Where is Mandheling Coffee Primarily Grown? What is the Ateng Variety in Indonesian Coffee

Among Indonesian coffees, Mandheling is the most renowned, widely popular for its rich and mellow flavor. At FrontStreet Coffee, we currently offer the Entry Selection series Lindong Mandheling and the famous PWN Golden Mandheling, both of which are top sellers.

Sources of Mandheling Coffee

Mandheling is also known as "Sumatran Coffee." Sumatra is the largest island in Indonesia, primarily divided into two parts: the Barisan Mountains in the west and the lowland plains in the east. The Arabica variety is mainly concentrated in the Barisan Mountains in the northwestern part of the island, specifically in the Gayo production area of the Aceh Special Administrative Region and the Lintong production area of North Sumatra Province. The Barisan Mountains provide numerous volcanic mountain ranges and lakes here, creating ideal conditions for Arabica varieties to grow. In the southeastern lowland regions of the island, the Robusta variety is primarily cultivated.

The Lintong production area is located south of Medan, the capital of Sumatra Island. Here you'll find Lake Toba, the world's largest volcanic crater lake, surrounded by many high mountains. The soil in this region is rich in minerals due to past volcanic eruptions, and coffee is mainly grown on the slopes 1400-1800 meters above sea level along the lake. FrontStreet Coffee's Entry Selection Lindong Mandheling comes from this region. After brewing, it reveals herbal and dark chocolate flavors with a caramel-like rich body and a sweet aftertaste.

The Gayo production area gets its name from the Gayo people and is located in the mountainous region of Aceh Province at elevations of 1300-1600 meters. This area also features multiple volcanoes and numerous volcanic lakes, with the most famous coffee growing region situated near Lake Lawar. FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling comes from the Gayo production area. After brewing, it presents flavors of toasted bread, pine, caramel, and cocoa, with a fragrant and rich body. The overall profile is complex, intense, and balanced, with a persistent caramel sweetness in the finish.

The Ateng Variety

Both of these Mandheling coffees come from the Sumatra region of Indonesia and use the Ateng variety. Many people might think this is a new coffee variety, but it's not. Actually, Ateng is the Catimor variety.

Only Catimor planted in Sumatra and the native islands of Indonesia can be called Ateng. Catimor is a first-generation F1 hybrid group resulting from crossing Timor and Caturra. Catimor has the code designation T-8667, but it needs further selection to determine its characteristics, so Catimor is not a single variety but rather a group of varieties with similar lineage.

The Timor variety originated from the Timor Hybrid found on the island of East Timor, which is a natural hybrid of Arabica and Robusta varieties. It belongs to the Arabica coffee plant but possesses the disease-resistant genes of Robusta. Therefore, the Catimor variety resulting from crossing Timor with Caturra also inherits resistance to leaf rust disease.

Additionally, Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. Caturra has a single gene mutation that results in smaller plant growth. Catimor inherits this characteristic from Caturra, with overall shorter plants that can be planted more densely, resulting in higher yields. It can also be grown at lower altitudes, making it very suitable for Indonesia's island-style production regions. However, the Catimor variety is susceptible to Ojo de Gallo fungal disease, coffee berry disease, and nematode infestation.

Local Names and Varieties

In fact, "Ateng" means "small" in Indonesian, so Ateng is the local name for the Catimor variety in Indonesia. Additionally, the Timor variety mentioned above is called "Tim Tim" locally in Indonesia. Currently, the main coffee varieties cultivated in Indonesia include Typica, Ateng, Tim Tim, and USDA.

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