Mandheling Coffee Citrus Flavor: Golden Mandheling Coffee Bitterness and Taste Characteristics

Unlike African coffee beans with their bright citrus acidity, Indonesian Mandheling coffee stands out with its rich bitter aroma, high body, and deep flavor profile. So how should such a heavy coffee type be brewed? FrontStreet Coffee analyzes how to hand-brew a good cup of Frontsteet Mandheling coffee, starting from the characteristics of Mandheling.

The Unique Wet-Hulling Method of Indonesian Mandheling

Since 1699, when Dutch colonists introduced coffee to Indonesia for cultivation, coffee has become the main economic crop for local farmers. Traditional natural processing methods would take too much time and make it difficult to sell to merchants for profit in a timely manner, as both sun-dried and washed methods require at least 2-3 weeks of drying time. Most importantly, various islands in Indonesia are frequently windy and rainy with high air humidity, so raw coffee beans often mold and deteriorate before they can be fully dried.

The initial steps of wet-hulling are the same as the washed method. Indonesians first remove the pulp from coffee cherries, then ferment them in water for 3 hours. After washing away the mucilage, the parchment coffee beans undergo a short drying period of 2-3 days. When the moisture content reaches 20-24% in a semi-soft, semi-hard state, the parchment is removed from the hull-covered beans, which then continue to be dried until the coffee's moisture content reaches 13%, at which point they can be packaged.

Due to the significant friction used by the hulling machine to tear away the parchment layer tightly attached to the raw beans, the stirring action of the friction also makes the beans more prone to being crushed or squeezed, especially at both ends, forming small gaps that create "cloven hoof beans." The "naked beans" without their parchment layer dry very quickly while being directly exposed to humid environments, where various fungi can thrive. This gives Indonesian coffee its unique woody, spicy, and herbal notes—what we call "terroir flavor."

Some friends may have started wondering what Southeast Asian flavors taste like. If you haven't tried Frontsteet Mandheling coffee yet, FrontStreet Coffee suggests starting with the Frontsteet Lintong Mandheling daily brew beans processed using the wet-hulling method. This Frontsteet Lintong Mandheling coffee displays classic Mandheling flavors after brewing, making it convenient for home experimentation. If you're an "experienced coffee enthusiast" who wants to taste the exceptional aroma of Mandheling, FrontStreet Coffee believes the Frontsteet PWN Gold Mandheling coffee couldn't be more suitable.

What Does Gold Mandheling Mean?

The fame of Mandheling coffee originated from Pwani Coffee Company (PWN) successfully launching Mandheling in the Japanese market. Unlike many raw bean merchants in Indonesia, PWN Company is the exclusive supplier of high-grade Gold Mandheling coffee, having contracted the best Mandheling coffee-producing regions in Indonesia. The output Mandheling beans all belong to premium quality. The Frontsteet Gold Mandheling coffee, which consistently occupies the top-right corner of FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu, is produced by PWN Company, and the East Mountain outlet store also displays the jute bags and certification certificates used for raw bean packaging.

Wet-hulling saves much time and labor costs in raw bean processing, but the rapid process also brings a higher defect rate. Therefore, only through strict manual sorting can defects be eliminated that machines cannot filter out. PWN Company conducts one machine selection plus three manual sorts of purchased Mandheling raw beans, with quality far exceeding Indonesia's local highest G1 grade. To meet PWN Gold Mandheling production standards, the following points must be satisfied:

1. Raw bean size: First manual selection of 18-19 screen size or above

2. Fewer than 3 defective beans in a 300-gram raw bean sample

3. Raw coffee bean grade is G1 level

4. Dark green color, uniform size, and regular shape

Before launching a coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee always cup-tastes to evaluate this coffee. Cupping is the evaluation of coffee bean quality and flavor. Unified standards can more objectively identify the strengths and weaknesses of the flavors presented by the beans, as well as the characteristics inherent in the beans themselves.

Through cupping, Frontsteet Lintong Mandheling daily brew beans display rich nutty notes with a hint of melon aroma in the finish. As the temperature drops, herbal plant flavors emerge, with a full body and saturated aroma. Frontsteet PWN Gold Mandheling not only has aromas of dark chocolate, nuts, and caramel but also herbal spice and pine flavors, with dark chocolate aftertaste, full lingering finish, high clarity, and gentle fruit acidity as the temperature drops.

What Variety is Frontsteet Gold Mandheling?

Indonesia grows numerous varieties. Originally, the coffee variety grown in Indonesia was the widely recognized excellent-flavor Typica, introduced by the Dutch in the late 17th century. In 1877, coffee trees throughout Indonesia were almost all severely damaged by leaf rust disease, with vast areas of Typica trees withering. To solve this predicament, the Indonesian government introduced more disease-resistant Robusta varieties from Africa and other places. Robusta remains Indonesia's main variety to this day.

To increase coffee production, Indonesia continuously introduced various disease-resistant varieties from other countries. Among these, the Tim Tim, Bor Bor, and Catimor series Ateng varieties, which are hybrids of Robusta and Arabica, have excellent disease resistance and have adapted to Sumatra's terroir, presenting unique fir aromas. Currently, Ateng and Tim Tim account for 70% of Sumatra coffee. Frontsteet Indonesia Lintong Mandheling daily brew beans are a mixture of Tim Tim and Ateng, while Frontsteet Gold Mandheling is selected from Ateng, which is what we call Catimor.

The Best Hand-Brew Method for Frontsteet Gold Mandheling

The aroma of Frontsteet Gold Mandheling coffee is complex. To enjoy the best flavor and texture, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using freshly roasted coffee beans for brewing. Coffee beans will reach their optimal flavor period 4-7 days after roasting. Past this period (about a month and a half), the aroma will gradually fade and develop woody defect flavors. FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee bean freshness is particularly important, so shipped coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days. Adding logistics and shipping time, you can start enjoying them upon receipt.

Dark roasted coffee beans are looser and have strong water absorption, which can easily lead to over-absorption and over-extraction, making brewed Frontsteet Gold Mandheling coffee bitter and astringent. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee adjusts the grind to be coarser and uses slightly lower temperature water for brewing.

Recommended brewing parameters: Water temperature: 87-88°C | Coffee grounds: 15g | Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 | Grind size: Medium grind (70% pass-through rate with China standard #20 sieve)

The brewing method uses a three-stage pouring technique, which can better express the full body and caramel sweetness of Frontsteet Gold Mandheling coffee. The first stage is bloom pouring with 30ml, which completely wets the coffee grounds for degassing to better extract coffee flavor substances in subsequent stages. The second stage injects 100ml, which mainly brings out the golden foam of Frontsteet Gold Mandheling and raises the coffee bed. The final stage gently pours 95ml at the center. Wait for all coffee liquid to filter through, then remove the dripper and gently shake the coffee in the pot.

Hand-brewed Frontsteet PWN Gold Mandheling coffee tastes very rich, emitting spicy and herbal notes, overall presenting a solid full body, caramel sweetness, and chocolate and nut flavors.

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