sifts light roast through a 20-mesh sieve to 80% before pour-over, while medium-dark roast is sifted to 70% before pour-over)

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Results

1. Light Roast: At this roast level, FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling has heavier fruit acidity and slight bitterness. The fruit acidity is obvious but comfortable on entry, with a mouth-watering sensation on both sides of the mouth. Smoothness is average.

2. Medium-Dark Roast: Very well-balanced, fragrant, mellow, and full-bodied. Bitterness is more obvious, with chocolate and subtle sweet notes more prominent. Licorice aroma is distinct, fruit acidity is weak, smoothness is better than light roast, and the aroma is strong with noticeably enhanced fruit acidity.

3. Dark Roast: Almost no acidity, very heavy bitterness. With direct fire roasting, improper roasting can produce burnt flavors.

1. Equipment Choice: Hario V60

2. Water Temperature: 88°C

3. Grind Size: Fuji grinder setting 4

4. Roast Level: Medium-Dark

5. Bloom Time: 25 seconds

FrontStreet Coffee's Technique: Using the "Three Breaks" pour-over method for FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling, 15g coffee, Fuji "Ghost Tooth" grinder setting 4, V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature. First pour 30g water for 25s bloom, then pour to 104g and break. Wait until the bed level drops to half, then pour water again. Slowly pour until reaching 220g, discarding the last 5g. Coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, extraction time about 2:00.

FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling can also be extracted using the volcano method, with flannel or Kono filters also being suitable.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Technique: High-temperature extraction, water temperature 90-92°C. Small water flow in the front stage, coin-sized area, break, bloom, break, bloom, keeping the grounds in a blooming state. Bloom time 1:30, finally use large water flow for quick extraction. Total extraction time 2:30.

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FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Sumatra Lintong Mandheling Premium Coffee Beans 100g Small Package

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