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The Story Behind Sumatra Coffee's Origin and Characteristics

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 official account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee's Sumatra Coffee Bean Origin Introduction. The History of Sumatra Coffee. Coffee was introduced to various Indonesian islands by the Dutch in the 16th century and first exported by the Dutch East India Company in the early 17th century. The Dutch typically owned large plantations, and under colonial rule, workers and

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

FrontStreet Coffee's Introduction to Sumatra Coffee Beans

The History of Sumatra Coffee

Coffee was introduced to the Indonesian islands by the Dutch in the 16th century and first exported by the Dutch East India Company in the early 17th century. The Dutch typically owned large plantations, and under colonial rule, workers and local people suffered economically and politically. In the 1860 novel "Max Havelaar, or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company," the Dutch trading company outlined numerous ways the Dutch government and landlords abused and oppressed the Indonesian people. Particularly in Sumatra and Java, hunger and poverty were common among coffee workers and indigenous societies.

In the 1860s and 1870s, coffee leaf rust outbreaks devastated Indonesia's coffee market, causing the Dutch to abandon many estates. As the plantations collapsed, workers took over small plots of land, eventually replanting coffee with Robusta varieties and various disease-resistant Arabica hybrids. This land redistribution established the dominance of small farmers on the islands, a dominance that continues to this day. Overall, Indonesia is currently the world's fourth-largest coffee-producing country.

Sumatra coffee is renowned worldwide for its distinctive herbal and woody flavor profile. This is partly due to the mixed varieties planted and the local climate conditions. On the other hand, it's due to a special processing method called wet-hulling, known locally as Giling Basah, which gives these coffees many of their unique qualities.

Typica was the first variety planted in Java and Sumatra, but this variety was almost completely wiped out by leaf rust over a hundred years ago. However, some typical local varieties can still be found in the high-altitude areas of Sumatra Island.

In Indonesia, some of the most commercially viable Arabica varieties do indeed have a bit of Robusta genetics, making them more disease-resistant. This is true for both Catimor and Hibrido de Timor.

Linie S is another widely distributed disease-resistant variety, a natural mutation of Liberica and Bourbon that originated in India.

In the late 1920s, a batch of Ethiopian coffee was also brought to Sumatra Island and is still being cultivated today. They are known as Abyssinia and Rambung.