Is Mandheling Coffee Black Coffee? Flavor Characteristics and Origin Information of Mandheling Coffee Beans

Black coffee refers to pure coffee without any additions, simply put, it contains no auxiliary ingredients like sugar or milk. Typically, black coffee allows people to better taste the fragrance, sweetness, richness, acidity, and bitterness of coffee. The most common black coffee prepared at FrontStreet Coffee stores is pour-over coffee, which uses different specialty coffee beans to extract and present various flavor profiles. Before Blue Mountain coffee became world-renowned, there was a Mandheling from Indonesia that represented excellent coffee in the hearts of many coffee enthusiasts.

Mandheling, Also Known as Sumatran Coffee

The most distinctive feature of Mandheling coffee lies in its herbal plant aroma. Just like various vegetables and fruits, coffee is also an agricultural product, and its flavor is always closely related to factors such as variety, climate, altitude, soil, and management. It is a natural and authentic expression of the variety and local terroir, while post-processing methods and roasting should focus on maximizing the preservation, restoration, and presentation of their most authentic flavors. The unique flavor formation of Mandheling is inseparable from the mysterious island of Sumatra.

High-quality Mandheling coffee beans are produced in Sumatra, Indonesia, with the northern region being most famous, including the Aceh province in the northwest and the North Sumatra province in the central area, mainly around the two well-known local lakes, Lake Tawar and Lake Toba. The tropical rainforest climate provides Sumatra with abundant rainfall, humid air, and clouds enveloping the forests, creating a strong herbal aroma in the coffee trees of this region.

The entire Sumatra is divided into eight provinces, of which only the high-altitude Aceh and North Sumatra provinces grow Arabica coffee on a large scale. After being classified as a tropical rainforest area, mountains and forests are often shrouded in clouds and rain, giving Sumatra a mysterious quality. Locals plant coffee trees around the two major volcanic lakes, Lake Tawar and Lake Toba. The Gayo Mountains around Lake Tawar have ideal coffee growing conditions, widely adopting organic farming methods, combined with a long history of cultivation, resulting in higher quality and yield of coffee from this region. Therefore, many green coffee merchants also place more importance on this area, including the very famous local Pwani Coffee Company (PWN).

Mandheling Coffee Varieties

Indonesia grows numerous coffee varieties. Originally, the coffee varieties planted in Indonesia were Typica, recognized for its excellent flavor, introduced by the Dutch at the end of the 17th century, and were known by names such as Bergendal and Sidikalang in Indonesia. In 1877, nearly all coffee trees in Indonesia were severely affected by leaf rust disease, with large areas of Typica trees withering.

To solve this dilemma, the Indonesian government introduced more disease-resistant Robusta varieties from Africa and other places. Until now, Robusta remains the main variety in Indonesia. To increase coffee production, Indonesia continuously introduced various disease-resistant varieties from other countries, including Caturra, Catimor, Timor, Typica, S288, S795, Sidikalong, and more. Among them, the Timor hybrid varieties (Tim Tim, Bor Bor) and the Catimor series (Ateng), which are crosses between Robusta and Arabica, have good disease resistance and have adapted to Sumatra's terroir, presenting a unique fir-like aroma. Currently, Ateng and Tim Tim account for 70% of Sumatra's coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Lindong Mandheling daily bean is a mix of Tim Tim and Ateng, while the Golden Mandheling is selected from Ateng.

Wet-Hulled Mandheling Flavor

Friends who often drink Mandheling coffee are certainly familiar with the wet-hulled processing method. The processing time of wet-hulling is much shorter than that of washed processing. Traditional washed processing requires 1-3 weeks, while wet-hulling can complete the entire process in just a few days. The wet-hulled processing method first removes the peel and pulp of the coffee fruit, briefly ferments it before drying, removes the parchment layer while the beans are semi-dry, continues with the subsequent drying, and when the moisture content reaches 12%, it can be packaged, selected, and graded.

Although the wet-hulled process seems fast and time-saving, without strict control, it is extremely susceptible to moisture and mold growth in Indonesia's hot and humid environment. However, besides Sumatra, this processing method is also widely used in Sulawesi and Papua New Guinea in Indonesia. This is because Indonesia has a tropical rainforest climate with air humidity as high as 70-90%, making it impossible to dry green coffee beans through prolonged sun exposure, and the cost of washed processing is quite high. Coffee farmers had no choice but to develop this semi-washed processing method. Although the time for each step is greatly shortened, the green beans without the parchment layer will still absorb moisture from the hot and humid air, resulting in Mandheling coffee with more woody, herbal, and spicy heavy aromas, which has become a typical flavor characteristic of Indonesian producing regions.

Wet-hulling has brought a unique flavor profile to Indonesian coffee, but the rough processing method also leads to a higher defect rate in coffee beans. To meet Indonesia's export grade, beans must be screened to remove uneven particles. PWN Company has achieved the ultimate in screening, purchasing Mandheling green beans above 18 mesh, with the G1 grade where the number of defective beans in a 300g sample is less than 3, which is the highest grade of Indonesian green beans. Subsequently, they strictly follow standards for 1 machine selection + 3 manual selections of defective beans, ensuring uniform color, shape, and size of Mandheling coffee beans. Therefore, PWN Golden Mandheling tastes cleaner and more transparent, with more prominent richness and sweetness. At the same time, since PWN Company has already registered the English trademark "Golden Mandheling," only Mandheling produced by PWN Company can be called "Golden Mandheling."

To present the classic Mandheling flavor, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roasting to eliminate excessive acidity in Mandheling and enhance its richness and balance. During cupping, FrontStreet Coffee experienced Golden Mandheling with aromas of spices, herbal plants, and pine, rich and bitter flavors of caramel, nuts, and pure dark chocolate, with a sweet melon-like aftertaste. It presents varied layers, richness, cleanliness, and high balance.

Flavor Characteristics of Medium-Dark Roasted Golden Mandheling Coffee

The flavor descriptions of each coffee at FrontStreet Coffee are based on freshly roasted beans. If coffee beans have been stored for more than a month, some aroma may have been lost, making it difficult to restore during brewing. FrontStreet Coffee also deeply understands the importance of freshness, so it ensures that only coffee beans roasted within 5 days are shipped, allowing everyone to enjoy the most complete flavor period upon receipt.

When brewing medium-dark roasted coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses different brewing parameters than for light-roasted beans to present a richer chocolate profile. The caramelization reaction is greater than in light-roasted coffee beans, making it easier to extract bitter large molecular substances. To avoid extracting too much miscellaneous flavor, FrontStreet Coffee will lower the water temperature slightly. The brewing water temperature for light-roasted coffee is 91-93°C, while for medium-dark roasted coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using 87-88°C. The grind size will also be adjusted to be coarser, paired with segmented extraction using a Kono dripper. The Kono dripper has few ribs located at the bottom, and the filter paper fits tightly against the dripper, which can restrict airflow and increase the contact time between water and coffee powder, allowing the coffee grounds to be fully extracted and enhancing the rich mouthfeel.

Dripper: Kono Dripper
Water Temperature: 88°C
Coffee Amount: 15 grams
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: 70-75% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, blooming with 30g of water for 30 seconds. When small water streams in circles to 125g, segment the extraction. Continue pouring water to 225g when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed. Stop pouring water. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again (starting from bloom timing), remove the dripper. The extraction time is 2'00".

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

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