Who is Mandheling Coffee Suitable For? What is Mandheling and Why is it Called Mandheling? Characteristics, Flavor, and Taste Profile of Mandheling Coffee Beans

At FrontStreet Coffee, when customers ask for a coffee that's not acidic, we typically recommend FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling. This is because FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling offers a rich, mellow flavor profile that ranks just below Blue Mountain. However, FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling also has a hint of herbal medicinal notes that some people dislike immediately, while others fall in love with it at first sip. We often joke that the Golden Mandheling is the "taste of mature men"!

Most Ethiopian coffee names are derived from their growing regions. For example, coffee from the Yirgacheffe region is called Yirgacheffe. But what about Mandheling? It's neither a region name, a coffee bean name, nor a variety name. So what is it?

FrontStreet Coffee has learned that the name "Mandheling" is actually a phonetic error of the Indonesian Mandheling ethnic group. How did this ethnic group become associated with coffee? The name Mandheling was actually born from a beautiful misunderstanding. During World War II, when Japan occupied Indonesia, a Japanese soldier tasted an incredibly delicious coffee at a local coffee shop. He immediately asked the shop owner for the name of this coffee. Due to the language barrier, the owner misunderstood and thought he was asking, "Where are you from?" and replied, "Mandheling tribe."

After World War II ended, this Japanese soldier remembered the "Mandheling" coffee he had enjoyed in Indonesia. He asked an Indonesian coffee merchant to ship fifteen tons of Mandheling coffee beans to Japan. The coffee became extremely popular in the Japanese market, and thus the name Mandheling has been passed down to this day. That Indonesian merchant also established what is now known as PWN Company. PWN Company even registered Golden Mandheling as a trademark, meaning that only Golden Mandheling from PWN Company is the authentic FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling.

FrontStreet Coffee Mandheling Coffee Variety - Typica

FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling coffee beans are of the Typica variety, an ancient coffee known for its elegant flavors. However, it has relatively weak constitution, poor disease resistance, is susceptible to leaf rust disease, and produces low yields, making it economically disadvantageous. Typica coffee has its unique subtle, clean flavor profile and balanced characteristics, with high taste clarity. The drawbacks are insufficient yield, altitude requirements, susceptibility to leaf rust disease, and weak resistance to pests and diseases.

Typica trees have distinctive characteristics that make them one of the easiest varieties to identify. These plants grow in a conical shape with a main vertical trunk that can reach up to 5 meters in height. This height means that, compared to other varieties, the distance between branches and between nodes on the same branch is greater. One characteristic of Typica is its bronze-colored young leaves. The beans are larger, with a pointed oval or slender pointed shape, earning it the nickname "red-topped coffee."

As early as 1658, the Dutch transplanted descendants of "European Typica mother plants" to Sri Lanka, but unfortunately, the cultivation failed. Later, in 1699, the Dutch transplanted Malabar coffee trees from eastern India to Java. This trial cultivation was successful, and Typica grew steadily in Java. In 1718, the Dutch transplanted the successfully cultivated Typica from Java to Sumatra and Sulawesi islands. After more than a century of cultivation, just as Indonesian Typica was at its peak, a leaf rust epidemic swept through most of Indonesia's Typica plants in the late 19th century. Later, they had to introduce Robusta varieties with higher disease resistance.

FrontStreet Coffee Mandheling Bean Processing Method

The distinctive rich flavor characteristics of FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling are inseparable from its processing method. Most FrontStreet Coffee Mandheling uses a Sumatra-specific coffee bean processing method - Wet Hulling. Due to the local weather being predominantly rainy with constant typhoons, it's impossible to achieve the good weather required for sun-drying. Additionally, the local economy is not strong enough to use the more expensive washed method. This led to the development of the locally characteristic Wet Hulling method.

First Stage: Using wooden depulpers to remove the skin and pulp, followed by 3 hours of fermentation, then drying until the moisture content reaches a semi-dry, semi-wet state of 30-50%.

Second Stage: Removing the mucilage and parchment layer, continuing with the final drying stage. The drying process takes 2-4 days, reducing moisture content to 12-13%.

The Wet Hulling method creates the special flavor of FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Mandheling and Wet Hulling have a bound relationship, but today's coffee market is no longer satisfied with the status quo. Even though Wet Hulling is a characteristic of Mandheling, other processing methods are being tried. FrontStreet Coffee recently introduced a Mandheling coffee that uses natural processing. This natural processed Mandheling has very different flavor characteristics from what we know of Mandheling - it tends toward fruit notes, with a sweeter taste and gentle fruit acidity.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that natural processed coffee beans amplify their inherent flavors, resulting in rich body, intense flavor profiles, and noticeable sweetness. Washed processed coffee has more pronounced acidity, better clarity, medium body, and the most consistent green bean quality. Honey processed coffee beans offer excellent flavor, balanced acidity and sweetness, and the drying process amplifies the coffee's natural aroma with rich body.

FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling Varieties

FrontStreet Coffee is a loyal fan of Mandheling coffee. Before Blue Mountain became famous, Mandheling was always known as the most full-bodied coffee, and FrontStreet Coffee agrees with this assessment. The body of Mandheling coffee ranks among the top in specialty coffee. Its heavy body and low acidity are its signature characteristics, while the smoothness and sweetness of dark chocolate and caramel provide a very long-lasting aftertaste. The complex flavor layers lead FrontStreet Coffee's roasters to choose dark roasting to present the authentic "Mandheling flavor." This is also why when customers come to FrontStreet Coffee asking for coffee with noticeable sweetness, baristas recommend FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling. Currently, FrontStreet Coffee offers three types of Mandheling. Let's explore what makes each Mandheling coffee unique.

FrontStreet Coffee currently offers three types of Mandheling: FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling, FrontStreet Coffee's Tiger Mandheling, and FrontStreet Coffee's Lintong Mandheling.

FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling

The new harvest FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling coffee beans are of the Ateng variety, which is the local name in Sumatra for Catimor coffee. The name Ateng comes from the Aceh Tenggah region. Golden Mandheling coffee beans are sized 18 screen or above, with fewer than 3 defective beans (in a 300g green bean sample), belonging to the highest G1 grade. The color is dark green, and the beans are uniformly flat.

After strict screening, FrontStreet Coffee found that not only does the Golden Mandheling lack the typical earthy impurities of regular Mandheling, but it also tastes cleaner and more transparent, with enhanced sweetness. FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling comes from PWN Company. Golden Mandheling is actually produced from Mandheling acquired locally in Indonesia by Pwani Coffee Company, which registered the Golden Mandheling name. Only Mandheling produced by PWN Company is the authentic FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling.

FrontStreet Coffee Tiger Mandheling

Tiger Mandheling is sized 17 screen or above, with a defect rate below 4%. Since the main varieties of Tiger Mandheling are Caturra and Typica. Caturra offers citrus and lemon acidity in taste, while Typica provides a lasting sweet aftertaste, making Tiger Mandheling relatively balanced with high clarity. Tiger Mandheling grows in Indonesia, with main production areas located on the three islands of Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi. Tiger Mandheling is produced at Tiger Estate, hence also known as "Mandheling Tiger" or "Sumatra Tiger Mandheling." The northern part of Sumatra Island has relatively high terrain, with the Aceh province where Lake Tawa is located and North Sumatra where Lake Toba sits being the main Arabica coffee growing regions.

FrontStreet Coffee Lintong Mandheling

Premium Mandheling produced in the Lintong region, with larger bean size and harder bean quality. Indonesian coffee is very diverse in quality, but the Mandheling we usually refer to is Typica or its variant coffee beans grown in the mountainous areas around Lake Toba. Coffee connoisseurs from around the world have commented: "Sumatra Mandheling coffee is the coffee with the best texture in the world." FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling beans are characterized by larger size, harder bean quality, and due to more defects, they require strict selection during coffee processing.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Regarding coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee feels it's necessary to remind everyone that if coffee beans are ground in advance, they should be brewed promptly. Because ground coffee exposed to air loses aroma quickly, and the final brewed coffee flavor won't be as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends grinding fresh and brewing immediately to better enjoy the optimal taste of coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee typically uses KONO drippers for daily brewing of medium-dark roast Mandheling. KONO drippers make the coffee taste more rounded and full-bodied, with more direct flavor expression, making them suitable for brewing medium-dark roast FrontStreet Coffee Mandheling. However, KONO drippers have relatively poor exhaust effect because their ribs are straight and only extend to one-quarter of the dripper's depth. Above this quarter, the surface is tight against the cup wall, creating a sealed state.

Recommended brewing parameters: Water temperature: 88-89°C, Bloom time: 25 seconds, Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, Grind size: Medium-fine grind (75% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

Using segmented extraction, bloom with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds, i.e., 30g water for 30g coffee for 30 seconds. When pouring to 125g, segment the pour, continue pouring to 225g then stop. Once the water from the dripper has finished dripping, remove the dripper. Start timing from the beginning of pouring, extraction time is 2'00". Next, pick up the entire cup of coffee, shake it well, then pour into a tasting cup.

FrontStreet Coffee Mandheling Flavor Descriptions

FrontStreet Coffee Lintong Mandheling: Herbal notes, chocolate, caramel, overall quite balanced;

FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling: Nuts, spices, herbal plants, licorice, chocolate, caramel, clean and gentle flavor;

FrontStreet Coffee Tiger Mandheling: Nuts, cream, dark chocolate, caramel, traditional Chinese medicine, noticeable sweetness, relatively clean and clear flavor.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473