Indonesian Mandheling vs PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee: Flavor Profile Differences and Pour-Over Brewing Recommendations

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The Unique Appeal of Mandheling Coffee

When it comes to Mandheling coffee, its distinctive spicy and herbal notes, combined with its rich, full-bodied taste, leave an unforgettable impression that has captivated coffee enthusiasts worldwide. Currently, FrontStreet Coffee offers five varieties of Mandheling coffee beans in our store, each with unique flavor characteristics. Among these, the most popular is undoubtedly Golden Mandheling. So what distinguishes it from regular Mandheling coffee? In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will explore the flavor characteristics of PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans.

The Origin of Indonesian Mandheling Coffee Beans

Seasoned coffee enthusiasts know that most coffee beans are named after their growing regions or estates. For example, FrontStreet Coffee recently featured Costa Rica's Monster Estate coffee beans, or Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe coffee beans. However, the origin of the name "Mandheling" involves an interesting story.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, the story began when Japanese soldiers returned to Japan after their colonial period in Indonesia, unable to forget the delicious local coffee. Through trading connections, they asked locals to help collect premium coffee beans, including this particular Mandheling variety. The Japanese loved these coffee beans and asked for their name. The locals, misunderstanding that they were being asked about their ethnicity, responded "Mandailing." The Japanese misheard this as "Mandehling." Due to this double misunderstanding, "Mandheling" accidentally became the name of this coffee variety. Interestingly, this local was none other than the owner of PWN Company (Pwani Coffee Company), which FrontStreet Coffee will mention later as the producer of Indonesian Golden Mandheling.

Indonesian Mandheling Coffee Growing Regions

FrontStreet Coffee has frequently mentioned in previous articles that there are three main factors determining coffee bean flavor: growing region, variety, and processing method. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss Mandheling coffee based on these three aspects.

Mandheling is primarily grown on Sumatra Island in Indonesia. As Indonesia's largest island, located near the equator, it features a typical tropical rainforest climate with high temperatures, humidity, and abundant rainfall, making it ideal for growing high-quality Arabica coffee beans.

However, Indonesia's limited altitude restricts the space available for growing premium Arabica coffee beans. Consequently, only 25% of coffee beans produced in Indonesia are Arabica varieties, as Arabica beans develop their best flavor only at higher altitudes. The remaining 75% consists of Robusta coffee trees, which can be cultivated at lower elevations. Sumatra also happens to be Indonesia's highest-altitude region.

Furthermore, the finest traditional Arabica coffee from northern Sumatra is sold under the name Lintong Mandheling. To be precise, Lintong Mandheling coffee beans refer to coffee grown in a small area in the southwestern part of the Toba Lake region within the Lintong administrative district.

Indonesian Mandheling Coffee Varieties

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, Mandheling coffee is primarily grown on Sumatra Island and typically consists of pure Arabica coffee beans. However, Arabica beans have weak pest resistance. Therefore, in October 2020, Indonesia's PWN company replaced the original Typica variety used for Golden Mandheling with the Ateng variety for production. The Ateng variety is actually the Catimor variety most widely grown in Yunnan's coffee regions. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss the characteristics of Typica and Catimor coffee varieties.

Typica

Typica is the oldest native variety from Ethiopia, and nearly all current Arabica coffee bean varieties are derived from Typica. Typica offers elegant flavors but has weak constitution and low disease resistance, making it susceptible to leaf rust disease. Consequently, coffee bean yields are low and not economically viable. In recent years, Typica in Central and South America has gradually been replaced by Caturra and Catuai. As a result, Typica has become increasingly rare. Although Typica offers elegant flavors, it's not as widespread as Bourbon.

Ateng (Catimor)

Catimor is a hybrid between Timor (a Robusta subspecies) and Caturra. It was originally developed in 1959 and began to be promoted in Brazil during the 1970s and 1980s. With its disease resistance and high yields, it has secured a place among Central and South American coffee varieties. The recurring coffee leaf rust crises in Central and South America have further promoted the use of Catimor coffee beans.

Its characteristics include high yields, short plants that allow for dense planting, and new leaves that are reddish-brown. However, due to rapid maturation and high yields, it requires adequate fertilization and shade. According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, its lifespan is quite short, averaging only ten years.

