Introduction to Indonesian Coffee: Sumatuan Flavor Coffee Beans Premium Grade G1 Mandheling

When it comes to FrontStreet Coffee's most popular medium-dark roast coffee, it has to be Mandheling coffee beans. With rich flavor and aromatic fragrance, it's exceptionally full-bodied with remarkably distinct sweet aftertaste - truly a rare fine coffee. Although FrontStreet Coffee has always used Mandheling as a single-origin coffee bean, many coffee shops have discovered its rich chocolate and nutty flavors make it perfect for espresso blends. That's why you might find Mandheling used in blended coffees at other cafes in the market. Indeed, in the era before Blue Mountain became world-famous, Mandheling coffee was considered the world's finest quality coffee. After roasting, the beans are quite large, with raw beans appearing brown or dark green, featuring a special caramel-like aroma, mellow and rich flavor, bitter-sweet taste without acidity. Many coffee connoisseurs, after trying numerous coffee beans with floral and fruity notes, eventually return to Mandheling coffee.

The Origins of Mandheling Coffee

After all this discussion, do you know the complete story behind Mandheling coffee? Today, let's learn about Mandheling coffee knowledge together with FrontStreet Coffee! Mandheling coffee is produced in Sumatra, Asian Indonesia, also known as "Sumatran Coffee," with main production areas including Java Island, Sulawesi Island, and northern Sumatra Island. Although most coffee beans in Indonesia are Robusta, it's Mandheling coffee that has made Indonesian coffee shine in the global coffee world. Mandheling is not a region name, place name, port name, or coffee variety name - so how did its name originate? Actually, it's a mispronunciation of the Indonesian Mandheling ethnic group.

During World War II when Japan occupied Indonesia, a Japanese soldier drank exceptionally mellow coffee at a café. When he asked the owner for the coffee's name, the owner misunderstood and thought he was asking where he was from, so he replied: "Mandheling." After the war, the soldier recalled the "Mandheling" he had drunk in Indonesia. He then commissioned an Indonesian coffee merchant to ship 15 tons to Japan, which became surprisingly popular. The name Mandheling thus spread, and that coffee merchant is now the renowned PWN Coffee Company (PWN). FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling has always been purchased from PWN Company, undergoing one machine selection and three manual hand-sortings, ensuring product quality and excellent flavor!

FrontStreet Coffee: PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans

Country: Indonesia

Grade: G1 Triple Hand-Sorted

Company: PWN

Region: North Sumatra, Aceh GAYO Mountain

Processing: Wet-Hulled

Variety: Ateng

Altitude: 1100-1600m

The Golden Mandheling Legacy

At that time, Mandheling coffee was mainly exported to Japan, where Japanese people have extremely high requirements for coffee quality with very strict management. Coffee often undergoes four manual bean sortings to remove defective beans, producing Mandheling coffee with dark green color and uniform bean appearance. It was precisely because of the excellent quality of Mandheling raw beans that massive market demand was created, making even European and American markets go crazy for it.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, although the title "Golden Mandheling" was spread by the Japanese, PWN preemptively registered the "Golden Mandheling" trademark. Therefore, strictly speaking, only Mandheling coffee produced by PWN Company can be called Golden Mandheling. However, due to the situation of limited Golden Mandheling production but high demand, the market has seen a flood of fake Golden Mandheling. Although some have undergone strict screening with bean sizes similar to authentic Golden Mandheling, if you have a discerning palate, you can still easily taste huge differences in flavor. Japan's "Golden Mandheling" also has its own brand called "Ding Shang Mandheling." As for the flavor characteristics of PWN's Golden Mandheling, everyone can purchase them separately and judge for themselves.

Distinguishing Authentic Golden Mandheling

As mentioned earlier, there are many fake Golden Mandheling coffees in the market, so how can everyone distinguish between real and fake Mandheling? Actually, it's quite simple. FrontStreet Coffee believes it mainly comes down to two points: the PWN Golden Mandheling coffee factory certificate and coffee burlap bags printed with the PWN logo. When purchasing Golden Mandheling, you can ask the seller to show these two items in advance. If they can't produce them, everyone should be extra cautious.

Regional Varieties of Mandheling Coffee

So what's the difference between Golden Mandheling and other Mandheling coffees? FrontStreet Coffee believes the difference lies in the producing company and the coffee bean screening process. Strictly speaking, ordinary Mandheling can achieve a taste similar to Golden Mandheling after screening and selection. However, most of the higher-quality Mandheling from Indonesia has been acquired by PWN Company. The well-known Mandheling coffee is produced around Lake Toba in northern Sumatra.

Traditional Arabica coffee produced in northern Sumatra is generally marketed under the names Lintong and Mandheling. Specifically, Lintong refers to coffee grown in a small area in the Lintong administrative district southwest of Lake Toba. The growing areas are scattered across a high, undulating clay plateau rich in ferns. Lintong coffee is non-shade grown, uses no chemicals, and is almost entirely owned by small private farmers. Mandheling is a broader term that includes Lintong coffee and other coffee-growing areas under similar conditions, such as Diari (capital Sidikalang), northern Lake Toba, etc.

Observant friends will notice that FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu includes other Mandheling varieties besides Golden Mandheling: Aged Mandheling, Lintong Mandheling, and Tiger Mandheling. The main differences still lie in the growing regions. At this point, let's look at Indonesia's map together!

Lintong Mandheling comes from the Lintong Nihuta district southwest of Lake Toba. This large lake is one of the deepest in the world, reaching 505 meters deep. The coffee-producing region is a plateau famous for its rich tree fern species. This area produces 15,000 to 18,000 tons of Arabica coffee annually. Tiger Mandheling comes from the GOYO mountain area in northern Aceh Province, Sumatra. Indonesia, straddling both sides of the equator, has a hot and humid tropical rainforest climate with abundant rainfall, and fertile volcanic soil provides favorable conditions for coffee cultivation. Gayo is a region located on the slopes around Takengon town and Lake Tawar at the northern tip of Sumatra in the Aceh area. The growing region's altitude averages between 1,110 and 1,600 meters. Coffee is almost entirely grown by small farmers under shade trees.

Aged Mandheling Coffee

Aged Mandheling is quite special, referring to Mandheling coffee beans with longer raw bean storage time. Compared to other Mandheling varieties, its characteristic is honey-like sweetness. Successful aged coffee eliminates the less elegant acidity of Mandheling. Acidic components mature and convert to sugars, making the coffee rounder and sweeter when drunk. However, it's worth noting that failed aged Mandheling is like coffee zombies, with flavors difficult to swallow.

Brewing Guide for Golden Mandheling

FrontStreet Coffee stores currently only have one variety of Golden Mandheling for sale, with other Mandheling raw beans being out of stock. Therefore, today I'm sharing Golden Mandheling's brewing parameters and techniques with everyone:

Dripper: KONO

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Temperature: 86-87°C

Grind: Medium-coarse (70% pass-through rate on national standard #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Method:

First pour 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds. Second pour with small water flow in circular motion to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue the third pour to 225g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper (timing starts from bloom). Total extraction time: 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