An Introduction to Indonesian Premium Coffee Beans — Java Coffee and the Growing Regions of Indonesian Arabica

Among the many coffee-producing Asian countries, Indonesia stands out as one worthy of special attention. Indonesia is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, with its islands distributed on both sides of the equator. Three of these islands—Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi—produce coffee renowned in coffee circles for their typical and pure flavors. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss these Indonesian growing regions with you.

Java

Java is the fifth largest island of Indonesia and holds an extremely important position in coffee history. "Java coffee" typically refers to the Arabica coffee beans produced here. Unlike most other Indonesian coffees that grow on small farms and undergo preliminary processing, Java coffee is typically grown on large farms or plantations. Most are government-operated and use modern methods for washed processing. The variety belongs to S795, locally called Jember, and is artificially cultivated.

The coffee growing areas of Java Island are divided into three parts: West Java, East Java, and Central Java. Java Island features mountainous, hilly, and volcanic terrain, with coffee mostly distributed at an altitude of 1400 meters. As early as 1696, coffee was introduced to Jakarta in western Java Island from India for cultivation. In 1711, the first batch of coffee was exported from Java to Europe by the Dutch East India Company, continuing into the 20th century. Today, however, Java has long lost its prominence, with Sumatra and Sulawesi now being the mainstream of Indonesian coffee. Java produces refined aromatic coffees with relatively low acidity, delicate mouthfeel, and good balance. The best plantations here include Blawan, Jambit, Kayumas, and Pankur.

Sulawesi

The old name of Sulawesi Island is Celebes. Sulawesi Island is one of the oldest islands in the archipelago, with exposed rocks dating back more than a million years. Yellow-red podzolic soils, for example, are found in the coffee production areas. These soils often have several layers of clay beneath the surface, rich in iron content. The most famous growing region is Tana Toraja, located in the highlands of South Sulawesi.

Kalosi, located south of Toraja, is the main metropolitan area of this region. A few particularly interesting coffee beans processed using the washed method offer intriguing flavors worth exploring and are highly recommended for tasting when given the opportunity. The semi-washed processing method is common for general Sulawesi Island coffee, and the region also produces quite a lot of Robusta beans. The name of this place is most often used to represent Sulawesi coffee, known for its full body, rich flavors, and deep yet lively acidity.

Sumatra

If you enjoy drinking full-bodied black coffee, you must have heard of Indonesia's Mandheling, also known as "Sumatra coffee"—beans that come from Sumatra Island. The entire Sumatra is divided into eight provinces, but only the high-altitude Aceh Province and North Sumatra Province (referred to as North Sumatra) grow Arabica coffee on a large scale. As part of the tropical rainforest region, Sumatra's mountains and forests are often shrouded in clouds and rain, adding a mysterious aura to the island.

Sumatra is one of the world's earliest large-scale coffee growing regions, with most coffee coming from the northern Aceh Province and the North Sumatra Province south of Aceh (referred to as North Sumatra). The two main producing areas are centered around the region's famous volcanic lakes—Lake Toba and Lake Tawar—traditionally called the Lintong growing region and Aceh growing region. Volcanoes have brought fertile soil to Sumatra, and the coffee here typically carries aromas of spices, nuts, chocolate, and herbs, deeply loved by numerous enthusiasts.

According to legend, during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in World War II, a Japanese soldier drank exceptionally fragrant coffee at a café. When he asked the shop owner about it, the owner misunderstood and thought he was asking "Where are you from?" and replied: "Mandailing." After the war, the Japanese soldier recalled the "Mandheling" he had drunk in Indonesia and commissioned locals to ship 15 tons to Japan, which surprisingly became very popular. The name Mandheling thus spread.

Located on the equator, Sumatra Island has a typical tropical rainforest climate, with year-round rain and humidity, frequent typhoons, and scarce freshwater resources. At that time, coffee farmers had relatively poor economic conditions and couldn't process large quantities of coffee beans using traditional washed methods. To sell coffee as quickly as possible, they were forced to develop the wet-hulling method, which takes only 4 days. The so-called wet hulling involves "forcefully" removing the parchment layer wrapping the green beans before they are fully dry, so the green beans complete their final drying in a "naked" state.

After harvesting, the coffee cherries have their outer skins removed by a pulping machine, then are briefly fermented in pools for several hours. At this point, a small amount of mucilage remains on the bean parchment, which is removed through brushing. Next, the parchment beans are dried in the sun. When the green beans reach their first drying stage with 30-40% moisture content, the coffee farmers sell the green beans to buyers.

Buyers use special machines with greater friction to directly hull the purchased semi-dry parchment beans, removing mucilage and parchment to obtain the inner beans. Finally, they continue sun-drying for 2-4 days until the moisture content drops to 12-13%. Although the time for each step is greatly reduced, the "naked beans" still absorb moisture from the hot, humid air, giving the produced Mandheling coffee additional woody, herbal, and earthy "muted aromas." Several Mandheling varieties sourced by FrontStreet Coffee are produced using wet hulling. FrontStreet Coffee aims to present the typical full-bodied character, so we use medium-dark roasting.

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