Mandheling is not a region name, place name, port name, or coffee variety name. Its name actually originated from a mispronunciation of the Indonesian Mandailing ethnic group. During World War II, when Japan occupied Indonesia, a Japanese soldier drank an exceptionally aromatic and rich cup of coffee in a café. He asked the owner for the name of the coffee, but the owner misunderstood and thought he was asking where he was from, so he replied: Mandheling. After the war, the Japanese soldier recalled the "Mandheling" he had drunk in Indonesia. He then arranged for Indonesian coffee traders to ship 15 tons to Japan, and it unexpectedly became very popular. That is how the name Mandheling spread.

The "Golden Mandheling" that people often see—what exactly is "Golden Mandheling"?

Mandheling coffee became famous because Pwani Coffee Company (PWN) successfully brought Mandheling to the Japanese market. The owner of PWN was also the café owner mentioned at the beginning of Front Street's article. Unlike many local Indonesian green bean traders, PWN is the exclusive supplier of high-grade Golden Mandheling coffee and has contracted Indonesia's best Mandheling coffee-producing regions, so the Mandheling beans it produces are all top-grade. The Golden Mandheling coffee that has long occupied the upper right corner of Front Street's bean list comes from PWN, and the Dongshankou store also displays the burlap sacks used for green bean packaging and the certification certificates.

The wet-hulling process saves a great deal of time and labor costs in green bean processing. However, the rapid process also brings a higher defect rate, so only strict hand sorting can remove defects that machines cannot screen out. PWN gives the Mandheling green beans it purchases one machine sorting plus three hand sortings. Its quality is far higher than Indonesia's local highest G1 grade. To meet PWN's Golden Mandheling production standards, the following points must be satisfied:

1. Green bean screen size: one hand sorting18-19mesh and above

2. 300In a gram sample of green beans, defective beans fewer than3pieces

3. Green coffee bean grade isG1grade

4. The color is darker green, uniform in size, and neat in shape.

Before Front Street launches a coffee bean, it tastes the coffee in the form of cupping. Cupping is an evaluation of coffee bean quality and flavor. A unified standard allows a more objective identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the flavors presented by the beans, as well as their characteristics. After cupping, Front Street found that the Lindong Mandheling everyday drinking beans present intense nutty notes, with a hint of melon aroma in the finish. After the temperature drops, herbal plant flavors emerge, with a full body and saturated aroma. PWN Golden Mandheling not only has the aromas of dark chocolate, nuts, and caramel, but also flavors of herbal spices and pine wood. It has the sweet aftertaste of dark chocolate, a long finish, and high cleanliness. After the temperature drops, it carries gentle fruit acidity.

What variety is Golden Mandheling?

Indonesia grows many varieties. The coffee variety originally planted in Indonesia was Typica, recognized for its excellent flavor, introduced by the Dutch at the end of the 17th century. In 1877, almost all coffee trees in Indonesia were severely affected by leaf rust disease, and large areas of Typica trees withered. To solve this predicament, the Indonesian government introduced the more disease-resistant Robusta variety from Africa and elsewhere. Until now, Robusta remains Indonesia's main variety.

In order to increase coffee production, Indonesia has continuously introduced various disease-resistant varieties from other countries. Among them, the Robusta and Arabica hybrid varieties Tim Tim, Bor Bor, and the Catimor series Ateng, due to their good disease resistance and adaptation to Sumatra's terroir, present a unique cedar-like aroma. At present, Ateng and Tim Tim already account for as much as 70% of Sumatra coffee. Front Street's Indonesian Lindong Mandheling everyday drinking beans are a blend of Tim Tim and Ateng, while Golden Mandheling is selected from Ateng, which is what we call Catimor.

Sumatra-style semi-washed method——Wet-hulling method

Indonesia's humidity is 70%–90% year-round. If the washed processing method were used for coffee, the green beans would already become moldy and spoiled in the humid air before they were completely dried. Therefore, they developed a semi-washed method that greatly shortens processing time. In the wet-hulling method, the outer skin of the coffee cherry is first removed with a pulping machine, and the beans are directly poured into a tank for a short fermentation of several hours. At this point, a small amount of mucilage still remains on the parchment. The mucilage is removed by scrubbing. Then the parchment beans are sun-dried. When the green beans reach a moisture content of 30–40% after the first drying, the coffee farmers sell the green beans to collectors. The collectors directly hull the semi-dry parchment beans they purchase to accelerate drying, removing the mucilage and parchment to obtain green beans. 

Obviously, wet hulling shortens the coffee bean fermentation period, reduces acidity, increases body, and increases grassy and herbal notes. The "naked beans" still absorb moisture from the hot and humid air, forming the earthy, herbal, and cedar-wood "muted aroma" unique to Sumatra. After roasting, they carry even richer roasted aromas of dark chocolate, caramel, and nuts. The baristas at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) taste its aroma in the form of pour-over.

Front Street pour-over suggestions

Brewing water temperature: 87–88°C 

Coffee powder: 15 grams 

Coffee-to-water ratio 1:15

Dripper: KONO dripper

Grind size: medium-coarse grind (70% passing rate on China standard No. 20 sieve)

The brewing method uses a three-stage pouring method. Pouring in three stages can better express the full body of Golden Mandheling coffee as well as its caramel sweetness.

In the first stage, pour 30 ml for blooming. This pour fully wets the coffee grounds and allows degassing, in order to better extract the coffee's flavor compounds afterward.

In the second stage, pour 100 ml. This stage mainly washes out Mandheling's golden foam and raises the coffee bed.

In the final stage, gently pour 95 ml in the center. This can enhance the coffee's sweetness.

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