Arabica vs. Mandheling: Conquered by the Rich, Sweet, and Full-Bodied Flavor

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FrontStreet Coffee - Mandheling Coffee

Mandheling coffee is undoubtedly the most wild and masculine among single-origin Arabica coffees.

Mandheling is neither a region name, place name, nor a coffee variety. How did its name come about?

Actually, it's a mispronunciation of the Indonesian Mandailing tribe. During World War II when Japan occupied Indonesia, a Japanese soldier drank an incredibly fragrant and mellow coffee at a café. He asked the owner the name of the coffee, but the owner misunderstood and thought he was asking where he was from, so he replied: Mandailing. After the war, the soldier recalled the "Mandheling" coffee he had in Indonesia. He commissioned an Indonesian coffee merchant to ship 15 tons to Japan, and it became surprisingly popular. The name Mandheling thus spread, and that coffee merchant is now the renowned PWN (Pwani) Coffee Company.

Mandheling has a heavy taste with rich body and vibrant, lively dynamics. It's neither astringent nor acidic, with the body and bitterness fully expressed. It's considered the world's most mellow coffee. When tasting Mandheling, you can feel a distinct smoothness on your tongue. It also has lower acidity, but this acidity is still clearly discernible. The jumping micro-acidity mixes with the richest aroma, allowing you to easily experience the lively factors within the gentle richness. Additionally, this coffee has a faint earthy aroma, which some describe as the fragrance of herbal plants.

Before Blue Mountain coffee was discovered, Mandheling was once considered the finest among coffees.

In the 17th century, the Dutch first introduced Arabica seedlings to Ceylon (today's Sri Lanka) and Indonesia. In 1877, a large-scale disaster struck the Indonesian islands. Coffee rust disease destroyed nearly all coffee trees, forcing people to abandon the Arabica they had cultivated for years and introduce Robusta coffee trees from Africa, which have strong disease resistance. Today, Indonesia is a major coffee-producing country. Coffee growing areas are mainly in Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, with Robusta varieties accounting for 90% of total production.

Sumatra Mandheling, however, is a 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 a rich aroma, full body, strong flavor, with slight chocolate and syrup notes.

Knowledge Point:

Mandheling is neither an Indonesian place name, region name, port name, nor coffee variety name, but rather a mispronunciation of the Mandailing tribe who originally lived in Sumatra.

In Brief:

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