Introduction to Sumatra Coffee Beans and Their Characteristics

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FrontStreet Coffee · Introduction to Indonesian Sumatra Coffee Characteristics

Sumatra Island is mainly divided into two major producing regions. The southern region primarily centers around Medan, Lake Toba, and the Lintong area. This is the traditional region for "Mandheling" coffee, and all the various Mandheling varieties we know come from here. FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling G1, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling, FrontStreet Coffee's Tiger Mandheling, and others are all produced in this region. However, generally speaking, most coffee from this region has created an impression of low quality in the specialty coffee community—poor cleanliness, straw-like flavors, earthy notes, and even swill-like flavors.

However, it's worth noting that the famous WHANA processing plant is located in this region. I have tasted coffee produced by the WHANA processing plant, and it truly offers a refreshing and impressive experience. This has contributed to the changing perception of Mandheling from the Lintong region in recent years.

Mandheling from the Lintong region basically consists of pure Arabica varieties. It's said that Robusta bloodlines have been mixed in recent years, but specific details remain unknown. From bean appearance, they look more like pure Arabica. The processing method is primarily traditional washed processing. In recent years, processing plants like WHANA have begun using natural and semi-natural processing methods, with significant improvements in quality.

The second coffee-producing region in Sumatra, where the famous anti-Chinese and anti-government riots once occurred, is the Gayo Mountain and Aceh region. This region is located in northern Sumatra and is predominantly Islamic. The main varieties cultivated here include the TIMOR variety (with half Robusta bloodline) and the Catimor variety (with one-quarter Robusta bloodline). However, in this region, they are not commonly named with the terms we usually see—instead, we often see names like tim tim, bon bon, ateng, etc.—along with some other local unique varieties. Most coffee in this region is processed using the wet-hulling method, a technique found only in this area worldwide. Coffee beans produced in this region are large and elongated, extremely uneven in appearance, and all display a deep green color, making them particularly distinctive.

For professionals in the specialty coffee industry, merely seeing these varieties is enough to make them wary and unwilling to try. Catimor varieties immediately bring to mind earthy, herbal notes, and devilish aftertastes. Combined with their uneven bean appearance, they give the impression of being 80% defective beans, making people even more hesitant to try them.

However, later on, when we needed beans that could enhance body and crema in dark roasts for espresso preparation, our roasters and cuppers began considering various options. First, we thought of Robusta, but we no longer wanted to experience that strong rubbery flavor. Then we considered Brazilian coffee—when its sesame paste flavor isn't well-developed, it becomes earthy, and most Brazilian coffees taste extremely unpleasant in dark roasts. Next, we thought of other natural process beans, but many don't perform well in dark roasts and bring very unclean flavors. Finally, we thought of wet-hulled Indonesian Mandheling.

Initially, it was just an accidental attempt, and we did notice明显的 earthy flavors during roasting. But when blended in a certain proportion into espresso and roasted to dark levels, the espresso surprisingly produced quality oils and flavors similar to dark chocolate. Upon careful tasting, although it still had slight earthy notes, it surprisingly had delicate floral and grassy aromas.

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