Introduction to Indonesian Coffee Regions, Sumatra Varieties, Mandheling Coffee, and Wet Hulling Method

Indonesia is a Southeast Asian country bordering Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. It consists of 17,508 islands, making it the world's largest archipelagic nation, spanning both Asia and Oceania, and is also a country with numerous volcanoes.

Indonesia is rich in natural resources and is the world's largest archipelagic country, composed of 17,508 islands of various sizes between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Due to its location straddling the equator, it possesses exceptionally favorable conditions for coffee cultivation. Currently, multiple islands in Indonesia grow coffee, including Sulawesi, Java, Bali, and Sumatra. Among these, Sumatra is particularly famous for its Mandheling coffee.

There are three main coffee-producing regions on Sumatra Island: Aceh province in the north, the Lake Toba region slightly further south, and the Mangkuraja region in the south. These regions cultivate coffee at altitudes between 1,100-1,600 meters, with harvesting taking place annually from September to December.

Lintong Mandheling

Previously, what was commonly sold as "Sumatera Mandheling" coffee. However, Mandheling is neither a coffee variety nor a place name, but rather an ethnic group on the island. During World War II, a Japanese officer tasted delicious coffee at an Indonesian café and asked the shopkeeper for the coffee's name. However, the shopkeeper thought he was asking where he was from and answered "Mandheling." The officer later brought this coffee back to Japan and continued using the Mandheling name. Today, FrontStreet Coffee's introductory selection Mandheling comes from Mandheling coffee beans in the Lintong region of Sumatra. Using the wet-hulling method and brewed with V60 at a 1:15 ratio, it presents flavors of dark chocolate, herbal notes, and caramel, with a sweet aftertaste.

PWM Gold Mandheling

PWM is the abbreviation for Pwani Coffee Company, a famous Indonesian green coffee bean supplier. The term "Gold Mandheling" was trademarked early by PWM Company. Therefore, only Mandheling produced by this company can be considered true Gold Mandheling coffee beans. Currently, FrontStreet Coffee's PWM Gold Mandheling comes from Gayo Mountain in North Sumatra's Aceh region. Also using the wet-hulling method and brewed with V60 at a 1:15 ratio, it reveals flavors of toasted bread, pine, cocoa, and subtle herbal notes. The mouthfeel is clean and balanced, with a caramel-like sweetness in the finish.

The Ateng Coffee Variety

Both of these coffee beans are of the Ateng variety. Many people might think this is a new variety, but it is actually the Catimor variety. "Ateng" is simply the local Indonesian name for it. Similarly, Indonesia's TimTim is just the local name for Timor Hybrid.

Wet-Hulling Method

The wet-hulling method, also known as Wet Hulling, is locally called Giling Basah and is a traditional Indonesian coffee processing method. Due to the local weather being predominantly rainy with frequent typhoons and consistently humid conditions, the climate cannot meet the requirements for natural drying. Therefore, coffee farmers use the wet-hulling method to process coffee beans. This method employs washed processing for fermentation, followed by partial drying, then mechanical removal of the parchment before final drying. Finally, the coffee beans enter the storage stage.

Although the name sounds similar to the wet processing method (washed processing), the resulting flavor profile is quite different. Coffee processed using the wet-hulling method typically presents a thick and intense character with particularly distinctive personality.

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