Types and Growing Regions of Indonesian Coffee Beans

For more premium coffee knowledge, please follow the official WeChat account: FrontStreet Coffee

Indonesian coffee is renowned for its mellow and rich flavor profile with exceptionally low acidity. Featuring caramel and dark chocolate-like sweetness with a lingering aftertaste, it has captivated Japanese coffee enthusiasts with an almost obsessive devotion. Indonesia ranks among Asia's major coffee-producing nations and stands globally as one of the top coffee producers. Let FrontStreet Coffee guide you through this remarkable coffee origin!

Indonesian Coffee Development History

Located in Southeast Asia, Indonesia's coffee history dates back to 1696 when the Dutch introduced coffee beans to the archipelago. After successful trials, Java Island was established as the primary region for extensive coffee cultivation. However, in 1877, nearly all coffee trees in Indonesia were devastated by leaf rust disease (a bacterial infection), with Arabica coffee beans proving particularly vulnerable to this blight, resulting in catastrophic losses.

Subsequently, Indonesia had to import Robusta coffee beans from Africa. Robusta's strong disease resistance helped revitalize Indonesia's coffee economy. Today, Indonesia stands as the world's primary producer of Robusta coffee beans, with Arabica beans comprising only 6-10% of the total coffee production. This includes the well-known Mandheling coffee beans. Robusta beans are predominantly cultivated in southern Sumatra, while Arabica beans thrive in northern Sumatra. FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling originates from the Gayo region in Aceh Province, northern Sumatra.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding of Indonesian coffee, the finest farm-to-cup Indonesian coffees come from three regions: Sulawesi Island, Sumatra Island, and Java Island. Among these three regions, Java is the most productive, renowned for its Arabica coffee with bright acidity and clean fruit notes. Today, approximately 90% of Indonesian coffee consists of Robusta varieties, now commonly used in commercial-grade coffee.

Indonesian Coffee History

Arabica coffee plants were first brought to Indonesia in the 17th century by the Dutch East India Company when Indonesia was still under Dutch occupation. Their goal in cultivating coffee was to break the global Arab monopoly on coffee trade.

Initially, the Dutch colonial government cultivated coffee in Bogor and southern Sukabumi, as well as near Batavia (Jakarta). Later, coffee plantations were established in East Java, West Java, and Central Java, with some exceptions in parts of Sulawesi and Sumatra islands. To develop these plantations, vast areas of forest land were cleared and cultivated. The growth of coffee plantations drove significant infrastructure development throughout Central Java during the 19th century. Numerous railways and roads had to be constructed to transport beans from inland areas to various ports for export.

Indonesian Coffee Growing Environment

Indonesia features a typical tropical rainforest climate with average annual temperatures ranging from 25-27°C and no distinct seasons. Annual precipitation ranges from 1600-2200mm. Situated in a volcanic zone, Indonesia boasts fertile soil rich in minerals, creating ideal conditions for coffee cultivation. The altitude for coffee growing ranges between 900-2100 meters, with primary coffee cultivation concentrated around 1200 meters elevation.

Indonesian coffee beans have two main harvest seasons annually. The primary harvest season occurs around September-October, while the secondary harvest season falls in May-June. This year's Indonesian coffee bean exports have increased significantly compared to last year. Analysis suggests that last year's high Indonesian coffee prices led to reduced exports, while increased production in the current season has boosted exports, resulting in substantial growth in Indonesian coffee exports this year.

Indonesian Coffee Bean Varieties

Indonesian coffee beans primarily fall into three categories: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. Among these, there are over 20 main varieties, including common ones such as Catuai, Catimor, Timor, Typica, S288, S795, and Sidikalong.

Indonesian Coffee Bean Cultivation

Currently, Indonesia's coffee cultivation area exceeds 1 million hectares, accounting for 24% of the total arable land. The average coffee cultivation area in Indonesia is 1.7 hectares, with approximately 2.7 billion coffee trees. Among these, 66% are cultivated using modern farming methods on plantations, while the remaining coffee beans are grown on traditional small-scale farms.

Over 95% of Indonesian coffee beans are produced by small-scale farmers, with coffee estates primarily located in East Java and Central Java provinces. Most production follows organic farming practices, with 19 farmer cooperatives and exporters having obtained international organic certification for their coffee.

Wet Hulling Process

Indonesian coffee processing is known as "giling basah," which in other parts of the world is referred to as semi-washed or wet-hulled processing. Once coffee is harvested, it is then pulped and briefly dried. Unlike most other processing methods that dry coffee to 11-12% moisture content, the semi-washed process dries coffee to 30-35% moisture. The coffee is then hulled to remove the parchment layer, exposing the green coffee beans underneath. These naked beans are then dried again until they are sufficiently dry for storage without spoilage. Semi-washed coffees tend to have much lower acidity and more body than most other coffees.

Flavor Profile

Indonesian coffees typically exhibit dark and bold flavors with prominent earthiness. The semi-washed process produces flavors including earthy, musty notes, spices, wood, tobacco, and leather. They usually have a long-lasting finish reminiscent of unsweetened or dark chocolate. The Sumatra region is today's most popular Indonesian origin, renowned for its dark roasting profiles. Sumatra produces Mandheling and Ankola, two of the world's most famous and premium quality coffees. They often have complex smoky or roasted notes. FrontStreet Coffee has found that people's opinions on Indonesian coffee are often polarized—those who love it can't get enough, while those who don't tend to avoid it. When customers visit FrontStreet Coffee asking for a non-acidic pour-over coffee, FrontStreet Coffee typically recommends Indonesian beans first.

