Whether in-store or on the Tmall flagship store, customers frequently ask Front Street Coffee how to choose coffee beans. This is because Front Street Coffee currently displays over 30 varieties of coffee beans, all sourced from different producing regions around the world, each with its own merits, and new coffee regions are added from time to time. Mandheling coffee is one of the most familiar coffee beans to Chinese people, but do you also know about its history, culture, and stories? Customers who come to Front Street Coffee are not just there to drink a cup of coffee, and Front Street Coffee is not just there to serve a cup of coffee.

The Origin Story of Mandheling
 

In the 17th century, the Dutch first introduced Arabica seedlings to Ceylon (today's Sri Lanka) and Indonesia. In 1877, a large-scale disaster struck the Indonesian islands. Coffee rust disease destroyed almost all the coffee trees, forcing people to abandon the Arabica they had cultivated for many years and introduce disease-resistant Robusta coffee trees from Africa.

Today, Indonesia is a major coffee-producing country. Coffee is mainly grown in Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. Robusta accounts for 90% of total production, while Sumatra Mandheling is a rare Arabica variety. These trees are planted on hillsides at altitudes between 750 and 1,500 meters. The mysterious and unique Sumatra variety gives Mandheling coffee a rich aroma, full body, intense flavor, and slight hints of chocolate and syrup. Mandheling coffee beans are relatively large and hard, and are prone to defects during cultivation. After harvesting, they usually undergo strict manual sorting. If the control process is not strict enough, quality can easily become uneven. Different roasting levels also directly affect the taste, making it a single-origin coffee that generates considerable debate.

The name Mandheling is very different from other coffee beans. It is not a producing region, place name, port name, or even the name of a coffee variety (such as Yirgacheffe or Sidamo, which are names of African producing regions). Its name is merely a mispronunciation of the Indonesian Mandheling ethnic group.

Why would this ethnic group be connected to coffee? There is actually a serendipitous legend: During World War II, Japan occupied Indonesia. One Japanese soldier drank exceptionally delicious coffee at a certain coffee shop. He immediately asked the shop owner the name of the coffee, but due to the language barrier, the shop owner thought he was asking, "Where are you from?" So he answered, "Mandheling."

After World War II ended, this Japanese soldier recalled the " Mandheling " he had drunk in Indonesia, so he asked an Indonesian broker to ship 15 metric tons of Mandheling to Japan. It turned out to be extremely popular in the Japanese coffee market, and thus the name Mandheling has been passed down to this day. (This broker founded what is today the renowned Pwani Coffee Company, or PWN, in the Indonesian coffee industry, and is also the trademark owner of Golden Mandheling.)

Mandheling Coffee Processing
 

Sellers often label Lintong and MandhelingMandheling coffeeas dry-processed. In fact, the pulp and coffee seeds are often separated through various mixed methods, with a more common one being a backyard-style wet processing. Clever farmers put freshly picked coffee cherries into crude pulpers assembled from scrap metal, wood, and bicycle parts. The pulped, sticky wet beans are then placed in plastic woven bags to ferment overnight. The next morning, the fermented, softened pulp and mucilage are washed off by hand. The coffee still wrapped in silver skin is spread on thin boards in the front yard to pre-dry, then sent to the middleman's warehouse to remove the silver skin and further dry. Finally, the coffee is transported by truck to Medan Port (the capital of Sumatra), completing the third and final drying.

It is also reported that in other Mandheling producing regions, after the pulp is removed, the mucilage is allowed to dry onto the beans, similar to Brazil's semi-washed process. The dried mucilage and silver skin are then removed by machine. Finally, the same two-stage drying is carried out, first at the middleman's warehouse and then at the exporter's warehouse in Medan Port.

Processing and Sumatra's characteristics. I describe these processing steps in such detail because it is still unclear to what extent the soil and atmosphere, the unusual processing techniques, and the three-stage drying each influence the formation of the characteristics of Lintong and Mandheling coffees. Only one thing is certain. These processes occasionally produce excellent coffee while also being extremely inconsistent. Only the ruthless sorting in the exporters' warehouses at Medan Port can ensure that the deep body and unique, understated richness of Lintong and Mandheling can emerge from beneath the interference of other off-flavors.

