Introduction to Major Asian Coffee Producing Countries - Best Asian Coffee Beans - How to Brew Asian Coffee Powder

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Indonesian Coffee Beans: Asia's Most Famous Growing Region

Coffee lovers must have tried Asian coffee beans. Among them, Indonesian coffee beans are the most famous growing region in Asia. The best planting areas throughout the Indonesian archipelago are Java Island, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. These three islands have established three major coffee brands: Mandheling coffee, produced in Sumatra, Indonesia, with moderate acidity and an extremely heavy, rich aroma; Java coffee, produced on Java Island, Indonesia, belonging to the Arabica coffee species; and Sulawesi Island coffee, with full-bodied beans and rich fragrance. Robusta coffee accounts for 90% of total production and is reputed to be the world's highest quality.

Historical Background

In the mid-17th century, coffee trees were introduced to Indonesia by the Dutch (some official sources suggest it was earlier). In 1712, the first batch of coffee from Java was sold to Amsterdam. However, in 1877, all coffee trees in the plantations were destroyed by coffee rust disease, and Robusta coffee trees had to be imported from Africa to replace the original species. Today, only 6%-10% of coffee beans are Arabica. Indonesia is the world's major producer of Robusta coffee, producing 6.8 million bags annually, with most coffee coming from small plantations, accounting for about 90% of total production.

Regional Coffee Characteristics

Java produces exquisite, aromatic coffee with relatively low acidity, delicate taste, and good balance. The fragrance and acidity of Java coffee are superior to those from Sumatra and Sulawesi islands. Java's best plantations include Blawan, Jambit, Kayumas, and Pankur. Java Mocha coffee is a blend of Java coffee and Yemen Mocha coffee.

Sumatra, the second largest island of the Indonesian archipelago, is Indonesia's petroleum industry center. The island's rubber and timber are also famous export commodities. However, Sumatra's coffee is even more remarkable. This coffee is similar to Java coffee but with slightly heavier beans. Coffee beans from Mandheling and Ankola are also highly valued, with the former even being praised as the world's most full-bodied coffee beans.

Sulawesi Island, located between Borneo and New Guinea, is sometimes also called Celebes. The coffee produced on this island has full-bodied beans and rich fragrance. The best coffee beans come from Kalossi and Rantepao in the southern part of the island. Among the many brands, you might try Celebes Kalossi coffee.

Quality Characteristics and Market

Overall, Indonesian coffee has a very rich taste, mellow flavor with a slight syrupy taste, and excellent acidity. Its two main export markets are Germany and Japan, which indirectly reflects the excellent quality of this coffee. What attracts consumers is the superior quality characteristic of its Arabica coffee beans. You can add milk or cream to high-quality Indonesian coffee without worrying about affecting its taste. Indonesian coffee is divided into six grades, with AP being the best. However, no one is certain what these two capital letters actually represent.

Historical Challenges

When steamships replaced sailing ships, coffee from these islands faced the same problem as coffee from Mysore, India—that is, consumers had become accustomed to coffee affected by long journeys and were unwilling to accept the taste of this "fresh" coffee. To solve this problem, the Indonesian government tried to imitate coffee affected by long journeys by "storing" coffee beans for up to a year. However, disappointingly, this wet-processed coffee's flavor was not widely accepted, affecting its good reputation.

Traditional Processing Methods

However, Indonesia's "stored" coffee or "journey" coffee is still produced today. It is generally sold under brands such as "Old Government," "Old Brown," and "Old Java."

Despite producing so many acclaimed coffees, it is puzzling that local residents prefer to drink Turkish-style coffee rather than their renowned European-style coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Asian Coffee Bean Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Asian coffee beans—including FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Small Bean Coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Yemen Mocha Coffee Beans, and FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Mandheling Coffee—all have excellent guarantees in terms of brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value for money. A half-pound (227g) package costs only around 80-90 yuan. Calculating based on 15g of coffee powder per pour-over cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each single-origin coffee costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to café prices that often run dozens of yuan per cup, this offers exceptional value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing 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