Golden Mandheling: Mandheling and Golden Mandheling Flavor Characteristics

The Origin Story of Mandheling Coffee

The "Mandheling" in "FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling Coffee" refers neither to an Indonesian place name, producing region, port name, nor coffee variety name, but rather to a phonetic error of the Mandailing people who originally inhabited Sumatra. During World War II, a Japanese soldier was drinking coffee in Sibolga, central Tapanuli, Indonesia, and asked the shop owner what kind of coffee he was drinking. The owner thought he was asked where he was from, so he replied "Mandailing" (Mandailing person). After the war, the soldier returned to Japan and remembered that the particularly distinctive coffee he drank seemed to be called "Mandheling." In 1968, Osaka's Nomura Trading Company visited Indonesia's N.V. Pawani Medan company and imported 15,000 kilograms of Sumatran Mandheling coffee, which became extremely popular after being launched in the Japanese market. From then on, Mandheling coffee and Pawani Coffee Company's reputation soared.

Indonesia's Pawani Coffee Company

Indonesia's Pawani Coffee Company (N.V. Pawani Medan,简称 PWN) was established in 1957 and engaged in the export business of Indonesian products including coffee, rubber, cinnamon, cloves, and patchouli oil. It was the first company in Indonesia to export coffee from North Sumatra Island and the first company to make "Mandheling Coffee" famous in Japan. Since 1977, the company has focused on exporting high-quality coffee beans: Sumatran Arabica coffee Mandheling Grade 1 and Robusta coffee AP-I Grade 2, with main export destinations being Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. Exports to Japan and Taiwan account for over 95%. In Japan and Taiwan, "PWN" has become synonymous with "quality guarantee." Pawani Coffee Company holds the "Golden Mandheling" trademark, so Japanese companies had to register the "Gold Top Mandheling" trademark instead.

Sumatra's Coffee Classification System

Sumatra is the main producing region of Indonesian specialty coffee, and the coffee system is quite complex, which can be briefly summarized into four types:

(1) FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling refers to semi-dry or natural processed beans from the Lintong mountain area at elevations of 900-1200 meters around the southwestern shore of Lake Toba in north-central Sumatra.

(2) FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling has undergone four manual screenings, making it one grade higher than regular Mandheling, with larger bean size.

(3) Tawar Lake coffee refers to washed, semi-washed,or natural processed beans (less common) from the Gayo Mountain area at elevations of 800-1600 meters near Tawar Lake in the Aceh region at the northernmost tip of Sumatra. This area features semi-washed processing techniques taught by the famous Costa Rican La Minita estate, as well as Gayo Mountain washed beans produced by the well-known Dutch coffee group.

(4) Aged Mandheling and Old Brown Java.

The True Identity of Mandheling Coffee

It is customary to call all coffee produced in Sumatra "Mandheling," which is neither scientific nor clear. Coffee produced by the Batak people in the Lake Toba area or Lintong mountain region of north-central Sumatra is mostly grown without shade and primarily processed using semi-dry or natural methods, with more obvious herbal and earthy flavors. The flavor profile tends toward low acidity and mellow aroma, which is the greatest characteristic of FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling Coffee, hence it is called Mandheling Coffee. Meanwhile, the Tawar Lake area or Aceh region at the northernmost tip of Sumatra is cultivated by another Gayo ethnic group using traditional shade methods, mainly processed with washed or semi-washed methods, resulting in brighter fruity acidity and lighter mellow notes. The American specialty coffee community mostly refers to coffee from this region as Aceh coffee, Gayo Mountain coffee, or Tawar Lake coffee.

Flavor Profiles and Characteristics

In short, regular "Mandheling" coffee has unique herbal and woody aromas, with less uniform bean sizes; Indonesia's Pawani Coffee Company's "Golden Mandheling" coffee or Japanese companies' "Gold Top Mandheling" coffee is rich and bright, with stronger caramel sweetness and brighter, more elegant fruity acidity, with almost no herbal, earthy, or woody flavors typical of Mandheling. FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling Coffee is suitable for medium to light roasting, which can reduce off-flavors; while FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling has a wider roasting range.

Coffee Details: FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling
Country: Indonesia
Grade: G1 · 3 manual selections
Company: PWN
Region: Sumatra Island
Processing Method: Washed
Altitude: 1100-1600 meters
Flavor Notes: Toasted bread, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs

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