What Variety is Mandheling Coffee Bean? The Historical Story of Arabica Coffee Introduction to Indonesia

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There is a type of coffee bean that you can't quite pinpoint what makes it special, yet it remains irreplaceable. Its size is significantly larger than ordinary beans, making it destined not to be the most eye-catching variety in any coffee shop. It doesn't possess the extraordinary fragrant charm that captivates all like the Guji varietal, and its roast level is often so dark that it becomes almost unrecognizable.

Despite its high frequency of appearance, its presence is inversely proportional to its impact. Even when smelling its dry aroma, it's difficult to associate it with the word "outstanding." With a legendary history of being overlooked and misunderstood, its unique processing method hides wisdom adapted to local conditions, yet it cannot escape the cycle of mixed advantages and disadvantages.

This is the renowned yet often misunderstood Mandheling coffee bean from the Sumatra region of Indonesia. FrontStreet Coffee has always been a fan of Mandheling coffee. Its low-acidity, rich coffee flavor brings everyone a sense of stability and groundedness, while the sweetness from its aftertaste leaves a lasting impression.

Where does Mandheling coffee come from?

Mandheling coffee comes from Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic country. However, not all coffee beans grown in Indonesia are Mandheling coffee beans—only Arabica coffee beans grown on the island of Sumatra can be called Mandheling coffee.

Indonesia's climate is typically tropical rainforest, with average annual temperatures between 25-27°C and no significant seasonal changes. It receives abundant precipitation, with annual rainfall between 1600-2200mm. Sumatra Island has the advantages of high altitude, abundant rainfall, and fertile volcanic soil, combined with a mild, humid climate environment, making it extremely suitable for the growth of Arabica coffee varieties.

The historical story of Arabica coffee beans in Indonesia

At the end of the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company transplanted Indian Arabica to Jakarta in Java. Due to suitable climate and soil conditions, Arabica quickly spread to Sumatra in northwest Java and Sulawesi in northeast Java. In 1880, a severe leaf rust outbreak occurred in Java, causing large-scale death of Arabica plants. The Dutch therefore switched to cultivating disease-resistant Robusta, stabilizing Indonesia's coffee industry.

Until now, Robusta remains the mainstay of Indonesian coffee, accounting for 90% of Indonesia's coffee production, distributed in low-altitude areas such as Java. Meanwhile, the elegant-flavored Arabica coffee beans are distributed in northern Sumatra, Sulawesi, and high-altitude producing areas in Java. Although these specialty coffees only account for 10% of Indonesia's coffee production, the reputation of high-quality Arabica beans such as Mandheling and Golden Mandheling has made Indonesian coffee famous in the specialty coffee world for decades.

Mandheling coffee varieties

Mandheling coffee is an Arabica variety, originally from the Mandailing region near the Bukit Barisan mountains in North Sumatra. The Mandheling we see today refers to Typica or other varietal coffee beans grown in the mountainous areas surrounding Lake Toba.

FrontStreet Coffee currently offers two types of Mandheling coffee beans: one is Timtim variety Mandheling coffee beans from the Lindong region of Sumatra, and the other is Ateng variety PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans from the Aceh Gayo Mountain region of Sumatra.

Tim Tim (also known as Timor) is a variety naturally hybridized from Arabica and Robusta species. This variety was discovered on Timor Island in the 1940s and was cultivated due to its natural disease resistance. In the Americas, this variety is called Hybrido de Timor, abbreviated as Tim Tim, while in Indonesia, it is also called Bor Bor.

Ateng (also known as Catimor) is a variety naturally hybridized from Timor and Caturra, named after the Aceh Tenggah region. It was introduced to Java in 1928 and then reached Sumatra. Because it was widely cultivated in the Aceh Tenggah region, it was called Ateng by locals.

The difference between Lindong Mandheling and PWN Golden Mandheling coffee

The biggest difference between the two lies in the selection of raw beans. PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans undergo at least three rounds of purely manual selection after harvesting and drying processing, ensuring that the coffee beans reach a size specification of 18 or above. Defective beans are fewer than 3 (in a 300g raw bean sample), belonging to the highest G1 grade. PWN beans are darker green in color and have a uniform flat bean shape. Through cupping comparison, FrontStreet Coffee found that Golden Mandheling coffee beans that have undergone several rounds of manual selection taste cleaner and more transparent, with more intense sweetness.

Although the screening process for Lindong region Mandheling coffee beans is not as rigorous and detailed as that of PWN company, their flavor representation is sufficient to represent the Sumatra region of Indonesia. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee has included Lindong region Mandheling coffee beans in the "FrontStreet Coffee Daily Bean Series." The daily series aims to allow all consumers to taste the flavor characteristics of a coffee-producing region at the highest cost-performance ratio.

Mandheling coffee brewing suggestions

For coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using freshly roasted coffee beans for brewing, which allows for maximum appreciation of the coffee's rich flavors. The coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are roasted within 5 days because FrontStreet Coffee understands that coffee bean freshness greatly affects flavor, hoping that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee.

Since FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling coffee beans are roasted to a darker degree, flavor compounds in the coffee are easily extracted during brewing. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a coarser grind and lower water temperature.

Additionally, to achieve a rich, full-bodied texture, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a dripper with immersion capabilities, such as the KONO dripper. Then pair it with medium-coarse grinding (size of coarse sugar, 70% passing through China's No. 20 standard sieve), water temperature of 88°C, and a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio for extraction.

Specific brewing technique: First pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom; second, pour in a small circular motion to 125g, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway before pouring again, then continue pouring in small circular motions to 225g. When all dripping is complete, the total extraction time should be around 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

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