How Many Coffee Regions Does Indonesia Have? What Are the Varieties of Indonesian Coffee Beans? Green Bean Processing Methods in Indonesia

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Coffee is a globally beloved beverage, and FrontStreet Coffee, as part of the coffee industry, deeply understands this. Because FrontStreet Coffee serves people of various age groups every day - working young professionals, recent college graduates, retired grandfathers - FrontStreet Coffee must recommend coffee from different regions according to the taste preferences of different age groups and demographics.

If you're looking for acidity in Yirgacheffe or a balance of sweet and sour in Costa Rican coffee, then the rich, bitter-sweet Indonesian Mandheling coffee is undoubtedly the choice. Indonesian coffee belongs to Asian coffee-producing countries, with herbal, dark chocolate, and cedar flavors being typical Asian coffee characteristics, deeply loved by those who prefer rich tastes. The best growing areas throughout the Indonesian archipelago are Java Island, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, which produce three representative Indonesian coffees: Mandheling coffee, produced in Sumatra, Indonesia, with moderate acidity and an extremely strong aroma; Indonesian Java coffee, produced on Java Island, belonging to the Arabica species; and Indonesian Sulawesi coffee, with full beans and rich aroma.

Which Indonesian coffee brand is best?

In the mid-17th century, coffee trees were introduced to Indonesia by the Dutch. 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 trees. Today, only 6%-10% of coffee beans are Arabica. Indonesia is the world's main producer of Robusta coffee, producing 6.8 million bags of coffee annually, with most coffee coming from small plantations, accounting for about 90% of total production. If you want to enjoy premium Indonesian Arabica coffee beans, of course, choose FrontStreet Coffee!

Sumatra Coffee Region, Indonesia

Indonesia is located in Southeast Asia, and its coffee history dates back to 1696 when Dutch coffee farm owners attempted to find broader coffee cultivation areas. After extensive exploration, they finally settled on Java Island in Indonesia. After 30 years, Indonesia had established a sufficient foundation in the coffee market. However, today, Indonesia's coffee representative is Mandheling, which is actually not surprising, because most of the Java coffee originally exported to Europe came from the Sumatra region, and Mandheling originates from Sumatra. Therefore, Sumatra can be considered an important coffee production area in Indonesia.

Mandheling, also known as Sumatra coffee, has its birthplace of quality in the Lake Toba region, located at the northern tip of Sumatra Island, Indonesia. Lake Toba, situated in central North Sumatra Province, was where Dutch colonists moved "Java Mandheling" northward to the Lake Toba area in 1888. Lintong in South Sumatra and the Lake Toba region can be called Mandheling, with the Lintong area being the true Mandheling production region. Mandheling is produced in the mountainous areas surrounding Lake Toba. This lake is geographically located north of Medan, the capital of Sumatra Island, and is a high-altitude freshwater lake with an average elevation of approximately 900 meters. The commonly referred Mandheling refers to the Timor or Ateng varieties grown in the mountainous areas around Lake Toba.

FrontStreet Coffee - Indonesian PWN Golden Mandheling

Region: Aceh Gayo Mountain, Sumatra
Altitude: 1100-1600 meters
Variety: Ateng
Grade: G1, triple hand-selected
Processing Method: Wet-hulled

FrontStreet Coffee's flagship Mandheling coffee - PWN Golden Mandheling - uses the Ateng variety. Ateng is the local Indonesian name for Catimor. The Ateng variety is very suitable for cultivation and flavor development in the Aceh region. The original Catimor is a cross between Arabica and Robusta species, so if you ask about the relationship between Indonesian Golden Mandheling and Robusta varieties, it's roughly that Ateng is the "grandson" of Robusta. These Ateng coffee plants are grown in the Gayo Mountain region, located in Aceh Province on the northern part of Sumatra Island. Coffee in the Gayo Mountain region is grown on hillside slopes around the town of Takegon and Lake Tawar. The growing altitude in production areas averages between 1,110 and 1,600 meters. Coffee is cultivated by small farmers under shade trees, processed using the wet-hulled method to exhibit unique flavors with low, lively richness.

