How Much Does a Cup of Mandheling Coffee Cost?

Are You Really Drinking Mandheling Coffee? Avoid These Traps

1. The largest share of Indonesian coffee cultivation is still low-quality Robusta, used mainly for instant coffee and excluded from any specialty coffee discussion. Arabica accounts for only 10% of annual production. Poor or unprofessional operators will pass off Indonesian Robusta as Mandheling.

Ateng

Ateng is a hybrid between Arabica and Robusta with several subtypes, widely planted in Sumatra and on other Indonesian islands. Bluntly put, it is a branch of Catimor, and Ateng is the local name for it.

2. Look out for product names built around the word "flavor," such as Mandheling "flavor" or Mandheling & Brazil "flavor." In fact, there is not a single Mandheling bean in the ingredients.

V60 Pour-Over Mandheling Coffee

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 88 degrees

Grind Size: Fuji grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee. First pour 25g of water for a 25s bloom. Second pour to 120g, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops halfway before pouring again. Slowly pour until reaching 225g. Extraction time around 2:00

Analysis: A three-stage pour separates the flavors of the front, middle, and tail sections of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing the water flow can extend the extraction time and draw out the nutty and chocolate notes at the tail.

Flavor: Multi-layered, overall clean, relatively thin mouthfeel, persistent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste, with a slight bitterness.

Golden Mandheling Coffee Brand Recommendations

Mandheling: rich and solid mouthfeel with pleasant acidity, an aromatic nose, moderate acidity, and a rich, intriguing sweetness. It is suited to dark roasting and gives off a strong fragrance. Often called the gentleman of coffee, Sumatra Mandheling is a premium bean grown in mountainous areas at altitudes of 750-1500 meters, and the Golden Mandheling from around Lake Tawar and Lake Toba is the highest quality of all.

FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling is fully guaranteed in both brand and quality. More importantly, it offers excellent value: each 227-gram package costs only 79 yuan. At 15 grams of beans per cup, one package makes 15 cups, or roughly 5 yuan per cup.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To taste the real thing, FrontStreet Coffee suggests the PWN Golden Mandheling, the top of the Mandheling category. PWN sources only premium lots of Mandheling green beans, and after purchase the coffee passes a mechanical sort followed by hand sorting to select full, flawless beans. Every lot is specialty grade. The beans are even, plump, and bright with a low defect rate, and after medium-dark roasting they carry a rich toasted aroma. The brewed black coffee is clean with a full, heavy body, and it is ideal for anyone who dislikes acidic coffee.

Golden Mandheling is at its most expressive as a pour-over. FrontStreet Coffee recommends 87-88 degrees Celsius water, 15 grams of coffee, a 1:15 ratio, and a grind the size of coarse sugar, poured in three stages to better show the rich body and caramel sweetness. The first stage is a 30ml bloom to wet the grounds and release gas; the second adds 100ml to lift the bed and raise the golden foam; the final stage is a gentle 95ml pour down the center to increase sweetness. The finished cup shows a thick body with caramel sweetness and notes of chocolate and nuts.

If you want to use Mandheling on an espresso machine, FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is the most-repurchased option. It layers medium-dark Mandheling over the creamy, nutty base of Brazilian coffee, bringing butter, roasted chestnut, and caramel to the front. The Mandheling lifts the overall body and adds distinctive sandalwood, herbal, and spice notes, while a small amount of Robusta boosts the richness of the crema, so latte art and layered drinks such as a Dirty are both easy to produce.