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Indonesian Coffee Beans | Introduction to Sumatra PWN Golden Mandheling

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, In the Asian region, there are numerous coffee-producing countries such as Papua New Guinea, China's Yunnan province, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Among these, Indonesia is renowned as the world's fourth-largest coffee producer and for its Mandheling coffee beans. Indonesian Coffee Indonesia is a Southeast Asian country, bordering Papua New Guinea, East Timor and

In Asia, there are numerous coffee-producing countries, such as Papua New Guinea, China's Yunnan province, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Among these, Indonesia is renowned as the world's fourth-largest coffee producer and famous for its Mandheling coffee beans.

Indonesian Coffee

Indonesia is a Southeast Asian country bordered by Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. It consists of 17,508 islands, making it the world's largest archipelagic nation, spanning across Asia and Oceania. It is also a country with many volcanoes, with over 500 volcanoes throughout its territory.

Indonesia straddles the equator and has a tropical rainforest climate. The climate remains warm and humid throughout the year, with average temperatures between 25°C-27°C. Due to monsoons, the year is divided into dry and wet seasons. Indonesia is rich in natural resources, with numerous rivers and a forest coverage rate of 67.8%. Combined with volcanic soil, it provides ideal conditions for coffee cultivation. Currently, coffee trees are grown on multiple islands in Indonesia, with coffee-producing regions distinguished by islands such as Sulawesi, Bali, Java, and Sumatra.

Sumatra Island

Sumatra Island is located in western Indonesia and is the country's largest island. The island extends from northwest to southeast, mainly composed of the Barisan Mountains in the west and lowland plains in the east. The island has over 90 volcanoes, and due to volcanic ash, some areas have fertile land suitable for agricultural cultivation including coffee. It also has numerous rivers and lakes, with the most famous being Lake Toba. Currently, coffee in Sumatra is mainly grown in the GAYO Mountains of Aceh Province in the north and the Lake Toba region of Lindu slightly to the south. These areas have coffee grown at altitudes between 1100-1600 meters. FrontStreet Coffee offers a wet-hulled processed FrontStreet Coffee Lindu Mandheling coffee, representing an entry-level selection with herbaceous, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors, with a sweet aftertaste.

Mandheling

Mandheling, also known as "Sumatran coffee," is produced in the Lake Toba region of North Sumatra and the Lake Tawa region of Aceh Province in Sumatra. 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 replied "Mandheling." Later, this coffee was brought back to Japan, and the name Mandheling was retained.

PWN Golden Mandheling

PWN Company's full name is Pwani Coffee Company, established in 1957. It engages in the export business of Indonesian products including coffee, rubber, cinnamon, cloves, and patchouli oil. It was the first company in Indonesia to export coffee from North Sumatra and the first company to make "Mandheling coffee" famous in Japan.

The company has acquired almost all the best producing regions in Indonesia, so most of the coffee beans from PWN Company are specialty coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling is a product from this company. After purchasing the green beans, they undergo multiple manual selections to pick full, defect-free beans. Only these carefully selected coffee beans can be classified as Golden Mandheling. Furthermore, PWN Company has registered Golden Mandheling as a trademark, so only PWN Company's production is the genuine FrontStreet Coffee "Golden Mandheling." In 1968, Japan's Osaka-based Nomura Trading Company visited Indonesia's PWM Company and imported 15,000 kilograms of Sumatran Mandheling coffee. After being introduced to the Japanese market, it became extremely popular, and from then on, Mandheling coffee and Pwani Coffee Company gained widespread fame.

FrontStreet Coffee's Sumatra PWM Golden Mandheling coffee beans:

Origin: Sumatra Island, Aceh GAYO Mountains

Estate/Processing Plant: PWM Company

Altitude: 1100-1600 meters

Variety: Ateng (Catimor)

Processing Method: Wet-hulled

Roast: Dark roast

Flavor: Toast, pine, caramel, cocoa, herbaceous

This FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling coffee bean from PWN Company uses wet-hulled processing and dark roasting. FrontStreet Coffee uses a KONO dripper with a 1:15 ratio at 88°C for brewing. The initial taste reveals toast, pine, caramel, and cocoa flavors. The texture is rich and mellow, with complex layers, intensity, and balance. The finish has a persistent caramel sweetness.