Origin of Mandheling Coffee Name

Indonesian Mandheling coffee originally referred to the name of an Indonesian tribe. After Japanese soldiers returned from Indonesia's colonization period, they couldn't forget the delicious local coffee. Through trading friends, they asked locals to help collect premium coffee beans, including this Mandheling variety. The Japanese greatly loved this coffee bean. Since the commercial source couldn't be easily disclosed, locals casually mentioned "Mandheling," and thus Mandheling accidentally became the name of this coffee bean. This local person was the owner of Indonesia's PWN company (Pwani Coffee Company). PWN company was the first to export Golden Mandheling coffee beans to Japan, and only Mandheling produced by this company is authentic Golden Mandheling. FrontStreet Coffee has been using PWN Golden Mandheling for many years. PWN has also changed from 60kg bags to 30kg bags, and the production region has switched from Lintong to GAYO Mountain.

How to distinguish authentic PWN Golden Mandheling?

Severely affected by the pandemic, compared to previous years, Indonesia's shipping resources to China are quite tight this year. The new season's Golden Mandheling, originally scheduled to arrive in October, was delayed by a full month. Compared to other Mandheling coffees, Golden Mandheling has a stronger aftertaste and sugarcane aroma. Although everyone knows that only PWN's Mandheling is called Golden Mandheling, in reality, PWN's annual production is not large, so a significant portion of large-seed selected Golden Mandheling is not actually from PWN. If you're unsure, you might ask the seller to provide PWN raw bean burlap bags or certificates attached to the beans to determine if it's the PWN Golden Mandheling we're referring to.

Why is FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling so popular?

Golden Mandheling specifications are above 18 mesh, with fewer than 3 defective beans (300g raw bean sample), belonging to the highest grade G1. The color is dark green, and the beans are flat with regular shapes. After rigorous four-times screening, Golden Mandheling not only eliminates the characteristic earthy impurities of regular Mandheling but also tastes cleaner and brighter, with stronger sweetness. FrontStreet Coffee baristas have tried blind testing among 7 Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans, and all FrontStreet Coffee baristas could immediately identify it, showing how truly distinctive it is.

Indonesia's Unique Coffee Bean Processing Method - Wet-Hulled Method

Most Mandheling coffee uses Sumatra's unique coffee bean processing method - the wet-hulled method. Due to the local weather being predominantly rainy with constant typhoons, it's impossible to achieve the good weather required for sun-drying. Additionally, the local economy is not prosperous, making it impossible to use the more expensive washing method. This led to the development of the uniquely local wet-hulled method.

Today, Indonesian coffee development is no longer the impoverished scene it once was. There are many estates and companies with sufficient conditions to use the washing method, but why hasn't the wet-hulled method been abandoned? FrontStreet Coffee believes the wet-hulled method is a factor that made Mandheling coffee known worldwide. When mentioning Mandheling coffee, people immediately think of the wet-hulled method, so they have a mutually reinforcing relationship. The specific steps of the wet-hulled method can be divided into the following two stages: First stage: Using a wooden peeler to remove the fruit skin and pulp, followed by 3 hours of fermentation, then drying to reduce moisture content to semi-dry, semi-wet 30-50%. Second stage: Removing the mucilage and parchment layer, continuing with the final drying process, which takes 2-4 days, reducing moisture content to 12-13%.

