The Legendary Sumatra Coffee From Indonesia

It has been popular in the world that Indonesia is a prosperous country with the large amount of natural resources. One of them is in producing coffee commodity. Coffee in Indonesia typically has a special characteristics taste. For that reason, Indonesia is included in the top 5 major special coffee players in the international arena, about 95%. The world famous coffee is Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee.

If you’re a coffee lover, you’ve probably heard about Sumatran coffee. As you know that some of the world’s best premium gourmet coffees are grown in Sumatra. Sumatran coffee is absolute legendary. Some of coffee lovers know it because it’s one of the first places coffee was grown on a large scale. That’s why Indonesia has quickly became the one of the largest coffee producing nation in the world.

So, here’s some explanations how Sumatran Coffee becomes famous and being one of the world’s finest coffees.

Sumatran coffees are well-reviewed and well-known worldwide for providing a rich, satisfying earthy flavor profile, distinguished by their full-heavy body and low acidity. This low acidity makes them particularly attractive for people who have a sensitivity to the otherwise healthy organic acids in coffee.

With a body that is as heavy as the best premium coffee, many people mistake Sumatran Coffee for syrup. Despite a mild acidity, the tastes are complex and firm, and sweet tones of chocolate flavor frequently hold wood-earthy undertones. Sometimes notes of licorice and other spice-based flavors may also be present.

The most common processing method that Sumatran Coffee used is wet hulling/semi-washed.  The process is known as ‘giling basah’ in the local language. When the coffee cherries are picked by local farmers, they are depulped right away using homemade machines. After that, the beans are placed in woven bags and left to ferment over the night.

The next day, the remaining pulp is removed by hand, washing off the mucilage, and the beans are left to dry on a patio. Then, the coffee beans with their parchment are partially dried in the farmer’s yard. When the parchment is done removed, the beans are shipped to warehouse and continue to dry. Lastly, the beans continue to be shipped to a port city for exportation and dried for the third time at the port.This wet hulling process means that the beans retain a higher moisture content than other processing methods. While many other of the best coffee-growing countries dry their coffee beans to around 11% residual moisture, the ‘giling basah’ method dries the coffee beans to 50% moisture content.

Why Wet Hulling?

As we know, that wet hulling process is a more crude and a little random way to process the cherries, but one of the reasons the coffee beans are not dried by coffee farmers is because Sumatra has such a wet climate, which is great for growing coffee trees but poses processing difficulties and challenges. Wet-hulled beans are a side effect of Sumatra having such a moist climate: farmers there have particularly less than 4 hours of drying time in a single day. In most coffee processing methods, coffee beans are dried until their moisture levels are between 9-11 percent when they leave the processing facility. Because wet hulling implicates three stages of drying, the coffee’s moisture remains well above 11 percent for a long time, often until it’s finally exported.

The other side, from this kind of processing method, Sumatran coffee has unique characteristics stem that produces coffees with a very full concentrated flavor, complete with a light sprinkle of herbs and spices.

Sumatran coffee comes from a specific region of Indonesia. Most high-quality Sumatran coffees are grown at elevations between 2500 and 5000 feet above sea level. There are three main varieties of coffee beans sourced from the growing regions of Sumatra: Gayo, Mandheling, and Lintong.

Gayo

The Gayo coffee is a type of Arabica from the highest-ground of Gayo, Central Aceh, Indonesia. The Gayo region is named for the nearby Gayo Mountain and is also bordered by Lake Tawar. History records that coffee was first planted in the Gayo highlands in 1924 in Paya Tumpi area, Central Aceh. Previously, in 1913, land clearing for plantation began in line with the completion of the road construction project connecting Bireuen-Takengon.

One of the things that makes Gayo coffee well-known to the world is because this coffee has strong thickness and unique aroma, due to the hereditary cultivation of organic coffee, for example, the fertilization process is carried out using compost from the skin of fermented coffee. Another reason why Gayo coffee known globally is that the production, processing, and presentation processes are carried out with high standards.

Mandheling

The Mandheling coffee is a type of arabica from Bukit Barisan highlands, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Mandheling coffee named after the Mandailing local natives that cultivate the top specialty coffee. This type of Arabica was first introduced by Dutch in 1833. The location of Mandheling coffee plantation has a wealth of volcanic soil and a tropical climate. This is what makes this coffee variety superior even though it is planted in areas that are not too high, which is around 900-1400 above sea level.

Mandheling is grown in the north and is respected by many to be the best coffee beans that Sumatra produces. Mandheling beans are semi-washed and sun-dried, and brew a super smooth cup with a rich, full, and heavy body. There is no doubt that the delicacy of Mandheling coffee has been recognized worldwide. Many important events of public figures serve Mandheling coffee as one of the guests’ beverages.

Lintong

Lintong coffee is grown in the District of Lintong Nihuta, to the south-west of Lake Toba. The coffee production area is a high plateau, known for its diversity of tree fern species. This area produces 15,000 to 18,000 tons of Arabica per year. A neighbouring region, called Sidikalang, also produces Arabica coffee. Sidikalang coffee has strong aroma and taste, yielding a spiciness that is similar to Lintong Nihuta. It has low acidity with a sweet chocolate flavor and is best served brewed ‘tubruk’ style — or simply black without the addition of sweet sugar.

This Lintong coffee is sweet with a medium body, low acidity, complex aroma, and a unique cedar and spice flavour not found in any other coffee. High quality Lintongs are distinguished from their local relatives by their clean and brighter acidity, as well as lesser aftertaste. Compared to Mandheling, Lintong coffee has a dark chocolate taste with a bit of earthy flavor.

Some interesting facts about Sumatran Coffee that you should know:

Well, if you’re curious to see where your taste buds stand on one of the oldest varieties of coffee available, you should definitely give a try to Sumatra Coffee. If you’re into a clean cup with a spicy, earthy flavor profile, this might be your new favorite and friend. This coffee tends to work really well in premium-quality blends as it offers an interestingly complex base-note for other flavors.

Also, if you are interested to buying or want to know more about Sumatran Coffee, just hit that contact link and we’ll be waiting for your curiosity about this world-class coffee.