How to Brew Delicious Mandheling Coffee? Where are Indonesian Mandheling Growing Regions Located?

When it comes to Sumatran coffee, people tend to be polarized—some absolutely love it, while others strongly dislike it. Coffee enthusiasts who prefer acidity typically overlook beans from this region, whereas those who dislike acidic coffee pay close attention to it. The distinctive flavor profile of Mandheling coffee is primarily shaped by the local post-harvest processing methods.

Sumatra: Indonesia's Coffee Powerhouse

Sumatra Island is part of Indonesia and currently serves as the country's second-largest island. It represents Indonesia's largest coffee-producing region, accounting for 74.2% of the nation's total coffee output, while the second-largest production region contributes merely 12%.

However, coffee trees are not native to Indonesia. The Dutch government introduced coffee trees to the island during the early colonial period after conquering the Portuguese. Yet, two centuries later, during World War II, most coffee harvests were replaced with more practical crops like rice, corn, and cassava to support local livelihoods. By 1950, harvests had dwindled to just one-eighth of their pre-war peak. Since then, however, coffee production has grown into a local economic pillar. Currently, Indonesia exports 67% of its coffee production, generating approximately $849 million in annual revenue. Unlike many other coffee-producing nations, 95% of Indonesia's coffee plantations are owned by small-scale farmers.

The Unique Wet-Hulling Process

Due to frequent rainfall in Sumatra and limited local economic conditions, Sumatran coffee typically undergoes a unique semi-washed processing method. In the local language, "Giling Basah" describes this semi-washed process—the wet-hulling method. This wet-hulling technique imparts Sumatran Mandheling coffee with a thicker, more viscous mouthfeel and distinctive flavor profile. Mandheling coffee is renowned for its unique flavor, and the wet-hulling method has gained fame through Mandheling coffee—creating a mutually beneficial relationship between the coffee and its processing method.

After coffee cherries are harvested, farmers use machines to remove the pulp and fruit flesh on the same day. The mucilage-covered parchment beans are then placed in water tanks to ferment overnight. The next day, clean water is introduced while stirring to remove as much of the outer pectin layer as possible. The parchment beans are then retrieved and spread evenly for drying. While still in a semi-moist state, the parchment beans are bagged and sold to nearby coffee processing stations.

Upon acquiring these parchment beans, coffee processing stations first remove the parchment layer using machines to expose the green coffee beans completely, accelerating the drying process. The beans are then sent for drying until their moisture content reaches approximately 13%, at which point they can be collected for storage.

Characteristics of Wet-Hulled Coffee

The key difference between wet-hulling and many other post-harvest processing methods lies in the removal of the parchment layer before the final drying stage. Hulling parchment beans while they remain in a semi-moist state carries significant risks, including potential damage to the green coffee beans. In the Americas, some farmers view the parchment layer as protective, shielding coffee beans from contamination. While this approach extends drying time, it results in more uniform drying, better quality, longer storage life, and milder flavors.

However, the "goat hoof"-shaped beans resulting from the wet-hulling process are not defective beans—they are merely a unique characteristic of Mandheling coffee. It's natural for coffee beans from different regions and processing methods to exhibit varying appearances and flavor profiles. One should not conclude that Mandheling coffee is of inferior quality simply because its green beans don't appear as aesthetically pleasing as those from other regions.

FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Mandheling Selection

Wet-hulling represents one of the traditional coffee processing methods, and it naturally deserves a place on FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu. Among their offerings, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Gold Mandheling undergoes wet-hulling processing. Furthermore, after PWN Company machine-sorts for the highest Grade G1 beans—characterized by beautiful appearance, large particle size, and high density—the coffee undergoes three rounds of manual selection to ensure complete removal of defective beans, thereby significantly enhancing the cleanliness and sweetness of the Mandheling coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee: Indonesia PWN Gold Mandheling
Region: Aceh Gayo Mountains, Sumatra, Indonesia
Altitude: 1,100-1,600 meters
Variety: Ateng
Grade: G1, Triple hand-selected
Processing Method: Wet-hulling

Due to the exceptionally clean flavor profile of Gold Mandheling, many seasoned coffee enthusiasts find it irresistible. Even coffee newcomers who have only heard of its reputation are eager to experience its distinctive character. It's worth noting that PWN Company has registered "Gold Mandheling" as a trademark, while a Japanese company has registered "Premium Gold Mandheling" as their trademark. This means only Gold Mandheling produced by PWN Company can be considered authentic Gold Mandheling in the truest sense.

If you want to verify whether your Gold Mandheling originates from PWN Company, you can request the seller to provide the original jute bags with PWN markings and certificates issued by PWN Company for authentication. FrontStreet Coffee's shop displays both of these proofs of authenticity.

Roasting and Brewing Recommendations

Upon receiving PWN Gold Mandheling green beans, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters adopted a medium-dark roast to highlight the rich, full-bodied characteristics that define Mandheling coffee.

When brewing FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Gold Mandheling, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a slower-flowing dripper (such as a KONO dripper) to extract its rich texture and more flavor compounds. To avoid over-extraction and resulting bitterness from the slow flow rate, use 88°C water temperature and a medium-coarse grind.

Brewing Parameters:
Dripper: KONO dripper
Water Temperature: 88°C
Coffee Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: 70% pass-through through China standard #20 sieve

Regular readers of FrontStreet Coffee's articles will notice that FrontStreet Coffee frequently employs the three-pour method when brewing coffee. This is because, compared to the single-pour method, the three-pour approach imparts coffee with richer layered complexity.

Begin by pouring 30g of hot water to fully saturate the coffee grounds and let bloom for 30 seconds. Then, starting from the center, pour with a small water stream while slowly circling to 125g for the first segment. As the coffee bed becomes exposed, continue pouring from the center while circling slowly to 225g, then stop pouring. Remove the dripper when all water has dripped through to the server below. The total extraction time should be approximately 2 minutes.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473