Indonesian Mandheling is a favorite among many coffee lovers, but the various names on the market, such as Lintong Mandheling and Golden Mandheling, often leave people confused. This article starts from the several Mandheling products offered by Front Street Coffee, sorting out the historical context of Indonesian coffee, the origin of the Mandheling name, and the unique wet-hulling process of Sumatra. It focuses on comparing Lintong Mandheling and Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling in terms of region, variety, grade, and flavor, and includes Front Street Coffee's roasting approach and pour-over parameters, helping readers understand the character of these two beans, whether for daily pour-over or bean selection.

The most well-known Indonesian coffee bean is undoubtedly Mandheling. Front Street currently has five Mandheling coffee beans with different styles on sale, one of which comes from the Indonesian company Pwani Coffee Company, namely Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans. Customers often ask Front Street how this PWN Golden Mandheling differs from regular Mandheling. To put it plainly, within the Mandheling family, Golden Mandheling is on a completely different level from other Mandhelings!

After comparing these two beans side by side, Front Street Coffee found that Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans have a cleaner and clearer flavor profile, with richer layering than regular Mandheling. The root reason is that Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans undergo more than three rounds of manual sorting and only beans of 18 mesh or above are selected, resulting in uniform bean size and naturally more balanced flavor. Therefore, whether by appearance or taste, the difference between Golden Mandheling and regular Mandheling is obvious at a glance.

Sumatra Mandheling Coffee

Indonesia is located in Southeast Asia, and its coffee cultivation history can be traced back to 1696. At that time, Dutch coffee plantation owners hoped to find broader planting areas and, after several surveys, chose Java Island in Indonesia. Over the following thirty years or so, Indonesia established its foundation in the coffee trade. Today, the representative of Indonesian coffee is Mandheling. Sumatra is a crucial coffee-producing region in Indonesia. Of the Java coffee sold to Europe in the early days, a large portion actually came from Sumatra, and Mandheling is a product of Sumatra.

The Story of Mandheling Coffee

Mandheling was originally the name of an Indonesian tribe, and later, by a twist of fate, it became the name of a coffee bean. There is an interesting story behind this. After the Japanese colonial period in Indonesia ended, Japanese soldiers returned to Japan and could not forget the delicious coffee they had tasted locally, so they asked locals through trading partners to help collect high-quality coffee beans, including this Mandheling. The Japanese loved it dearly and asked for its name. Due to pronunciation habits, they pronounced "Mandailing" as "Mandheling," and thus Mandheling accidentally became the name of this coffee bean. The locals mentioned earlier are precisely the owner of the Indonesian PWN company (Pwani Coffee Company) discussed below.

Sumatra's Unique Processing Method — Wet Hulling

Mandheling mostly uses Sumatra's unique wet-hulling process. The local area is rainy and prone to typhoons, making it difficult to meet the good weather conditions required for natural sun-drying. In addition, limited economic conditions made the higher-cost washed method unaffordable, which gave rise to this highly local processing method.

In the first stage, the skin and pulp are removed with a wooden pulper, followed by fermentation for 3 hours and then drying, reducing the moisture content to a semi-dry, semi-wet 30% to 50%.

In the second stage, the mucilage and parchment layer are removed, and drying continues in the later stage. The drying process takes 2 to 4 days, reducing the moisture content to 12% to 13%.

In addition to the regular wet-hulling method, there is also an aged wet-hulling method. The coffee beans are first processed by the regular wet-hulling method, then sealed and stored in a warehouse for 2 to 3 years. The warehouse must remain cool and ventilated, and the beans must be turned regularly to prevent mold and spoilage. During this period, the acidity of the coffee beans gradually weakens and transforms into sugars, and the color deepens, mostly to yellowish-brown or dark brown. Mandheling processed this way is also called Aged Mandheling coffee beans.

The wet-hulling method creates Mandheling's special flavor, and it can be said that Mandheling is closely tied to wet hulling. However, today's coffee market is no longer satisfied with a single style. Even though wet hulling is Mandheling's characteristic, other processing methods are also being tried, such as the natural Mandheling from Wahana Estate. Changes in processing method also have a premise: on the basis of preserving the coffee bean's original flavor, other flavors are added.

The Difference Between Golden Mandheling and Mandheling Coffee Beans

At present, the most common and widely accepted Mandheling varieties on the market are Lintong Mandheling and Golden Mandheling, among which Lintong Mandheling is the most classic Mandheling.

