Must-Buy Coffee Recommendations in Indonesia: Guide to Brewing Sumatra Mandheling Pour-Over Coffee

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Golden Mandheling from Indonesian Coffee Brands

Indonesia is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and has the highest number of volcanoes globally, with at least over one hundred active volcanoes nationwide. Despite frequent natural disasters, the volcanic soil and its derived alluvial layers are extremely fertile. Frequent volcanic eruptions act like continuous applications of natural fertilizer, bringing significant benefits to local agriculture. Therefore, Indonesia's geographical conditions are exceptionally suitable for coffee cultivation.

Indonesia's main coffee-growing regions are concentrated on three major islands: Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi, with Sumatra being Indonesia's largest coffee-producing area. Among specialty coffees, Mandheling coffee is particularly renowned, with Golden Mandheling from PWN Company being the most famous. It is the preferred brand for Indonesian coffee purchases. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will provide an introduction to PWN Company's star coffee - Golden Mandheling.

What Makes Golden Mandheling Special?

Golden Mandheling is produced from Mandheling beans acquired in Indonesia by a company called Pwani Coffee Company (PWN), while Golden Mandheling itself is a trademark registered by this PWN company! Simply put, Golden Mandheling may not necessarily possess uniquely distinctive flavors, but after four rounds of manual selection by the same company, the raw coffee beans are larger and more uniform, resulting in cleaner flavors and a more consistent appearance.

Most beans from PWN Company are distinctive specialty coffees. The FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list is a product from this same company. After acquiring the raw beans, they undergo multiple rounds of manual selection to choose full, flawless beans. Only these premium beans, which seem to have undergone层层筛选 like talent show contestants, can be classified as Golden Mandheling.

Flavor Profile and Roasting

Due to the low defect rate of the coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling tastes cleaner than typical Mandheling coffees. The original herbal, earthy, and woody flavors of Mandheling are nearly absent, but the caramel sweetness is more intense, and the fruit acidity is relatively bright and elegant. FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling has excellent clarity and sweetness, offering broader flexibility in roasting adjustments. It can adapt not only to medium-dark roasting but also delivers good taste in medium-light roasting.

Brewing Guide

Parameters: KONO dripper; Dose: 16 grams; Grind size: Medium grind (BG 6W: Chinese standard 20-mesh sieve pass rate 47%); Water temperature: 87°C; Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:14

Technique: Bloom with 32 grams of water for 40 seconds. Using a small water stream, pour in a circular motion in the center until reaching 123 grams, then stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until reaching 226 grams, then cut the flow. Remove the dripper when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed (timing starts from the beginning of blooming). Total extraction time: 2 minutes.

Flavor: The initial taste reveals distinct cream, chocolate, and nutty flavors, with sandalwood and herbal aromas, soft fruit acidity, and a rich, full-bodied texture.

In this particular brew, the parameters and technique remained basically unchanged. FrontStreet Coffee only modified the blooming time: extending the blooming period to allow the coffee grounds to fully degas. After extending the blooming time, the brewed coffee proved quite satisfying in both flavor and mouthfeel.

When tasting, first smell the aroma, then take a small sip, and savor the aftertaste after swallowing.

Additional Information

Knowledge Expansion: PWN (Pwani Coffee Company) is a coffee company that also owns the Golden Mandheling trademark.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473