Mandheling Coffee Originated From Which Country?

Mandheling is an Indonesian coffee, but the name did not come from a place. It traces back to a misreading: during World War II a Japanese soldier asked a shop owner about the coffee, and the owner answered with the name of the Mandailing people. In 1968, Nomura Trading of Osaka imported 15,000 kilograms of Sumatra Mandheling into Japan.

Indonesia is the largest coffee-producing country in Asia, and Sumatra's wet-hulling process gives Mandheling its full body and rich aroma of herbal spice, dark chocolate and caramel. The top representative, PWN Golden Mandheling, follows strict bean selection, and pour-over parameters such as ratio, water temperature and grind size help bring out those notes.

Indonesia, as the country with the highest coffee production in Asia, is world-famous for its Mandheling coffee, known for its full body and rich aroma. But did you know that this name actually originated from a linguistic misunderstanding? The unique flavor code of Mandheling is also hidden in the wet-hulling process specific to Sumatra. This article, from the perspective of Front Street, will sort out the origin of the Mandheling name, how the wet-hulling process shapes its flavor, and the bean selection standards of its top representative, PWN Golden Mandheling. At the same time, Front Street will also share practical parameters for pour-over Golden Mandheling, including coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, grind size, dripper choice, and a three-stage pouring scheme, to help you fully experience this coffee's herbal spice, dark chocolate, and caramel sweetness.

Indonesia is the largest coffee-producing country in all of Asia, and what has made it widely renowned is precisely that cup of rich, intense Mandheling. Today, Front Street will take everyone into this solidly aromatic Indonesian coffee.

How did the name Mandheling come about?

Unlike many coffee beans, the name Mandheling has a widely circulated story behind it, and it actually originated from a misreading of the name of an indigenous ethnic group in Indonesia.

During World War II, a Japanese soldier drank coffee in a shop in central Indonesia. He asked the owner what coffee he was drinking, and the owner mistakenly thought the other party was asking where he was from, so he answered "Mandailing" (the Mandailing people). After the war ended, the Japanese soldier returned home and remembered that the special-tasting coffee from back then seemed to be called "Mandheling." In 1968, Nomura Trading Company of Osaka, Japan, went to Indonesia and visited N.V. Pawani Medan, importing 15,000 kilograms of Sumatra Mandheling coffee. After being launched on the Japanese market, the response was enthusiastic. Since then, the fame of Mandheling coffee and Pwani Coffee Company rose together.

The wet-hulling process gives Mandheling its distinctive flavor

Mandheling is produced on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This place is near the equator, with high temperatures and abundant rain all year round, and typhoons also visit frequently, so it is very difficult to copy on a large scale Africa's natural process or Central and South America's washed process for treating green beans.

In order to adapt to this hot and humid climate, the fermentation and drying time of green beans must be compressed, and producers also hoped to reduce various costs, so the locals developed a "semi-washed" processing method.

The specific method is: first remove the outer skin of the coffee fruit, then after a short fermentation of a few hours, carry out sun drying. When the moisture content of the parchment coffee drops to 30-50%, the beans are still in a semi-dry state. At this point, the locals use specially made hulling equipment to remove the still-hard parchment layer by friction, then continue drying the hulled beans until they reach the target moisture content, and finally pack them for storage to await quality inspection.

Because every step is completed in an environment with 70-90% humidity, and because the parchment layer has already been removed before the final drying, the "exposed" green beans easily absorb moisture from the air. Therefore, the resulting Mandheling coffee carries a more steady aroma of wood, herbs, and spices. Front Street believes that this is precisely the source of the unique flavor of Sumatra Mandheling, so Front Street has also included Mandheling from the Lintong region in its high-value daily coffee series, giving everyone a chance to experience Mandheling's muffled aroma and mouthfeel.

Top-tier Mandheling — PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee

When it comes to Indonesia's most well-known coffee brand, the first thing Front Street thinks of is the Golden Mandheling coffee produced by Pwani Coffee Company.

