SUMATRA COFFEE BEANS

Sumatra Coffee Beans: What’s So Special About Them?

When we think about Coffee, it’s very natural to think about Indonesia. Because Coffee and Indonesia have a long back history and relationship. Coffee originally grew naturally in Ethiopia, but in 1699 Dutch colonists transported the plant to Indonesia via Yemen. Here, it flourished, and Indonesia swiftly rose to prominence as the world's top producer of coffee, primarily Indonesian coffee beans. Java was recognized for a time as having the best coffee in the world because the coffee was shipped from Jakarta on the island of Java.

Mandheling, Ankola, and Lintong are three Sumatran-grown premium gourmet coffees that have some of the best flavors and sumatra coffee beans in the world. These coffees stand out for their low acidity, full body, more earthy flavors than Java Arabica, and distinct herbal tones. They are especially appealing to those who are sensitive to the otherwise beneficial organic acids in coffee because of their mild acidity.

Although this can be overwhelming for the uninformed, Sumatran coffees have received positive reviews and are well known throughout the world for offering a rich, pleasant flavor.

What Is Special About Sumatra Coffee?

Mandheling, Ankola, and Lintong are some of the greatest premium gourmet coffees in the world. These special coffees made from Sumatra coffee beans are characterized by their substantial body, earthy flavor profile, and low acidity.

One of the best specialty coffees in the world, Sumatra Mandheling is named after the Mandailing people of north Sumatra. Near Padang in West Central Indonesia, it grows at altitudes of up to 5,000 feet and as low as 2,500 feet above sea level.

Sumatra Mandheling is commonly said to be as syrupy and has a body as full as any premium coffee. The flavors are rich and complex despite the mild acidity, and a chocolate sweet flavor frequently has earthy overtones. There might also be licorice notes. 

Sumatran coffee is renowned for having a low acid content. There are a number of causes behind this, but the primary one is the way in which the coffee is processed by the local farmers. Wet hulling, often known locally as "giling basah," is the process. Compared to the washing approach that is used in Latin America, it is a more basic and natural manner to handle the cherries.

Are Sumatra Coffee Beans Good?

Most coffee roasters will roast Sumatra coffee darkly in order to bring out the distinctive qualities of the coffee beans and to reduce the significant variance brought on by a multi-stage processing approach and the use of homemade hulling equipment. This increases their body and gives the Sumatra coffee beans a richness from the roasting process.

People claim that once they taste Sumatran coffee, they fall in love with it. There is a lot to learn when it comes to the origin, history, and production of this and its other related aspects. 

What Does Sumatra Coffee Taste Like?

Sumatran coffees demonstrate how a variety of elements affect a coffee's flavor. The island of Sumatra in Southeast Asia appears to be perfect for cultivating arabica coffee. Wet hulling is a distinctive processing technique that most farmers adopt, which gives Sumatran coffees their distinctive flavor profile. While some coffee beverages prefer the earthy tones, low acidity, and heavy body of the region, most coffee enthusiasts nowadays frequently ignore it as a subpar product. They do occasionally have smells and fragrances, but they're usually weird: earthy, peppery, wild, mossy, mushroomy.

Some Other Facts: 

The majority of roasters roast Sumatran selections dark to highlight the distinctive qualities of the coffees and to balance out the considerable variance introduced by a multi-stage processing procedure and using homemade hulling machinery. This increases their body and gives the beans a roasted, rich flavour.

The fact that Sumatra has such a humid climate, which is wonderful for growing coffee trees but difficult for processing, is one of the reasons the beans aren't dried by the farmers. Sumatra Coffee beans are typically processed so that when they leave the factory, they have moisture contents of between 9 and 11 percent. The coffee's moisture level stays considerably above 11 percent for a very long period, frequently until it is finally exported, because wet hulling includes three stages of drying.

What’s the Procedure for Wet Hulling?

Wet hulling is responsible for the distinct qualities of Sumatran coffee. Coffees with subdued flavors and fragrances are created by using a modified natural processing procedure and a longer drying period. Sumatran coffees are often distinguished by their substantial bodies and mild acidity rather than being noted for their notes. 

The following steps are involved in wet hulling:

• As soon as the coffee cherry is picked, farmers use improvised devices to remove the skin.
• The beans are skinned, put in woven bags, and allowed to ferment for the night.
• Farmers wash the mucilage (remaining fruit) off by hand the following morning.
• In the farmer's yard, the beans in their parchment are partially dried.
• The coffee is delivered to a warehouse, where the beans are further dried and the parchment is taken off.
• The beans are transported to a port city for exportation, where they undergo a third drying process.

If you haven’t tried Sumatra coffee before, maybe this is the time for you. Order it from Alcoeats, and you will never regret it. It’s worth your time and money!!