Indonesia West Java Honey Process Coffee - Amman Estate West Java Honey Process Flavor Characteristics

FrontStreet Coffee - Indonesia Aromanis Estate West Java Honey Process

West Java, Indonesia

West Java Province is a first-level administrative region of Indonesia, located in the western part of Java Island. It borders the Java Sea to the north and the Indian Ocean to the south, and it includes a number of offshore islands. Covering 46,300 square kilometers, Java has a tropical rainforest climate that stays hot and humid all year. The plains along the northern coast are the hottest, while the mountains are considerably cooler. The high humidity often produces an enervating climate.

From November to March of the following year comes the northwest monsoon, bringing more rain and cloud; from April to October comes the southeast monsoon, with more sunny days and less rainfall. Jakarta's average annual rainfall is about 1,760 mm (69 inches). Its average daily maximum temperature is 30°C (86°F), with a minimum of 23°C (74°F). In the inland highlands of Tosari, at an elevation of 1,735 meters (5,692 feet), the average temperature ranges from 22°C to 8°C (72°F to 47°F). Java's soil is very fertile because volcanic ash periodically replenishes the land.

Aromanis is a traditional Indonesian sweet snack made from simple ingredients, flour and sugar. Naming this coffee Aromanis signals that the beans have a texture reminiscent of cotton candy. The beans themselves come from Ciwidey and Garut in West Java. In fact, no special coffee seed is used; it is the natural sun-drying method that produces such a distinctive flavor. Even so, that flavor is not widely recognized in West Java itself.

Cherries are picked from the branches and separated from the fruit, then washed and dried immediately. The beans are turned every hour to ensure even drying, including at midnight. "This is very important at night because of the high humidity," said Alief of Metamorphosis Coffee. The processing takes 25-26 days, so it is no surprise that Aromanis beans cost a little more than ordinary coffee. The growers' cooperative sells green Aromanis at 130,000-150,000 rupiah per kilogram, while Metamorphosis Coffee retails it at 80,000 rupiah per 200-gram package.

Honey Processing

Honey processing, also called the Honey Process or Miel Process and known as Honey Coffee, is used by plantations in Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, and elsewhere. It refers to producing green beans by sun-drying the coffee with the mucilage still attached. Once the outer pulp is removed, a layer of viscous, gelatinous substance remains on the bean. Traditional washed processing rinses that layer away, but because water is limited in some high-altitude growing areas, growers developed this method of drying the beans directly in the sun instead.

Honey processing lets coffee keep the cleanliness of a washed coffee. It does soften the brightness somewhat, but in exchange it raises sweetness and caramel notes. Depending on how much mucilage is left on the bean, honey-processed coffee is divided into yellow honey, red honey, and black honey. The great advantage of the method is that it preserves the ripe fruit's original sweetness especially well, giving the cup elegant brown sugar and nutty sweetness while berry notes support a wine-toned aroma, making it a very refined product.

West Java Honey Processing

The Indonesian West Java Aromanis sun-dried beans score as high as 92 points in cupping, and their processing method is unusual. This is their first time entering China. The bird shown on the packaging is Indonesia's national bird. The bean's name, Aromanis, is Indonesian for "sweet mango."

Region: Mount Tangkuban Perahu, Indonesia

Altitude: 1,400-1,600 meters

Roast Level: Light

Processing Method: Honey Process

Flavor Description: Strong fruit aroma, with plum and jackfruit flavors, clean and sweet aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a honey-processed Indonesian coffee, the most instructive comparison is Indonesia's other signature style: the wet-hulled Mandheling of Sumatra. FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia Mandheling comes from the Lintong growing area around Lake Toba and is processed by the wet-hulled method, in which the parchment is stripped while the bean is still semi-dry. That exposure to the air gives the coffee its characteristic herbal and spice notes. Roasted medium-dark to show the classic profile, it cups low in acidity and full in body, with caramel, dark chocolate, and toasted bread and a long sweet finish. Where this West Java lot is bright and fruit-driven, the Lintong is the deep, savory counterpoint.

If you want the top of that range, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling represents the highest grade of Mandheling. The green beans are screened from 18 mesh upward and hand-sorted three times, so the cup is unusually clean and sweet, with sandalwood, herbs, spices, roasted hazelnut, caramel, and dark chocolate.

Both Sumatran coffees reward a slow, gentle pour-over. Use a coarser grind than you would for this light-roasted Aromanis, keep the water at about 87-88°C for the medium-dark Mandheling, and pour in three stages. The lower temperature and coarser grind keep the bitterness in check while letting the caramel sweetness and body come through.