Description
A wonderful super fresh Sumatra arrival!
“Mandheling” is one of the broadest coffee trading terms for a regional blend in Indonesia, applying to almost any blend of wet-hulled coffees from across the northern half of the island of Sumatra that suit a generic cup profile that is heavy on the palate, earthy in balance, and complex. Regional coffee blend distinctions in the northern provinces of Sumatra were originally based on human ethnicity, rather than geography: Mandheling is a widespread cultural group found across Sumatra and Malaysia; “Batak”, to use another example, is a Mandheling sub-ethnicity based around Lake Toba and considered a smaller regional coffee pedigree unto itself, and often marketed as such.
Tasting Notes: A very clean traditional Sumatra cup. Best from medium to dark roasts. Fuller bodied with some nice exotic incense spice notes intermingled with a bakers chocolate and smoky cup profile. Light roast are not recommended (for almost all Indo coffees). Medium roasts were nice and balanced, a little lemony acidity upfront mixing with a bunch of spice and hints of an earthy slightly peaty chocolaty factor; a decent roast point for pour-overs or drip. Darker roasts were fuller bodied and very smoky with the spice lingering in the aftertaste, very low acidity; good for dark roast fans, espresso or blend bases.
Roasting Notes: A nice screen for a Sumatra makes it a bit easier to roast then many Sumatra beans. Low in chaff due to the processing (wet-hulled). A longer setup is nice for this cup, gives much more rounded edges and smooth characteristics. Very light roasts are to be avoided, a medium to dark roast matches the cup profile very nicely.
The large majority of coffee blends labeled “Mandheling” tend to be drawn from across a variety of local parchment collectors across two main coffee producing provinces, both of which are fortified with volcanic soils: Aceh and North Sumatra. Aceh province (pronounced AH-CHEY) is the northernmost province of Sumatra and its highland territory, surrounding Lake Tawar and the central city of Takengon, is considered to be the epicenter of one of the world’s most unique coffee terroirs. North Sumatra province, just below Aceh, is a varied territory with high elevation grasslands, mountain ranges, and the massive Lake Toba, another of the island’s most famous coffee producing areas.
Bener Meriah is one of the regencies in Aceh province, sweeping northeastward from Lake Tawar and comprised almost entirely of high elevation rainforest and agriculture.
Sumatra’s smallholder coffee is a complicated process. Notably, processing is typically not overseen by a single individual or team; instead, coffee moves task by task through different parties before reaching its final, fully-dried, state.
Coffee farms in Aceh average 0.5-2 hectares each (even smaller for this group, where farms range from 0.5-1 hectares). Every village with cooperative members has a collector (or more) who receives fresh-picked cherry for washed processing each day, depulping the coffee at their home. Fahman Yoga is the collector of this coffee, coordinating cherry and processing for all 150 farmers working in the area, a combined 369 hectares of diversified farmland.
Processing involves mechanical depulping of cherry and overnight fermentation in nylon sacks, typically for 12 hours’ time. Then the wet parchment is rinsed clean and patio dried for 3-4 days. Here the coffee is mechanically hulled of its parchment, leaving behind just the soft, high-moisture coffee bean (thus earning the term “wet-hulled”), all of which is spread out on large patios to continue drying, from 40% moisture down to about 18%. The green coffee is then bulked and transported again for final drying, where it will reach 13% before being packaged for export. Each handoff is orchestrated by the cooperative, and the members’ coffee is traced throughout each step of the chain.
Mr. Yoga works with PT Trijaya Agro Lestari, an exporter based in Medan on Sumatra’s eastern coast, who ships about 5,000 bags of coffee annually from across northern Sumatra.
Diana Bailey (verified owner) –
This was a big hit with my two Sumatra fans at a French roast. Stands up well to cream (they like that, I do not). Big body with a great smoke and chocolate flavor! I preferred a bit lighter than Full French roast mainly because I could taste more of the earthy/peat. It surprised me how good it was taking it to just second crack in the pan. Both roast levels delivered a gorgeously complex and delicious cup!
Michele Sanders (verified owner) –
Wow, I love my wet hulled Indos, and this one is fantastic! In my Gene Cafe, it took a few roasts to nail it. So worth it – I took it well into rolling second cracks, almost a full minute. I’m drinking it now at day 11 (and did so many days before now), and it just gets better – So smooth, smoky, earthy, with lots of body, and I dare say syrupy on the tongue. Fantastic pourover. Drink it black. I see its gone, but I had to comment.