Flavor Characteristics of New Season Indonesian Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans and Introduction to Pawani Yellow Mandheling Grade Story

Golden Mandheling

Golden Mandheling is often perceived as "much more expensive than regular Mandheling," featuring a rich, mellow body with distinct pine wood and spice characteristics that create an exceptionally full-bodied coffee experience with a persistent sweet aftertaste. So, what makes Golden Mandheling truly "premium" compared to other Mandheling varieties?

First, FrontStreet Coffee believes it's essential to emphasize that only Golden Mandheling from PWN company represents the true "Golden Mandheling."

The Origin of PWN Company

PWN, whose full name is Pawani, is a renowned Indonesian green coffee bean purchasing company that primarily focuses on Mandheling coffee varieties. They have completely acquired coffee from premium growing regions throughout Indonesia, with all high-quality Mandheling coffee coming from Pawani. The company was established in 1957 and initially operated a rubber business. Due to frequent business dealings with Japanese merchants, Japanese companies requested them to source their beloved Mandheling, leading them to the Aceh GAYO region to collect high-quality Arabica green bean sources. After multiple sample shipments and trials, they finally determined the Mandheling that met their requirements. The owner of PWN company registered the English name "Golden Mandheling" for beans from this region as an exclusive trademark, making only Golden Mandheling exported by PWN company the genuine product.

Characteristics of Golden Mandheling

Now that we've covered the producing company, let's continue exploring the characteristics of Golden Mandheling that make it beloved by coffee connoisseurs.

1. Unique Indonesian Wet-Hulling Process

Friends who regularly drink Mandheling coffee must have heard of the term "wet-hulling process." Unlike major coffee-producing countries like Ethiopia, Brazil, and Colombia, Indonesia typically experiences humid weather, with average annual humidity maintained between 70-90%. Typhoons can strike suddenly, with annual rainfall even reaching over 2000mm. Such harsh weather conditions make it difficult to achieve 2-3 weeks of sun-drying, while washed processing is not only time-consuming but also significantly increases labor costs and water resource usage. Therefore, farmers focused on mass production developed a unique processing method suited to local conditions—the wet-hulling process.

Simply put, wet-hulling involves fermenting coffee beans that have been pulped (removed of fruit skin and pulp) in fermentation tanks, then washing away the mucilage—this step is the same as the washed process. Next, the parchment-protected beans are dried in the sun for 2-3 days until reaching 20-24% moisture content, after which the parchment is removed. At this stage, the coffee beans are still relatively soft and can be slightly compressed and deformed, which is why we see Mandheling green beans shaped like cloven hooves. Finally, they are placed in temperature and humidity-controlled rooms for drying until the moisture content reaches only 12-13%, at which point they can be bagged and sent to warehouses.

However, due to the significant friction used by the hulling machine to tear away the tightly attached parchment layer, white or green viscous liquid typically flows out during this stage. After prolonged soaking in this liquid and exposure to humid environments, the green beans become soft, pale, swollen, and develop a grayish-green color. The friction stirring also makes the beans more susceptible to crushing or compression injuries, especially at the ends, forming small notches that create the characteristic "cloven-hoof" beans. The "naked beans" without their parchment layer dry very quickly while being directly exposed to humid environments, allowing various microorganisms to proliferate. This gives Indonesian coffee its unique woody, spicy, and herbal plant aromas—what we call the "Mandheling flavor."

2. G1 Grade + Triple Picked

Indonesian green coffee bean grading is primarily based on the number of defective beans, with size as a secondary criterion. General quality requirements include no live insects, no moldy or rotten beans, maximum moisture content of 12.5%, and impurity rate less than 0.5%. According to defect rates, they are divided into six grades, with the highest grade G1 requiring fewer than 11 defective beans in a 300g sample.

The Lintong Mandheling coffee in FrontStreet Coffee's staple bean series is G1 grade, processed using the wet-hulling method, representing the conventional Indonesian Mandheling flavor profile.

If we carefully observe the green bean sacks of Golden Mandheling, besides indicating the highest Indonesian coffee grade, they also bear the words "TRIPLE PICKED," which translates to "triple picked" in Chinese.

This is because PWN company, which achieves ultimate precision in selection, purchases Mandheling green beans of 18 mesh or larger. They are G1 grade, meaning fewer than 11 defective beans in a 300g sample—the highest grade for Indonesian green beans. Subsequently, they strictly follow standards for 1 machine selection + 3 manual selections of defective beans, ensuring uniform shape and size of Mandheling coffee beans. Additionally, before packaging, PWN company places the green beans in machines for density and color sorting, making the Mandheling color uniform and translucent—hence the name "Golden."

3. Dark Roasting to Highlight "Mandheling Flavor"

FrontStreet Coffee, after acquiring PWN's Golden Mandheling, employed dark roasting to present the classic aromatic, caramelized flavor profile of Mandheling. When freshly roasted Golden Mandheling coffee was ready, FrontStreet Coffee conducted cupping for evaluation. During the dry aroma phase, Golden Mandheling reveals cedar wood, nuts, spices, and herbal notes. With the addition of hot water, licorice and caramel aromas emerge. The tasting experience reveals flavors of dark chocolate, cocoa, nuts, and spices, with overall cleanliness, pronounced sweet aftertaste, and high body.

FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian PWN Golden Mandheling

Country: Indonesia
Coffee Origin: Designated purchasing area in Aceh
Growers: P.W.N. Contract Farmers
Coffee Varieties: Indigenous varieties from Indonesian mountainous regions
Growing Altitude: 1,100-1,600 meters
Main Harvest Season: October-November
Processing Method: Wet-Hulling Process
Flavor Notes: Strong woody notes, rich malt and caramel aromas, clean with pleasant bitterness

Important Notice :

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