Indonesia West Java Honey Process Amannis Estate Specialty Black Coffee Light Roast

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
Address: FrontStreet Coffee, Bao'an Qianjie, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Package: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Green coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Indonesia
Roast Degree: Light roast

Country: Indonesia

Estate: Aromanis

Region: Mount Tangkuban Perahu

Roast Degree: Light roast

Processing Method: Honey processing

Varieties: Jember, S-795

Altitude: 1400-1600 meters

Flavor Profile: Fruity, plum, jackfruit flavors with a sweet aftertaste

West Java, Indonesia

West Java Province is a first-level administrative region of Indonesia, in the western part of Java Island. It borders the Java Sea to the north and the Indian Ocean to the south, and includes nearby offshore islands, covering 46,300 square kilometers. Java has a tropical rainforest climate, hot and humid year-round. The plains along the northern coast see the highest temperatures, while the mountainous areas are much cooler, and the high humidity often creates a draining climate.

From November to March of the following year comes the northwest monsoon, bringing rainy, cloudy weather. From April to October comes the southeast monsoon, with more sunny days and less rain. Jakarta's average annual rainfall is about 1,760 millimeters (69 inches). Its average daily high is 30°C (86°F) with a low of 23°C (74°F). In the highland area of Tosari, at 1,735 meters (5,692 feet), the average temperature ranges from 22-8°C (72-47°F). Java's soil is extremely fertile thanks to periodic enrichment from volcanic ash.

The Aromanis Legacy

"Aromanis" is a unique traditional Indonesian sweet snack made from the basic ingredients of flour and sugar. Naming this coffee "Aromanis" suggests that the beans carry a cotton candy-like texture. The beans come from Ciwidey, Garut, in West Java. In fact no special coffee seeds are used; it is coffee processed by natural drying that presents such distinctive flavors, and this flavor is not widely recognized in West Java itself.

The beans are picked from the branches and separated from the fruit, then rinsed and immediately dried. They are "diserok," or turned, every hour to ensure even drying, including at midnight. "This is particularly important at night due to high humidity," said Ariyev of Metamorphosis Coffee (August 5, 2014), translated from the original Indonesian text.

The processing takes 25-26 days. Not surprisingly, Aromanis beans are a little more expensive than regular coffee beans. The Coffee Farmers' Cooperative sells Aromanis green beans at 130,000-150,000 rupiah per kilogram, while Metamorphosis Coffee offers them at a retail price of 80,000 rupiah per 200-gram package.

Honey Processing

Honey processing, also called Honey Process or Miel Process, produces what is known as honey coffee, and plantations in Costa Rica, Panama, and Guatemala have adopted the method. Honey processing means drying the green beans with their mucilage intact. After the outer pulp is removed, a layer of viscous, gelatinous substance remains; traditional washed processing would rinse it away with water, but because water is limited in some high-altitude regions, this direct-drying method was developed instead.

Honey processing is a relatively complex, time-consuming, and difficult method. The first step is selecting high-quality fruit, then removing the pulp while leaving the endocarp, and this is the core of honey processing: the endocarp is rich in sugars and acids that slowly permeate the beans during drying. The second step, drying, is the most important condition for producing high-quality beans.

Honey processing lets coffee keep the cleanliness of washed processing. The brightness decreases somewhat, but the coffee gains sweetness and caramel flavors. By degree of honey processing, honey coffees are divided into yellow honey, red honey, and black honey. The advantage of the method is that it best preserves the original sweet flavors of ripe coffee cherries, presenting the coffee with elegant brown sugar flavors and fruity sweetness, while berry flavors support a red wine-like aromatic base, which makes it a very refined product.

West Java Honey Processing

This honey-processed Aromanis from West Java, Indonesia, scores as high as 92 points in cupping. The bean's English name, Aromanis, means "sweet mango" in Indonesian.

Region: Mount Tangkuban Perahu, Indonesia

Altitude: 1400-1600 meters

Roast Degree: Light

Processing Method: Honey processing

Taste Description: Intense fruit aroma, with plum and jackfruit flavors, clean and sweet aftertaste.

Flavor Profile: Complex floral notes upon entry, tropical fruit flavors reminiscent of mango and jackfruit on the palate, with a smooth, full body and a long, lingering aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Indonesia's islands each offer a distinct character, and anyone who loves coffee has almost certainly tasted them. The country's finest growing areas are Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, home to three coffee names: FrontStreet Mandheling from Sumatra, with moderate acidity and an extremely heavy, rich aroma; Java coffee from the island of Java, an Arabica; and Sulawesi coffee, with full, plump beans and a deep fragrance, where robusta accounts for 90% of output. When it comes to Indonesian coffee, FrontStreet Mandheling is the natural first choice, and it all begins with Mandheling from Sumatra. Mandheling refers to Arabica from Sumatra, grown mostly with the local wet-hulled method: because the parchment is stripped while the coffee is half dry and half wet, the green beans are fully exposed to the air as they dry, which gives the coffee its typical herbal and spice notes. The FrontStreet Mandheling comes from the Toba Lake area of the Lindong region, and to present the classic Mandheling character it is given a medium-dark roast, with a low-acid, full body and the rich aromas of caramel, dark chocolate, and toast, plus a long sweet finish, ideal for anyone who likes a strong cup. For Indonesia at its finest, FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling is the one to seek out: PWN is a trading company that buys up the best local lots of Mandheling green beans and produces only specialty-grade Mandheling, with Golden Mandheling as its signature product. FrontStreet Golden Mandheling follows strict standards and methods for screening defects, working from bean density, size, shape, and color, and the resulting Mandheling goes through one machine sort and a hand sort to remove defects, ensuring the beans are complete, even, large, and bright while reducing the muddy and grassy notes typical of Mandheling; legend has it that in the sun the beans gleam with gold, which is how the name came about. Freshly roasted FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling drinks with sandalwood, herbal, spice, roasted hazelnut, caramel, and dark chocolate flavors, a clean finish, a sweet, rich body, and an alluring aroma with many layers - suited to daily drinking and even better as a gift. In the days before light-roast acidic coffee became popular, Mandheling was considered the richest, most aromatic coffee in the world, so it was often used in espresso blends. Mamba coffee was the distinctive recipe a Taiwanese roaster created at that time, a blend of Mandheling and Brazil that combined the wild character of Mandheling with the smooth body of Brazil, the sweet nut aroma tempering Mandheling's stronger bitterness and herbal notes, which made it hugely popular and kept it in fashion ever since. Because a Mamba at its best needs a rich, golden crema, the full-bodied FrontStreet Classic Blend for espresso and moka pot adds a little robusta to the original recipe and uses a dark roast, drawing out the dark chocolate, nut, and caramel aromas to the fullest, so that even a complete beginner can easily make an authentic Mandheling-style cup.