Indonesian Mandheling Coffee Processing Methods

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, Indonesian Mandheling coffee is beloved by coffee enthusiasts for its unique flavors, which actually benefit from Indonesia's distinctive coffee processing method - the Indonesian Wet-Hulled process. It is precisely this processing method that gives Mandheling coffee its characteristic earthy, herbal, and spicy notes.

It's worth noting that when using the wet-hulled method, the semi-hard, semi-soft moist green beans are easily damaged when the mucilage and parchment layers are removed. The beans crack open like goat hooves, commonly known as "goat hoof beans." FrontStreet Coffee considers this a distinctive characteristic of Mandheling rather than defective beans.

The Origin of Indonesian Wet-Hulled Processing

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, Indonesia uses the wet-hulled processing method primarily because the local weather is predominantly rainy with constant typhoons, making it impossible to achieve the clear weather required for sun-drying. Additionally, the local economy is not prosperous enough to afford the more expensive washed processing method. This led to the development of the uniquely local wet-hulled method.

Of course, Indonesian coffee development has now advanced beyond its previous poverty-stricken state. There are now many estates and companies that can use the washed processing method, but they have not abandoned the wet-hulled method. FrontStreet Coffee believes that the wet-hulled method was a key factor in bringing Mandheling coffee to global recognition. When Mandheling coffee is mentioned, the wet-hulled method comes to mind - they clearly share a complementary relationship.

The specific steps of the wet-hulled method can be divided into two phases:

Phase 1: The outer skin and pulp are removed using a wooden peeler. After 3 hours of fermentation, the beans are dried until the moisture content reaches 30-50% (semi-dry, semi-wet).

Phase 2: The mucilage and parchment layers are removed, followed by continued drying. The drying process takes 2-4 days until the moisture content reaches 12-13%.

In addition to the regular wet-hulled method, there's also an aged wet-hulled method. Coffee beans first undergo regular wet-hulled processing, then are sealed in warehouses for 2-3 years. The warehouse environment must be cool and well-ventilated, with regular turning of the beans to prevent mold and spoilage. During this time, the acidity of the coffee beans gradually diminishes and converts to sugars, and the color becomes deeper, mostly yellowish-brown or dark brown. FrontStreet Coffee's menu lists Mandheling coffee beans processed using this method as Aged Mandheling coffee beans.

Indonesian Mandheling Coffee Bean Grading

Coffee enthusiasts who have visited FrontStreet Coffee know that Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans are particularly large and very full. Therefore, Indonesian Mandheling coffee grading primarily follows a system based on the number of defective beans, supplemented by size grading. According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, Indonesian standards for general quality coffee beans require no live insects, no moldy or rotten beans, maximum moisture content of 12.5%, and impurity rate below 0.5%.

The following is the Indonesian Mandheling coffee bean grading system based on defects (using 300g as the standard):

• Grade 1 (G1): Total defects less than 11
• Grade 2 (G2): Total defects greater than 12 but less than 25
• Grade 3 (G3): Total defects greater than 26 but less than 44
• Grade 4a (G4a): Total defects greater than 45 but less than 60
• Grade 4b (G4b): Total defects greater than 61 but less than 80
• Grade 5 (G5): Total defects greater than 81 but less than 150
• Grade 6 (G6): Total defects greater than 151 but less than 225

FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Golden Mandheling is Grade 1, which is extremely rare. This grade was originally custom-made for Japanese trading companies. G1 grade allows a maximum of only 3 defect points per 300 grams.

The above provides relevant information about Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce coffee enthusiasts to the PWN Company and explain how their Golden Mandheling differs from Lintong Mandheling.

PWN Company

Seasoned coffee enthusiasts know that Japanese people particularly love Mandheling coffee. Therefore, Japanese people have paid special attention to Mandheling for a long time and have strict standards for selecting coffee cherries - specifically, the produced coffee must undergo four manual selections to remove defective beans before processing, packaging, and sale. The reason Golden Mandheling is called "Golden Mandheling" is that coincidentally, when Mandheling producers were selecting flawless green coffee beans, they discovered that the beans emitted a golden glow in sunlight, thus earning the name "Golden Mandheling."

Unfortunately, although Japanese people have been so attentive to Mandheling coffee, "Golden Mandheling" was already trademarked by Indonesia's Pawani Coffee Company. Therefore, Golden Mandheling became exclusive to PWN Company. At the same time, PWN was also one of the first companies to sell Mandheling coffee beans to Japan.