Sumatra Mandheling DP Grade 1 and Aged Sumatra Mandheling
 

The most famous coffee-producing areas in Asia are the islands of the Malay Archipelago: Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan. Among them, Sumatra Mandheling coffee from Indonesia's Sumatra Island is the most renowned. It has two famous grades: Sumatra Mandheling DP Grade 1 and Aged Sumatra Mandheling. Sumatra Mandheling DP Grade 1 has a long finish and a wild fragrance, the distinctive earthy taste of the primeval forest.

In addition to the mellow taste characteristic of Indonesian coffee, it also has a bittersweet flavor, sometimes mixed with a slight mustiness, and is deeply loved by those who enjoy strong roasted coffee. Aged Sumatra Mandheling coffee is called "aged" because it is stored in cellars for three years before export. But aged coffee is by no means stale coffee; rather, it is a slightly pale coffee that has undergone special processing. This coffee is more intense, with lower acidity but higher body and a longer finish, and it also carries a strong spice note—sometimes tart, sometimes walnut, sometimes chocolate.

In the era before Blue Mountain was introduced to the world, Mandheling coffee was considered the finest in the world. After roasting, the beans are quite large. The green beans are brown or dark green, with a special caramel-like aroma, a mellow and rich taste, and a sweet-bitter character without soft acidity, yet with bitterness. Production is relatively small, so the price is slightly higher than ordinary coffee beans.

Mandheling Coffee Producing Regions
 

Mandheling coffee is produced in Sumatra, Indonesia, in Asia, and is also known as "Sumatra coffee." The main producing areas include Java, Sulawesi, and Sumatra, of which 90% is Robusta. Among them, the "Mandheling" produced on Sumatra Island is the most famous. The best of the refined traditional Arabica coffees produced in northern Sumatra are sold on the market under the names Lintong and Mandheling. Strictly speaking, Lintong refers to coffee grown in a small area southwest of Lake Toba in the Lintong administrative region.

The small coffee-growing areas are scattered across a high, undulating clay plateau covered with ferns. Lintong coffee is not shade-grown, uses no chemicals, and is almost entirely owned by smallholders. Mandheling is a broader term, including Lintong coffee and coffee from Diari (capital Sidikalang) and the northern Lake Toba growing areas under similar conditions.

Mandheling Coffee Color

Mandheling's flavor is very intense—aromatic, bitter, and full-bodied, with a slight sweetness. Most coffee enthusiasts drink it as a single origin, but it is also an indispensable variety in coffee blends.

Mandheling has a heavy taste, with rich body and a full, lively dynamism. It is neither astringent nor sour, and its body and bitterness are fully expressed. The appearance of Mandheling coffee beans can be said to be the ugliest, but coffee lovers say that the worse Sumatra coffee beans look, the better, mellower, and smoother they taste. Mandheling coffee is considered the fullest-bodied coffee in the world. When tasting Mandheling, you can feel a distinct smoothness on the tip of your tongue. It also has relatively low acidity, but this acidity can still be clearly tasted. The lively slight acidity mixed with the richest aroma allows you to easily appreciate the lively element within its gentle richness. In addition, this coffee also has a faint earthy fragrance, which some describe as an herbal aroma.

Since Mandheling coffee beans themselves lack acidity, special brewing methods are generally based on Mandheling coffee beans. Even during prolonged warming or when making iced coffee, no unpleasant sour or astringent taste appears.

What Are the Common Mandheling Varieties?
 

Here we present four Mandheling varieties from Front Street Coffee: Lintong Mandheling, Golden Mandheling, Tiger Mandheling, and Aged Mandheling.

1. Lintong Mandheling

A specialty Mandheling produced in the Lintong region. The beans are relatively large and hard.

