Sumatra Mandheling

What We Taste: Kiwi, cocoa, herbaceous
Region: Batak region of West-Central Sumatra, Aceh
Elevation: 1,100-1,500 meters above sea level
Variety: Catimor, Typica
Processing Method: Giling basah (“wet hulled”)

Description: This delicious coffee is grown on the slopes of Mount Leuser, a volcano near the port of Padang, in the Batak area of Aceh. The Leuser Range is said to be home to one of the most ancient and bio-rich ecosystems on the planet.

Sumatra is the second largest island of the 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia. The islands were formed by volcanic activity, and their mineral-rich soil—fortified with volcanic ash and diverse plant life—has helped to make Indonesia’s coffees among the most famous and celebrated around the world.

Indonesian coffees have long been prized for their creamy body and flavors from chocolate and red fruit to earthy, herbal, umami and sweet tobacco. This cup profile is the result of the country’s unique processing method, called wet hulled, or giling basah, in the Bahasa language.

Giling basah involves hulling the parchment at roughly 50 percent moisture content—versus 10 to 12 percent moisture, as is more common around the world. The parchment is then hulled and bagged and sent to rest—which is also unique to Indonesia. Elsewhere, hulling typically takes places just before the coffee is shipped to the port.

This Grade 1 coffee is “triple-picked (TP)”, referring to the number of times the coffee is hand-sorted for defects. This extra quality control measure further contributes to a very consistent cup comprised of cherries picked at optimum ripeness. Because of the extra care taken in the processing of this coffee, it has a clean, sweet profile with a mild to medium acidity.