Through cupping and tasting, FrontStreet Coffee found that Golden Mandheling, compared to other Mandheling varieties like Tiger Mandheling or Lintong Mandheling available at FrontStreet Coffee, offers a stronger sweet aftertaste and sugarcane sensation, making it particularly special. It also has a very clean mouthfeel, so FrontStreet Coffee decided that we must bring this coffee to our coffee enthusiast friends to taste regardless of the circumstances.

Additionally, PWN Golden Mandheling is actually quite difficult to procure because its annual production is limited. Therefore, many unscrupulous coffee shops on the market sell regular Mandheling under the guise of Golden Mandheling. However, identifying Mandheling produced by PWN Company is quite simple - just ask the merchant to provide the green bean sack with PWN markings or the certificate that comes with the beans to confirm whether it's genuine PWN Golden Mandheling.

Furthermore, among Golden Mandheling varieties, only those produced by PWN Company are truly Golden Mandheling. PWN's Yellow Mandheling undergoes three manual selections and one machine selection, resulting in very beautiful beans that are also very uniform. This uniformity makes the brewed coffee appear cleaner.

Aceh Gayo Mountain Growing Region

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, PWN Company selected a new growing region in 2020: Gayo Mountain in the Aceh region of Sumatra. It is located at the northernmost tip of Sumatra Island. Coffee cultivation in Gayo Mountain primarily centers around the town of Takegon and the mountain slopes near Lake Tawar. The average altitude in the production area ranges from 1100 to 1600 meters. The coffee quality from this region has always been excellent, but due to previous political instability, coffee from this area was difficult to export. In recent years, as the situation has stabilized, coffee cultivation in Aceh has developed, and the quality surpasses that of the Lintong region. This move undoubtedly affirms the quality of Gayo Mountain coffee cherries. As Indonesia's top coffee brand, PWN Golden Mandheling naturally won't disappoint coffee enthusiasts.

The above covers the relevant knowledge about PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans. Before introducing any new coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee conducts extensive roasting and brewing tests, selecting the optimal parameters to hand-brew for our coffee enthusiasts to taste. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share the flavor differences between Golden Mandheling and Lintong Mandheling, along with a comparison of hand-brewing parameters.

FrontStreet Coffee PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans

• Country: Indonesia
• Region: Sumatra, Aceh, Gayo Mountain
• Altitude: 1100-1600m
• Variety: Ateng
• Processing: Wet-Hulled
• Flavor: Toasted bread, nuts, pine, caramel, herbal

FrontStreet Coffee Indonesian Lintong Mandheling Coffee Beans

• Country: Indonesia
• Region: Sumatra (Lintong)
• Altitude: 1100-1600m
• Variety: Typica, Caturra
• Processing: Wet-Hulled
• Flavor: Toasted bread, nuts, caramel, pine, herbal

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Guide

When brewing Mandheling coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee ensures fairness by using consistent brewing parameters. We use medium-dark roasted coffee beans.

Mandheling Brewing Parameters

Kono dripper, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g coffee dose, 88°C water temperature, grind size (70-75% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve)

Brewing Technique:

Segmented extraction: Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. When the water level reaches 125g, perform a segmented pour. Continue pouring to 225g when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed. Remove the dripper when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again (timing starts from the bloom). Extraction time is 2'00" for V60 dripper and slightly longer at 2'10" for Kono dripper.

Golden Mandheling: Multi-layered, rich and clean, well-balanced, with intense nut and caramel aromas, chocolate notes, and a persistent finish.

Lintong Mandheling: Herbal and medicinal notes on entry, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet aftertaste.

Conclusion

The difference between Golden Mandheling and Lintong Mandheling actually lies in the bean selection. Golden Mandheling undergoes four rounds of selection, eliminating defective beans and resulting in cleaner flavor profiles with fewer earthy impurities.

Lintong Mandheling, on the other hand, is the most original Mandheling from the Lintong region. While its quality is slightly inferior to Golden Mandheling and its selection process is not as strict, it still maintains excellent local Indonesian coffee flavors. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee also offers Lintong Mandheling as a daily drinking option for novice coffee enthusiasts to discover Indonesian coffee beans.

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Important Notice :

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