Where can I buy Sumatra coffee beans? How to brew and drink Sumatra coffee?

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Coffee Buying Tips

There are many options on Taobao, so pay attention to prices and choose from reputable manufacturers. Those priced at tens of yuan are generally just average beans that have been deeply roasted.

For reliable quality, expect to pay around 100 yuan for half a pound of roasted beans.

Don't believe in so-called "hand-roasted" beans. In theory, small-batch hand-roasting should be more expensive, but on Taobao they're surprisingly cheap.

Avoid beans that look overly oily—this is completely amateur-level roasting!

Sumatra Coffee Roasting

Comparing Sumatra Mandheling coffee at three roast levels: light roast, medium-dark roast, and dark roast.

Brewing Equipment Selection: Hario V60

Bloom time: 25 seconds

Brewing Parameters by Roast Level

1. Light Roast

Grind: Fujiyama ghost tooth grinder 3.5
Water temperature: 90°C
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

2. Medium-Dark Roast

Grind: Fujiyama ghost tooth grinder 4
Water temperature: 88°C
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

3. Dark Roast

Grind: Fujiyama ghost tooth grinder 4.5
Water temperature: 86°C
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Test Results

1. Light Roast

Noticeable fruit acidity but comfortable on the palate, slightly bitter with a mouth-watering sensation on both sides of the mouth, moderate smoothness.

2. Medium-Dark Roast

Excellent balance, rich and full-bodied with prominent bitterness. Chocolate notes and subtle sweetness are more突出, distinct licorice aroma, better smoothness than light roast, and intense aroma.

3. Dark Roast

Almost no acidity, very heavy bitterness, and if roasting is slightly improper, it may produce burnt flavors.

Over-extraction and Under-extraction Issues

Over-extraction

Manifests as coffee being overly bitter and astringent, caused by water soaking coffee grounds for too long.

Under-extraction

Results in a relatively thin mouthfeel, with the sensation that water and coffee are separate.

Different Brewing Methods and Equipment

Different brewing methods will also produce different tastes.

Pour-over

1. Dripper: Hario V60
2. Water temperature: 88°C
3. Grind: Fujiyama grinder setting 4
4. Roast level: Medium-dark
5. Bloom time: 25 seconds

Flavor profile: Multi-layered, clean, balanced, with a persistent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste.

Specific technique: 15g of coffee ground with Fujiyama ghost tooth grinder at setting 4, V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for 25s bloom, then pour to 104g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 220g. Discard the last 5g. Coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, extraction time approximately 2:00.

AeroPress

1. Water temperature: 85°C
2. Grind: Fujiyama grinder setting 3.5
3. Roast level: Medium-dark
4. Bloom time: 2 times - first 20 seconds, then 50 seconds

Specific technique: Prepare AeroPress for regular pressing. Recommend using 20g of coffee with a 1:17 coffee-to-water ratio. First pour 100g of 83°C hot water, stir 3-5 times to fully wet the coffee grounds, let stand for 20s. Add remaining hot water to reach 240g, let stand for 40s, stir for 5s. At 1 minute 50 seconds, insert the plunger and press down. Total time: 2 minutes 5 seconds.

Flavor profile: Rich, complex, prominent spice notes, with fresh forest aromas.

Siphon

1. Water temperature: 90°C
2. Grind: Fujiyama grinder setting 3.5
3. Roast level: Medium-dark
4. Brew time: 30 seconds

Specific technique: Side heating extraction method. Recommend 20g of coffee for 2 servings, coffee-to-water ratio 1:12, water level at mark 2. Use delayed addition method—add coffee after bubbles form. Stir 4-5 times, extract for about 30 seconds then remove from heat. Finally, stir twice and let the coffee liquid fall naturally.

Flavor profile: Smooth, rich, prominent herbal and bitter notes, with distinct caramel sweetness.

Sumatra Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Sumatra coffee—【Golden Mandheling Coffee】—offers excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, it provides exceptional value for money. One 227g package costs only 89 yuan. Calculating at 15g per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, costing only about 6 yuan per cup. Compared to coffee shops that charge tens of yuan per cup, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

FrontStreet Coffee: A Guangzhou-based roastery with a small shop but diverse coffee bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online shop services at 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