Sumatra Coffee Tasting Methods: Mandheling Coffee Characteristics, Flavors and Taste Sharing

An Introduction to Sumatran Coffee Characteristics and Tasting

Mandheling coffee is produced around Lake Toba in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, and is therefore also known as "Sumatran coffee."

In the 17th century, the Dutch introduced Arabica coffee seedlings to Ceylon (today's Sri Lanka) and Indonesia. In 1877 a large-scale disaster struck the Indonesian islands: coffee leaf rust disease destroyed nearly all the coffee trees, forcing people to abandon the Arabica trees they had cultivated for many years and introduce Robusta coffee trees from Africa with stronger disease resistance. A small amount of Arabica remained in Mandheling, Sumatra, however—this is the Mandheling coffee we can taste today. These trees are planted on mountain slopes at elevations of 750-1,500 meters. The mysterious and unique island of Sumatra has endowed Mandheling coffee with a rich aroma, a full body, and a strong flavor.

Step 1: Smell the Dry Aroma

Bring freshly ground coffee powder close to your nose, and you will experience the dry aroma of different coffee origins. This is the first information the coffee conveys to us. If smell alone could identify coffee, then a sensitive nose would help you enjoy the atmosphere of the world's great coffee estates.

Step 2: Taste the Flavor

Tasting the unique flavors of coffees from different origins is not an easy task. The coffee liquid undergoes sensory discrimination in the mouth, and after a period of trial and practice you can taste their respective flavors. Beans from different regions have their own characteristics—you can taste floral and fruity notes, nutty flavors, tea aromas, ginger notes, pine aromas, and many other peculiar tastes. Besides taste, this also requires our imagination.

Step 3: Perceive the Aftertaste

Tasting coffee is like tasting red wine—it requires aftertaste. When you drink coffee, don't swallow it easily. Instead, let it swirl in your throat, and you will feel a flavor returning from your throat. Some aftertastes are clear and persistent, while others are vague and brief, but all provide a wonderful sensation.

Step 4: Understand Acidity

Many friends, like me, don't particularly like the acidity in coffee and care more about mellow or even slightly bitter coffee, believing it provides enough kick. However, if you want to become a true coffee connoisseur, you must first understand the acidity in coffee.

Acidity is a quite typical and expected part of coffee. It is a direct taste sensation that occurs on the lower sides of your tongue and on your palate. Acidity provides a sharp, bright, and lively quality characteristic. Without the expression of acidity, coffee tends to be monotonous and flavorless.

Step 5: Perceive the Body

Body refers to the tactile sensation of coffee—how it feels in your mouth, ranging from light as water or skim milk to thick as milk, cream, or syrup. People use the middle-rear part of the tongue to feel its "weight."

Knowledge Bonus: There is a faint earthy aroma, which some describe as the fragrance of herbal plants. Premium aged coffee beans are stored in cellars for three years before export and undergo special processing, also known as Aged Mandheling.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To taste Sumatran coffee with the body and depth described here, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is the benchmark: a G1 golden Mandheling from Sumatra, selected from beans of 18 mesh and above and wet-hulled before a medium-dark roast, giving herbs, dark chocolate, and a faint earthiness with very low acidity. If you want the traditional everyday expression of the island, our FrontStreet Lintong Mandheling is wet-hulled and medium-dark roasted with black chocolate, caramel, and wild herbal notes. Both are ideal for anyone who cares more about a full body and a strong finish than about bright acidity.