Sumatran Mandheling Coffee Beans

When Sumatran coffee beans are mentioned, Mandheling coffee beans immediately come to mind. The main production area for Mandheling coffee beans is located around Lake Toba in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Common varieties of Mandheling coffee include Golden Mandheling, Lintong Mandheling, and Aged Mandheling.

The differences between these three Mandheling varieties are as follows: Lintong Mandheling represents the most traditional Mandheling flavor profile with strong herbal notes. Golden Mandheling represents the premium grade selection, featuring uniformly sized beans all above 18 mesh, hand-sorted more than four times. Its flavor is clean and bright while maintaining excellent body. Aged Mandheling, as mentioned earlier, uses different wet-hulling processing methods that bring out richer flavors, which may not be appealing to everyone. Therefore, when customers ask for a coffee that is both non-acidic and full-bodied, FrontStreet Coffee always recommends Golden Mandheling first.

FrontStreet Coffee PWN Golden Mandheling Example

Flavor Description: Nuts, chocolate, spices, herbs, caramel. Golden Mandheling tastes cleaner than Lintong Mandheling. The typical herbal, earthy, and woody notes of Mandheling are almost completely gone, but the caramel sweetness is more intense, and the fruit acidity is brighter and more elegant.

FrontStreet Coffee PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans

Brewing Parameters: Dripper: Kono dripper, Water Temperature: 86°C, Coffee Dose: 15g, Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15, Grind Size: Medium grind (EK43s grinder setting 11)

Reason for choosing Kono dripper: The Kono dripper has few ribs located at the bottom, causing the filter paper to cling tightly to the dripper. This restricts airflow, increasing contact time between water and coffee grounds, allowing for full extraction and enhancing body.

FrontStreet Coffee Kono dripper

Brewing Method: Using segmented extraction, bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. When pouring to 125g, create a segmentation. Continue pouring to 225g when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed. Extraction time is 2'00" (starting from bloom timer).

Civet Coffee Beans

When discussing Indonesian coffee beans, civet coffee cannot be overlooked. FrontStreet Coffee's bean selection also includes civet coffee. Civet coffee beans are of the Robusta variety because civets typically operate in low to medium altitude areas where most coffee varieties are Robusta. High-altitude Arabica civet coffee is extremely rare.

Although coffee beans are not digested within the civet's digestive tract, the highly corrosive digestive fluids have corroded their surface. These digestive fluids contain special proteases that break down the original protein chains of coffee beans, converting long-chain proteins into small particles, forming short-chain peptides and amino acids.

The processing of civet coffee occurs within the civet's body. Because animals are much more precise than humans in selecting ripe fruits, civets choose only mature, high-sugar coffee beans. After fermentation within their bodies, the coffee beans develop special herbal aromas and excellent body. FrontStreet Coffee's civet coffee truly lives up to its reputation for excellent body and quality.

The controversy surrounding civet coffee extends beyond its unusual flavor to its production methods. Civet coffee is rare and expensive, leading merchants to increase production by farming civets in captivity and feeding them coffee beans. Some argue this deprives animals of their freedom, and overfeeding conditions can affect coffee quality.

FrontStreet Coffee Civet Coffee Example

Flavor Description: Herbal, nuts, dark chocolate, fermented notes.

Brewing Parameters: Dripper: Kono dripper, Water Temperature: 86°C, Coffee Dose: 15g, Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15, Grind Size: Medium grind (EK43s grinder setting 11)

Brewing Method: Using segmented extraction, bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. When pouring to 125g, create a segmentation. Continue pouring to 225g when the coffee liquid is about to dry up and expose the coffee bed. Total extraction time is 2 minutes.

Java Coffee Beans

Java coffee beans feature delicate aromatics, relatively low acidity, fine mouthfeel, and good balance. Java coffee beans surpass Sumatran coffees in both aroma and acidity. Java's climate is tropical rainforest, hot and humid year-round. The plains along the northern coast have the highest temperatures, while mountainous areas are much cooler. High humidity often creates a debilitating climate. Because it is located in a volcanic zone, Java's soil is extremely fertile.

Higher quality Java coffees are mostly found in West Java Province, an Indonesian first-level administrative region. They typically come from state-owned and private estates. State-owned estates, with government support, more easily sell to European and American markets and thus have relatively greater recognition. Plantations are generally situated above 1400 meters elevation, complemented by local typical volcanic soil, creating unique flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee West Java Coffee Example

Flavor Description: Mango, red wine, peach juice, intense fruit notes, with jackfruit and jackfruit flavors, clean and sweet aftertaste.

Brewing Parameters: Dripper: V60 dripper, Water Temperature: 90°C, Coffee Dose: 15g, Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15, Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (EK43s grinder setting 10)

Brewing Method: Using segmented extraction, bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. When pouring to 125g with a small water flow, create a segmentation. Continue pouring to 225g and stop. Extraction time is 2'00".

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473