Indonesian coffee varies greatly in quality, but what we commonly call Mandheling refers to Typica or its variants grown in the mountains around Lake Toba. Coffee gourmets around the world have commented: Sumatra Mandheling coffee has the best body in the world. Mandheling coffee beans are relatively large and hard, and because there are many defects, strict selection is required during processing.

Mandheling coffee is an indispensable variety in coffee blends. Its coffee flavor is rich, sweetly aromatic, purely bitter, and full-bodied, with a slight sweetness and mild acidity.

Front Street Coffee: Lintong Mandheling Coffee Beans
Region: Lintong

Altitude: 1,100-1,600m

Variety: Typica, Caturra

Processing Method: Wet-hulled

2. Golden Mandheling

Golden Mandheling has been trademarked by Indonesia's PWN company, making Golden Mandheling exclusive to PWN. Golden Mandheling is produced in the Gayo Mountains of Aceh, North Sumatra. The variety is Ateng. Ateng is a hybrid between Arabica and Robusta, widely planted in Sumatra and other small Indonesian islands. It is actually a branch of Catimor; Ateng is the local name. Golden Mandheling screen 19 undergoes four rounds of manual selection, with higher quality requirements.

Front Street Coffee: PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans

Region: Gayo Mountains, Aceh

Altitude: 1,100-1,600 meters

Variety: Typica

Processing Method: Wet-hulled

Roasting Curve

Front Street Coffee believes that Golden Mandheling is a green bean with relatively high moisture content, with a relatively large deviation in moisture compared to sun-dried beans, so special attention must be paid during dehydration. For green beans with high moisture content, after loading the beans, immediately close the damper, steam for 30 seconds, then open to 3, until the color of the green beans turns light green or white, open the damper to 4, and after first crack open to 5 (maximum).

Brewing Parameters
 

For everyday Mandheling brewing, Front Street Coffee recommends using a KONO dripper, because it can bring out a rounder, fuller body and a more direct flavor expression. The only exhaust part of the Kono dripper is that one-quarter of the ribbing. When the water level passes over the ribbed area, the water level in the dripper keeps rising, increasing pressure through the weight of the water. Since the outlet is relatively small, it can extend the contact time between coffee particles and water a little longer. As the water flow drives this, it can more effectively extract soluble substances. With this brewing method, Front Street Coffee can generally achieve the high-body effect customers expect.

Dripper: Kono dripper

Water Temperature: 86°C

Coffee Dose: 15 grams

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine (BG#6W)

Brewing Method:Pulse Pouring
 

Use 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in a small stream in circles to 125 grams and pause. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 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 the bloom.) Extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor Description
 

Layered and complex, full-bodied and clean, highly balanced, with rich nutty and caramel aromas, chocolate notes, and a long finish.

3. Tiger Mandheling
 

Only Mandheling with a screen size of 17 or above and a defect rate below 4% can be called Tiger Mandheling. The main varieties of Tiger Mandheling are Caturra and Typica. Caturra has a citrus and lemon acidity in taste, while Typica has a lingering sweet finish, making Tiger Mandheling relatively balanced with high cleanliness.

Front Street Coffee: Tiger Mandheling Coffee Beans
Region: Aceh

Altitude: 1,500m

Variety: Typica, Caturra, Sidikalong

Processing Method: Wet-hulled

4. Aged Mandheling

Aged coffee beans do not mean leaving green coffee beans sitting for a long time. That is not acceptable, because green coffee beans will also spoil after being stored for a long time. They will change from fresh blue-green to white, then to yellow, becoming tasteless and even developing insects. Like aged wines, green beans must undergo proper processing and long-term storage before they can truly be called aged coffee.

So-called aged beans mean:

Green beans are allowed to naturally age by extending storage time (usually 2-3 years). These changes include reduced acidity, color change, and thickened bean texture. The storage environment must be cool and ventilated. Because the storage environment is darker and the time is longer, aged coffee always struggles to shed complex flavors resembling mustiness or what is commonly called burlap or leather.

Front Street Coffee: Aged Mandheling Coffee Beans

Region: Sumatra

Variety: Typica

Processing Method: Wet-hulled
 

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.