Sumatra and Mandheling Golden Mandheling Comparison: Higher Body, Lower Acidity, Traditional Wet Hulling Method

FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling region sits in the southern part of Sumatra. In the early days, however, harvested green beans were shipped to Medan before export, so for a long time Sumatran coffee and Mandheling coffee were treated as one and the same, much as Mocha once was. With the gradual spread of the third wave, though, the Gayo region in northern Sumatra (Aceh Province), the Toba region in central Sumatra and the SP Bolon region each developed their own character. Officially, therefore, the Mandheling designation now refers specifically to Mandheling in southern Sumatra. Using Mandheling to mean all of Sumatra is not entirely wrong under older usage, but extending it to Java, Sulawesi and the rest of the Indonesian archipelago is a genuine misconception.

FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling

FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling is familiar to many of our friends, but the name may not mean what many of them imagine.

First, Golden Mandheling does not refer to a golden colour. It refers to large beans: beans of 18 screen or above are called Golden Mandheling. Because many suppliers have found that size has no direct relationship with flavour, fewer and fewer now order Golden Mandheling.

As for why FrontStreet Coffee's aged beans turn golden in colour, it is because the coffee transit hub of Medan is very humid, over 80% humidity, which is why coffee stored for more than 6 months absorbs moisture.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

When comparing Sumatran coffees, traditional wet-hulled Mandheling stands out for its higher body and noticeably lower acidity. FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is the clearest expression of that style, produced by PWN under Grade G1 standards with beans of 18 screen or larger, a requirement that fewer than 3 defects appear in a 300-gram green bean sample, and three rounds of hand sorting on top of one machine sort.

Medium-dark roasted, it delivers a thick, syrupy mouthfeel, restrained bitterness, and distinctive herbal and spicy aromas layered with dark chocolate and caramel. Choose it if you prefer a bold, low-acid cup over a bright, fruity one.

To brew it, FrontStreet Coffee suggests water at 87-88°C, 15 grams of coffee and a 1:15 ratio with a grind about as coarse as granulated sugar. Pour in three stages: begin with a 30ml bloom to wet all the grounds and let them degas, then a second pour of 100ml to bring up the golden foam and lift the bed, and finish with a gentle 95ml pour down the centre to lift the sweetness. The result is a full, thick body with caramel sweetness and chocolate and nut flavours.