Coffee culture

Flavor Differences Between Authentic Indonesian Sumatran Mandheling and Golden Mandheling

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/28, I first encountered Golden Mandheling on the menu at Louis Cafe, not understanding what it meant, not even knowing where Mandheling came from, only knowing it was slightly more expensive than other coffees. If you had the same confusion as I did back then, continue reading! When it comes to Mandheling, one naturally also associates...

I first encountered Golden Mandheling on the menu at Louis Cafe, where it listed "Golden Mandheling" - I had no idea what it meant, didn't even know where Mandheling came from, only knew it was more expensive than other coffees. If you had the same confusion as I did back then, keep reading!

The Story Behind Mandheling Coffee

When it comes to Mandheling, Golden Mandheling naturally comes to mind too. Are they both Mandheling? What's the difference between them? Will their flavors be the same? Well, FrontStreet Coffee will first take you through this story.

The story begins during World War II when Japan occupied Indonesia. A Japanese soldier tasted an incredibly fragrant coffee at a cafe. When he asked the owner for the coffee's name, the owner misunderstood and thought he was asking where he was from, so he replied: Mandheling. After returning to Japan, the soldier couldn't forget this coffee and arranged to have 15 tons of coffee beans shipped from Japan to Indonesia. Unexpectedly, Mandheling became extremely popular from then on, and Mandheling coffee thus became widely known.

The Gentleman of Coffee - Mandheling Flavor Profile

Mandheling is a premium coffee bean grown on highland plateaus at elevations of 750-1500 meters, with the highest quality first-grade Mandheling produced in the Takengon and Sidikalang regions. Mandheling has a rich, solid flavor with a strong sweet aftertaste and a mellow, textured mouthfeel. It has a fragrant aroma, moderate acidity, and rich sweetness, making it a coffee bean suitable for dark roasting.

So is Golden Mandheling Made with Gold?

Although Golden Mandheling has nothing to do with real gold, it is indeed the highest grade among Mandheling beans, representing the premium quality of Mandheling. Golden Mandheling is selected through more than three rounds of manual bean selection to pick out the fullest, most evenly colored Mandheling coffee beans.

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Japan Was Actually the Originator of Golden Mandheling

Due to the problem of defective beans in Mandheling, Japanese people began adopting meticulous quality control selection long ago.

Indonesia Seized the First Opportunity!

But unfortunately, PWN's Golden Mandheling undergoes three rounds of manual selection and one round of machine selection. However, many Golden Mandheling beans on the market that are not produced by PWN company should actually be called Specialty Mandheling. "Golden Mandheling" is just a product name created by a company.

Golden Mandheling VS Mandheling G1

The sweetness, cleanliness, and richness of Golden Mandheling are slightly better than G1 (Grade-1), which is why Golden Mandheling is more expensive than G1.

Mandheling G1

This is a coffee bean of a slightly higher grade than regular Mandheling, but defective beans still account for about 8%.

Important Notice :

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