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An Introduction to Indonesian Coffee Stories: Exploring the Climate Characteristics of Indonesia's Coffee Growing Regions

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 public account cafe_style) FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Mandheling Coffee Legend has it that during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in World War II a Japanese soldier drank incredibly aromatic coffee at a cafe so he asked the shop owner the name of the coffee (here you can imagine the Japanese accent in English) the owner mistakenly thought he was

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

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Mandheling Coffee

Legend has it that during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in World War II, a Japanese soldier tasted an incredibly fragrant and mellow coffee at a café. When he asked the owner for the coffee's name (one can imagine the Japanese soldier's English accent), the owner mistakenly thought he was asking where he was from and replied: "Mandailing." After the war, the soldier recalled the "Mandheling" coffee he had drunk in Indonesia and commissioned an Indonesian coffee merchant to ship 15 tons to Japan, where it surprisingly became extremely popular. The name Mandheling thus spread, and that coffee merchant is now the renowned PWN (Pwani) Coffee Company.

The bright acidity of Mandheling coffee, mixed with its richest aroma, allows you to easily experience the lively factors within its gentleness and richness. Its extraordinary taste has captivated many enthusiasts.

In the 17th century, the Dutch introduced Arabica seedlings to Ceylon (today's Sri Lanka) and Indonesia for the first time. In 1877, a massive disaster struck the Indonesian islands when coffee rust disease destroyed almost all coffee trees. People had to abandon the Arabica varieties they had cultivated for many years and introduced Robusta coffee trees from Africa, which have strong disease resistance. Today, Indonesia is a major coffee-producing country.

The main coffee-growing regions are Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, with Robusta varieties accounting for 90% of total production. Sumatra Mandheling, however, is the rare Arabica variety. These trees are planted on mountain slopes between 750 and 1,500 meters above sea level. The mysterious and unique Sumatra variety gives Mandheling coffee its rich aroma, full-bodied texture, intense flavor, with slight hints of chocolate and syrup.

The prequel to Mandheling coffee actually began on Java Island. From 1696-1699, the Dutch East India Company transferred Typica coffee seedlings from Ceylon to Java, initiating Indonesian coffee cultivation. Soon, Java became synonymous with coffee. Starting from 1835, coffee traders discovered that the Mandailing Highlands, also known as Sumatra Island, was more suitable for coffee cultivation than Java Island in terms of climate, area, terrain, and transportation.

Simultaneously, from 1880-1890, a severe leaf rust outbreak occurred among Typica trees on Java Island. Because the Mandailing Highlands were relatively cooler, the epidemic was less severe. From then on, Sumatra replaced Java as the main coffee-producing region. "Java coffee" gradually faded away, replaced by Java Mandailing coffee, formed due to pronunciation differences. The coffee beans were relatively pointed and long, representing the predecessor of today's Mandheling coffee.

Mandheling coffee beans are relatively large with hard texture. They are prone to defects during cultivation and typically require strict manual selection after harvest. If quality control is not strict enough, it can easily lead to inconsistent quality. Additionally, different roasting degrees directly affect the taste, making it a single-origin coffee with considerable controversy.

Knowledge Point: Sumatra coffee has long been known as the "Two Lakes, Double Mand" region.

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