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What Flavors Does Indonesian Coffee Have? What Is the Price of Indonesian Coffee? How to Brew Indonesian Coffee

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic nation, where Arabica coffee trees were introduced for cultivation as early as the 18th century during Dutch colonial rule. The main growing regions are located on Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi islands, producing Mandheling coffee with its deep, low-acidity, full-bodied profile that captivates coffee enthusiasts.

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Indonesia: The World's Largest Archipelagic Coffee Producer

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic country. As early as the 18th century during Dutch rule, Arabica coffee trees were introduced for cultivation. The main producing areas are located on the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi. The Mandheling coffee produced there has a deep, low-acidity, and rich taste that has led people to call it "the world's most important coffee." It is also the world's fourth-largest producer with an annual output of 7 million bags. Coffee is harvested twice a year, in May-June and September-October, with the largest production coming from Sumatra and Aceh provinces.

The scale of coffee farms is generally small, around 1-3 hectares. Indonesian Mandheling coffee is typically processed using the semi-washed method. Coffee farmers harvest ripe coffee beans, remove the outer peel and pulp but retain the thin film tissue on the beans. Through a water soaking and fermentation process, inferior beans that are not solid and float on the water surface are removed. The solid, sinking good beans with their surface film are sun-dried (either elevated or directly on the ground), and finally dried using a dryer to reach a uniform moisture content standard. The most unique aspect is that coffee beans wrapped in parchment with the film are maintained at 18% moisture content. Before shipment, the surface film of the coffee beans is polished and cleaned. People call this special treatment method the Indonesian semi-washed method. Large coffee processing plants can precisely control every processing step, ensuring a certain level of flavor and quality. Small coffee farmers process raw beans in their own yards, and the flavors develop differently depending on each farmer's processing methods and techniques, resulting in varying quality and distinct flavor profiles.

Sulawesi Coffee: Quality from the Celebes

Coffee produced on Sulawesi, Indonesia's third-largest island, amounts to about 70,000-80,000 bags annually, accounting for only 9% of Indonesia's total coffee production. Coffee grows in rainforests at altitudes of 750-1,500 meters. Most high-quality coffee is planted around the Toraja highlands in the southwestern region. Toraja is located at an altitude of 1,500 meters on the equatorial belt, with afternoon rain clouds and mist throughout the year, plus fertile volcanic soil—all ideal natural climate and environmental conditions for coffee growth.

Most Indonesian coffee is handled by local coffee companies responsible for trading and export sales. Direct to coffee introduction in the Sulawesi Toraja region, small-scale Binalestari coffee merchants offer Arabica coffee of various G1 grades. The raw coffee beans are long and rice-shaped with a beautiful jade-green color, different from the yellowish-brown of Golden Mandheling and Sumatra Mandheling (comparison photos are available in the blog). Moreover, there are few defective beans and poorly fermented white beans, making it a high-quality coffee from small estates that generally lacks the unpleasant earthy smell.

Historical Background and Market Position

In the mid-17th century, coffee trees were introduced to Indonesia by the Dutch (some official sources suggest it was even earlier). In 1712, the first batch of coffee from Java was sold to Amsterdam. Last year, Indonesia exported 300,000 tons, making it the world's fourth-largest coffee producer. Approximately 75,000 tons were Arabica coffee.

Ninety percent of this coffee is grown by small tenant farmers on one hectare or smaller plots of land. Indonesian coffee tastes special for various reasons.

The most important influences are soil type, altitude, coffee varieties, processing methods, and aging techniques. This combination of natural and human factors creates a unique "terroir" for each coffee.

Quality Characteristics and Regional Varieties

Indonesian coffee is very diverse in quality, with most marketed by island of origin: such as Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, or Timur. The advantage of Indonesian coffee is that most varieties have thick, reserved flavors and lively acidity. The disadvantage is that there may also be uncomfortable astringency or some moldy taste. Others show earthiness, which some coffee enthusiasts enjoy, while relatively others may dislike this characteristic.