Sumatra Aged Coffee Beans Are Not Inferior Quality: Introduction to Aged Mandheling Processing Methods

FrontStreet Coffee - Aged Sumatra Mandheling Coffee Introduction

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic nation. During the Dutch colonial period in the 18th century, Arabica coffee was introduced and began cultivation, leading to its modern status as one of the top five coffee-producing countries globally. The main producing areas are located on the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi. The northern part of Sumatra Island has relatively high altitude, with the Aceh Province where Lake Tawar is located and North Sumatra (where Lintong is situated) being the main Arabica coffee producing regions.

Lake Tawar is located in the Gayo Mountains of northern Aceh Province, Sumatra. Indonesia, straddling both sides of the equator, has a humid tropical rainforest climate with abundant rainfall and fertile volcanic soil that provides rich nutrients for coffee. However, due to its remote location and inconvenient transportation, coffee cultivation didn't begin until 1924, mostly using traditional shade-grown, pesticide-free organic cultivation methods.

The local climate is humid. After preliminary washing and fermentation, the parchment beans are exposed to sun for one to two days. Although the moisture content of the raw beans still reaches 30-50%, the parchment is removed first and drying continues to shorten the drying process. About another 2 days of drying time allows the moisture content of the raw coffee beans to drop to 12-13%. This unique semi-washed processing method in Indonesia is locally called Giling Basah, also known as wet-hulling.

The commonly known Mandheling is actually Sumatra Arabica coffee. This name comes from an ancient local indigenous tribe. According to legend, during the 1940s when Japan occupied Sumatra, a soldier was amazed by the coffee he tasted in North Sumatra and asked the locals what kind of coffee it was. However, due to language barriers, the other party misunderstood and thought he was asking who he was, and replied that he belonged to the Mandailing tribe. Later, during export, it became Mandheling due to pronunciation error, and by a strange twist of fate, it became synonymous with Sumatra Island coffee.

So-called aged coffee beans are carefully selected high-quality raw beans that have been stored for more than 3-5 years. They are stored in well-ventilated warehouses or special temperature and humidity-controlled facilities, requiring regular turning of burlap bags and inspection to ensure consistent drying of the coffee beans. As time passes, the acidity of the coffee gradually disappears, leaving a solid aftertaste and sweet return flavor profile, with an appeal similar to that of Pu'er tea.

Flavor Description

Oolong, Pu'er, mushroom, spices, distinct tea-like notes, low acidity, rich dark chocolate flavor, thick mouthfeel.

Knowledge Point

Mandheling coffee beans are relatively large in size and hard in texture. They are prone to defects during the growing process, therefore, they usually undergo strict manual selection after harvest.

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