How does Sumatra Indonesia Java Island coffee bean taste? What is the story of Java coffee cultivation history?

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Flavor Profile and History of Java Coffee

What is the flavor profile of Sumatra's Java Island coffee beans? What is the history of Java coffee cultivation?

Indonesian coffee is commonly divided into three main types: "Sumatra Mandheling," "Sulawesi Toraja," "Java," and "Kopi Luwak." Sumatra, Sumatra Mandheling, and Mandheling all refer to coffees from the island of Sumatra. Currently, the best Java coffee is produced in the Preanger, Cheribon, Buitenzorg, and Batavia regions. Java coffee offers a mature, delicate, gentle flavor with almost imperceptible spicy notes, delivering a rich and full-bodied taste. With aging, it becomes even more aromatic, though aged Java coffee is rare. Java is the region outside the native habitat of coffee trees where coffee has been cultivated for the longest time. Coffee trees were introduced to Java in 1699 at the encouragement of the mayor of Amsterdam, imported from Malabar. Coffee produced in Indonesia's archipelago regions, including Celebes, Lontar Island, Flores, and Timor, are also sold as Java coffee. These coffee beans are as good as Java beans, but fresh beans are small and difficult to purchase.

Indonesia's total coffee production ranks among the world's largest, with balanced scale between Arabica and Robusta production, offering qualities ranging from affordable to premium. Additionally, Indonesia is a country composed of 17,508 islands, making it the world's largest archipelagic nation, making it somewhat challenging to grasp its actual territorial scope. Sumatra is the world's sixth-largest island. Java coffee is also known as Old Java because during the long journey to New York, moisture naturally dispersed, making the coffee beans well-received in New York. Aged Old Java has a richer aroma, with a unique musty flavor and rare light brown color, though truly aged Java is uncommon.

In regions below 3,500 feet in altitude, Arabica coffee trees have virtually disappeared due to leaf diseases. Currently, hardy Novaster, Liberica, and hybrid varieties of these two coffee trees are being cultivated with excellent results. Geographically, the main specialty coffee production areas for Sumatra Mandheling are the Aceh province in the north and North Sumatra province (abbreviated as North Su) south of Aceh. Aceh's cultivation history is over thirty years earlier than North Su province. Aceh's annual production is about 30,000 tons, while North Su province currently produces nearly 50,000 tons.

The history of coffee cultivation in Sumatra dates back to the 18th century, when Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch who introduced Arabica cultivation. It wasn't until World War II, when Japanese forces advanced southward and arrived in Sumatra, that a Japanese soldier tasted the local coffee. Its rich and complex flavor made him unable to part with it, and he asked in Japanese surprise, "Where is this coffee grown?" However, he spoke in Japanese, and the local Mandheling people, through gestures, thought he was asking about their ethnicity, so they replied "Mandheling, Mandheling!" The Japanese soldier thought the coffee was grown in Mandheling. After World War II ended, this Japanese soldier recalled the coffee he had tasted in Sumatra and commissioned Indonesian merchants to transport about fifteen tons of coffee to Japan. Unexpectedly, this flavor he introduced became extremely popular in Japan, establishing its status as the "king of beans" until Jamaican Blue Mountain emerged.

A coffee tragedy in the mid-1970s transformed Java Island's status among coffee enthusiasts. Local coffee farms collectively cut down the less productive, pest-prone superior Arabica coffee trees and switched to planting high-yield, easy-to-care-for Robusta beans. This action caused the once world-renowned excellent coffee to nearly disappear from the market. Today, only six state-owned farms remain on the island, managed and cultivated by the government, still growing traditional superior Java Arabica coffee trees. Thanks to these state-owned estates, we still have the opportunity to taste the remaining Java Arabica coffee, whose production is already extremely limited.

Java and Sulawesi Toraja were also introduced and cultivated during the same period. Java coffee is now dominated by Robusta varieties, so it will not be elaborated further. Sulawesi Toraja shares similar flavor characteristics with Mandheling, but the Japanese originally tasted coffee from Sumatra, not Sulawesi, so it missed its opportunity for fame. Due to different fates, Sumatra received abundant agricultural investment, and even Japanese UCC has direct farms here, making today's Mandheling quality even better.

Flavor Profile

Flavor: Sweetness of blackberry and grape, combining slight acidity and bitterness.

Aroma: Rich and full-bodied, with nutty sweetness and bright, balanced acidity.

Other: Java Island's coffee trees were originally Arabica varieties, but due to pest and disease impacts, most Arabica coffee trees could not survive, so the hardy Novaster, Liberica, and hybrid varieties of these two are now cultivated instead.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Brewing Technique: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, using 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water and let it bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour up to 120g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to half before continuing to pour. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total water, with extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing the pour can extend the extraction time.

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