Pwani Coffee Company (PWN) is a famous Indonesian green bean buyer, mainly purchasing Mandheling green beans of outstanding quality. Golden Mandheling coffee is their signature product, and PWN also registered the English name Golden Mandheling as a trademark, becoming the exclusive supplier of Golden Mandheling. Therefore, if you want to buy authentic Golden Mandheling, only PWN can provide it. When Front Street purchases Golden Mandheling green beans from PWN, the burlap sacks holding the beans are printed with a clear PWN company logo and come with a certification certificate provided by PWN. These two "markers" are both displayed at Front Street's Dongshankou store.

PWN Company puts wet-hulled Mandheling green beans through one machine selection plus three manual hand selections to ensure the batch reaches Indonesia's highest grade, G1. The machine selection uses an 18-mesh screen, first screening out beans above 18 mesh, and then through multiple hand selections removes irregular defective beans. The reduced defect rate greatly improves the quality of Mandheling coffee. Front Street once conducted a cupping comparison between ordinary Mandheling and Golden Mandheling and found that Golden Mandheling's spice and dark chocolate flavors were clearer, off-flavors were noticeably reduced, and the overall cleanliness was very high.

Front Street believes that Mandheling's greatest characteristics are its high body and unique herbal spice aroma, so it uses a medium-dark roast so that the coffee aroma does not become entirely caramelized. Freshly roasted Mandheling needs 7-10 days of degassing and resting before it enters its optimal flavor period. Front Street hopes that every customer who places an order can drink full aroma, so it only ships coffee beans freshly roasted within 5 days, allowing everyone to still enjoy the complete optimal flavor period when they receive them.

How do you adjust the parameters for pour-over Golden Mandheling coffee?

A delicious cup of pour-over coffee requires adjusting all brewing parameters into the appropriate range, mainly including coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, grind coarseness, and a steady pouring method.

Coffee-to-water ratio: When Front Street produces a cup of coffee, it usually uses 15 grams of coffee grounds, following a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio to extract about 200 grams of coffee liquid, serving 1-2 people.

Water temperature: The main component of a cup of coffee is water. A suitable water temperature can release the aromatic substances in coffee, so water is very crucial. If the water temperature is too high, the extraction yield will be too large, and Golden Mandheling, which has a darker roast, can easily extract bitter large-molecule substances. Front Street uses a water temperature of 87-88°C for extraction.

Grind setting: Coffee beans after medium roasting expand and have a loose texture. After being ground into powder, they absorb more water and accelerate the release of various substances. In order to avoid over-extraction, Front Street adjusts the coffee grind coarser, reducing the release of bitter large molecules during extraction. Here, a medium coarseness is chosen. Using a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve, the passing rate is 70%. The EK-43s grind setting at Front Street's store is 11.

Dripper: Using different drippers to extract coffee, combined with the characteristics of the dripper, can present a better sense of layering in the cup. The upper part of the KONO is a smooth curved surface, which makes the filter paper fit more closely, restricts airflow from going upward, and allows hot water only to flow downward, forming a siphon-style extraction effect, allowing the aromatic substances in the coffee grounds to be released more fully, thereby enhancing the coffee's body. Front Street uses the KONO dripper to brew Golden Mandheling, Brazil Queen's Estate, and Papua Bird of Paradise, among others.

Three-stage pouring: Front Street first moistens the dripper, which also helps the filter paper fit tightly against the edge. Use 30g of water for blooming, with a blooming time of 30s. In the first stage, pour in a small stream in circles until 125g, then stop. When the liquid level drops to the point where the coffee bed is about to be exposed, continue with the second stage of pouring until 225g to end extraction. The total extraction time (including blooming) is 2'00.

Flavor description of pour-over Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee

It drinks with aromas of herbs, cinnamon-like spices, dark chocolate, and nuts, along with caramel sweetness, creamy and smooth, with a lasting finish and very good balance. From hot to cool, the overall layering is varied, rich and intense, and the mouthfeel is quite clean.

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