【Lintong Mandheling】

Front Street Coffee Lintong Mandheling Coffee Beans

Region: Lintong region, Sumatra

Altitude: 1,100-1,600 meters

Variety: Typica, Caturra

Processing Method: Wet Hulling

Flavor: Baked toast, nuts, caramel, pine, herbs

Lintong Mandheling comes from the Lintong highlands in north-central Sumatra, near Lake Toba. Lintong Mandheling is the regular version of Mandheling and also uses the regular wet-hulling method, resulting in low acidity and high body. But wet hulling also brings a problem: the semi-hard, semi-soft moist raw beans are easily crushed when the mucilage and parchment layer are removed, causing the beans to crack and take on a shape resembling a goat's hoof, commonly known as goat hoof beans. This is not a defective bean; rather, it can be said to be a very prominent characteristic of Mandheling. Lintong Mandheling is not particular about sorting, and insufficiently refined processing can easily lead to inconsistent output, but this does not diminish people's love for its rich, full-bodied flavor.

Typica has bronze-colored young leaves, oval or slender pointed beans, and elegant flavor, but it is weak in constitution, poor in disease resistance, and low in yield. In addition to Mandheling coffee beans, several other Front Street coffee beans, such as Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaii Kona and other high-quality coffees, also belong to Typica. Caturra is a natural mutation of the Arabica variety Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its tree is shorter and smaller than Bourbon. Because it inherits Bourbon's bloodline, its disease resistance is relatively weak, but its yield is higher than Bourbon.

【Golden Mandheling】

Front Street Coffee Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans

Region: Mount Gayo, Aceh, Sumatra

Altitude: 1,100-1,600 meters

Variety: Ateng

Grade: G1, 3 times hand-sorted

Processing Method: Wet Hulling

Flavor: Spices, herbs, caramel, pine, nuts, chocolate

Since discovering Mandheling, the Japanese have always paid considerable attention to it and established a strict sorting system while cooperating with local green bean merchants. The processed green beans undergo density and color sorting, as well as multiple rounds of manual bean selection, ultimately producing Mandheling with uniform color and uniform bean shape. It is said that during processing, Mandheling glistens with a golden sheen under sunlight, hence the name Golden Mandheling.

The specifications of Front Street Coffee Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling green beans are 18 mesh or above, with fewer than 3 defective beans (in a 300g green bean sample), belonging to the highest grade G1, with a darker green color and a neat, flat bean shape. After strict sorting, Golden Mandheling not only removes the earthy off-flavors unique to regular Mandheling, but also tastes cleaner and more transparent, with a stronger sweetness.

However, it was not a Japanese company that registered Golden Mandheling as a trademark, but rather the local Indonesian company PWN (Pwani Coffee Company), which cooperated with Japanese companies in exporting Mandheling coffee beans in the early days. The Japanese company registered "Gold Top Mandheling." In terms of flavor performance, the difference between the two is actually not great, but due to different brands and different merchant marketing strategies, it is possible that public opinion may change as a result, so which of the two Golden Mandhelings is better is up to individual judgment.

Ateng is a hybrid between Arabica and Robusta, with several subtypes, widely planted in Sumatra and other small Indonesian islands. To put it plainly, it is a branch of Catimor, and Ateng is the local name.

Front Street Coffee Roasting Comparison

When roasting the two Golden Mandheling coffee beans, Front Street Coffee uses a medium-dark roast level for both, because it is necessary to erase Mandheling's excessive acidity, thereby enhancing its body and balance.

Machine: Yangjia 800N, 550g green beans charged

Front Street Coffee Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Bean Roast Record Sheet

Front Street Coffee Lintong Mandheling Roast Record Sheet

Front Street Coffee Pour-Over Flavor Comparison

Front Street brews these two Mandheling coffee beans using the same brewing parameters. Dripper: Kono dripper; Water temperature: 88°C; Dose: 15 grams; Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15; Grind size: 70-75% passing a No. 20 standard sieve; *Reason for choosing the Kono dripper: The Kono dripper has few ribs and they are located at the lower end. The filter paper fits closely against the dripper, which can restrict airflow, extend the contact time between water and coffee grounds, allow the coffee grounds to be fully extracted, and enhance the full-bodied mouthfeel.

Front Street uses staged extraction, blooming with 30 grams of water for 30 seconds, then pouring in a small circular stream until 125 grams for a stage break. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 grams and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts at the beginning of blooming.) The extraction time is 2'00".

【Flavor Descriptions of the Two Mandheling Coffee Beans】

Front Street Coffee Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Bean Flavor: Layered and varied, full-bodied and clean, highly balanced, with rich nut and caramel aroma, a chocolate note, and a long finish.

Front Street Coffee Lintong Mandheling Coffee Bean Flavor: Herbal and medicinal on the entry, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet finish.

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange More Coffee Bean Information Please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style )

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.