West Java Region

Indonesia's West Java region is a first-level administrative division. Located in the western part of Java Island, it borders the Java Sea to the north and the Indian Ocean to the south, including offshore islands, covering an area of 46,300 square kilometers. Java's climate type is tropical rainforest, hot and humid year-round. The plain areas along the northern coast have the highest temperatures, while mountainous areas are much cooler. High humidity often creates a debilitating climate. From November to March of the following year is the northwest monsoon period, with more rain and clouds; from April to October is the southeast monsoon period, with more sunny days and less rainfall. Jakarta's average annual rainfall is about 1,760 millimeters (69 inches). Jakarta's average daily maximum temperature is 30°C (86°F), minimum 23°C (74°F). In the highland area of Tosari (elevation 1,735 meters [5,692 feet]), the average temperature is 22-8°C (72-47°F). Because volcanic ash periodically fertilizes the land, Java's soil is very fertile.

FrontStreet Coffee: Indonesian West Java Imani Coffee Beans

Region: Mount Tangkuban Perahu, West Java
Altitude: 1400-1600m
Variety: S795/Jember
Processing Method: Natural Honey Process

The honey-processed West Java coffee beans that FrontStreet Coffee acquired have a very special variety. This bean uses the S795 variety, with blue-green colored beans. Its natural variation originates from S288, and S288 was originally an excellent hybrid variety cultivated in India in 1946. The predecessor of S288 came from the cross between S288 (first generation) and Typica, named S26. Because the first generation of S288 beans was a hybrid of Arabica and Liberica, it always carried Liberica's earthy taste. Indian botanists then crossed the first generation of S288 with the Kent variety (itself a hybrid of S288 and Typica) to create the current S795. Local farmers call S795 "Jembe" because S795 was introduced to local farmers in Java from India by the Jember Coffee Research Center in East Java.

Honey Processing Method for Coffee Beans

The honey processing method is Costa Rica's most skilled processing method, rarely used in Indonesian coffee, but West Java uses this method to increase coffee complexity and achieve breakthroughs in taste. In honey processing, after harvesting ripe coffee cherries, the skin is removed to separate the coffee seeds, which still have the coffee mucilage layer. These seeds are then spread on drying racks for extended drying.

During this period, continuous manual turning is required to ensure even fermentation of the coffee beans and avoid over-fermentation leading to spoilage. This coffee mucilage has a viscous, honey-like state, hence the name "honey processing." Through cupping this honey-processed coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee found that its main characteristic lies in its complex sweetness and fruit aroma. Compared to the Yirgacheffe from Africa, which is also known for its floral notes, more prominent fruit flavors are its main characteristic. Its flavor profile leans toward heavier tropical fruits like mango and jackfruit, complex and deep, while the unique honey processing method brings subtle red wine notes.

Sulawesi Island Coffee Region, Indonesia

The old name of Sulawesi Island is Celebes. Sulawesi Island is one of the oldest islands in the archipelago, with exposed rocks exceeding millions of years. Yellow-red podzolic soils are found in coffee production areas. These soils often have several layers of clay underground, rich in iron. The most famous production region is Toraja, located in the highlands of South Sulawesi. Coffee beans produced in Toraja are also rare premium beans worldwide, with an annual output of about 1,000 metric tons, distributed in the rugged slopes of central and southwestern Sulawesi Island at an altitude of about 1,200m. Cultivation and harvesting are not easy, with an average annual yield of only 300 kilograms per hectare. Semi-washed processing is the common processing method for Sulawesi Island.

Semi-washed Processing Method for Coffee Beans

Because they are grown in inaccessible highland areas with limited water resources, local farmers will soak coffee cherries in water basins, then put them in plastic bags for fermentation, followed by drying with parchment. After drying (with moisture content between 11-13%), they are transported from the mountainous production areas to Kalosi downhill, then sold to intermediaries or processing plants for subsequent processing and refinement. Therefore, the Kalosi region has become an important coffee distribution center. This is also why some people call Toraja coffee Kalosi coffee. Coffee beans processed this way not only retain their floral characteristics but also develop a mature grape-like note in the gentle acidity brought by fermentation, with a clean yet substantial texture, and a surging caramel sweetness that lingers in the mouth.

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