Indonesian coffee is famous for its mellow and rich flavor and taste, and it has very low acidity. With the sweetness and aftertaste like caramel and dark chocolate, the Japanese are almost obsessed with this kind of coffee.Indonesian coffeeIt is the main coffee producing country in Asia and ranks among the top coffee producing countries in the world. Come, Front Street will tell you!
Indonesian coffee development history
Indonesia is located in southeastern Asia. Its coffee history can be traced back to 1696. The Dutch introduced coffee beans to Indonesia. After a successful trial planting, they identified the Indonesian Java Island and planted a large number of coffee beans. However, in 1877, almost all coffee trees in Indonesia were infected with leaf rust (bacterial infection). Arabica coffee beans were unable to resist this disease, and almost all of them were wiped out, causing heavy losses.
Later, Indonesia had to introduce Robusta coffee beans from Africa. Robusta coffee beans are highly disease-resistant, which made Indonesia's coffee economy rebound. Indonesia is now the main producer of Robusta coffee beans in the world, while Arabica coffee beans only account for 6%-10% of the total coffee beans in Indonesia, including the familiar Mandheling coffee beans. Robusta coffee beans are mainly grown in southern Sumatra, Indonesia, while Arabica coffee beans are grown in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Front Street Coffee’s PWN Golden Mandheling comes from the Gayo region of Aceh Province in the north of Sumatra.
According to Front Street’s knowledge of Indonesian coffee, the best farm-to-cup Indonesian coffee comes from three regions: Sulawesi, Sumatra and Java. Of the three regions, Java is the most productive, known for its Arabica coffee, which has bright acidity and clean, fruity aromas. Today, about 90%Indonesian coffeeFrom robusta coffee, now commonly used in commercial grade coffee.
Indonesian coffee history
Arabica coffee plants were first shipped to Indonesia by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century, while Indonesia was still occupied by the Dutch. Their goal in growing coffee was to break the global Arab monopoly on the coffee trade.
Initially, the Dutch colonial government cultivated coffee in southern Bogor and Sukabumi and near Batavia (Jakarta). In addition to some areas in Sulawesi and Sumatra, coffee plantations were later established in East Java, West Java and Central Java. Large areas of forest land were cleared and cultivated to develop plantations. The growth of coffee plantations was responsible for much of the infrastructure development in Central Java throughout the 19th century. Many railways and roads had to be built to transport the beans from within the island to different ports for export.
indonesian coffeeGrowth environment
Indonesia has a typical tropical rainforest climate, with an average annual temperature of 25-27°C, no four seasons, and annual precipitation of 1600-2200mm. Indonesia is located in a volcanic zone, and the soil is fertile and rich in minerals, which is conducive to the cultivation and growth of coffee beans. The altitude of Indonesia is between 900-2100 meters, and the main coffee bean planting area is concentrated at around 1200 meters.
There are two main harvest seasons for coffee beans in Indonesia. The main harvest season is around September-October, and the secondary harvest season is around May-June. The export volume of Indonesian coffee beans this year has increased much more than last year. According to analysis, the high price of Indonesian coffee last year led to a decrease in exports. At the same time, the increase in output in the current production season led to an increase in exports. The increase and decrease led to a substantial increase in Indonesian coffee exports this year.
Indonesian coffee bean varieties
There are three main types of Indonesian coffee beans: Arabica coffee beans, Robusta coffee beans, and Liberica coffee beans. Among them, there are more than 20 main varieties subdivided, the common ones are Kadura, Katim, Timor, Typica, S288, S795, Sidikalong, etc.
Indonesian coffee bean cultivation
Currently, Indonesia’s coffee cultivation area exceeds 1 million hectares, accounting for 24% of the total cultivated land. The average coffee planting area in Indonesia is 1.7 hectares, with approximately 2.7 billion coffee trees, of which 66% are grown in modern plantations and the remaining coffee beans are grown in traditional small farms.
More than 95% of Indonesia's coffee beans are produced by smallholder farmers, with coffee estates mainly located in East Java and Central Java provinces. Most of the production is organically grown, with 19 farmer cooperatives and exporters receiving international certification for marketing organic coffee.
Wet planing
The way coffee is processed in Indonesia is called giling basah, and in other parts of the world it is called the semi-washed/wet husk process. Once the coffee is picked, it is then defatted and briefly dried. Instead of drying coffee to 11 or 12% moisture like most other processes, the semi-wash process dries coffee to 30-30% moisture. Shell the coffee to peel off the parchment and expose the green coffee beans. These naked beans are then dried again until they are dry enough to be stored without rotting. Semi-washed coffee tends to have lower acidity and a thicker body than most coffees.
Indonesian coffee taste
Indonesian coffee tends to have a deep and wild flavor, with prominent earthy herbal notes. Flavors created by the semi-wash process include earth, musty, spice, wood, tobacco, and leather, and they often have a long-lasting finish that feels like unsweetened or dark chocolate. The Sumatra region is the most popular Indonesian region today, as it is known for its dark roasts. Sumatra produces Mandheling and Ankola, two of the most famous and premium coffees in the world. Usually has a smoky or grilled flavor that is complex. Front Street found that people are often polarized towards Indonesian coffee. People who like it can’t put it down, while people who don’t like it stay away from it. When a friend comes to Front Street and asks for a cup of non-acid Pour over(V60) coffee, Front Street will first recommend beans from Indonesia.
Sumatra Mandheling coffee beans
When it comes to Sumatran coffee beans, it must be Mandheling coffee beans. The main production area of Mandheling coffee beans is located in the Lake Toba area at the northern end of Sumatra, Indonesia. Common Mandheling coffee beans include golden Mandheling coffee beans, Lindong Mandheling coffee beans, and aged Mandheling coffee beans.
The difference between these three types of Mandheling is that Lindong Mandheling represents the most flavorful Mandheling, with a strong herbal flavor. Golden Mandheling is a selected grade of Mandheling. The beans are uniform in size and above 18 mesh. It has been manually screened more than 4 times. It has a clean and bright taste, but also has an excellent mellow taste. As mentioned before, aged Mandheling uses different wet planing methods to bring out a stronger flavor, which is not acceptable to ordinary people. So when a friend wants a cup of coffee that is neither sour nor full-bodied, Front Street Coffee will recommend Golden Mandheling first.
Take [Front Street Coffee] PWNGolden Mandheling] as an example
Flavor description: Nuts, chocolate, spices, herbs, caramel. Golden Mandheling tastes cleaner than Lindane Mandheling. Mandheling’s original herbal, earthy and woody flavors are almost gone, but the caramel sweetness is more intense and the aftertaste is elegant.
Front Street PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Beans
The brewing parameters are: filter cup: Kono filter cup, water temperature: 86°C, powder amount: 15 grams, powder to water ratio: 1:15, grinding degree: medium grinding (EK43s grinder 11 grids)
Reasons for choosing Kono filter cup: The Kono filter cup has few ribs and is located at the low end. The filter paper is close to the filter cup, which can limit the air flow and increase the contact time between water and coffee powder, allowing the coffee powder to be fully extracted and improving the mellow taste.
front street coffeeKonofilter cup
The brewing method adopts segmented extraction. 30 grams of water is steamed for 30 seconds. When the water level drops to 125 grams, it is divided into sections. When the water level drops and the powder bed is exposed, continue to pour water to 225 grams and stop. (The steaming starts timing) The extraction time is 2'00'.
cat poop coffee beans
When it comes to Indonesia’s representative coffee beans, Front Street Cat Poop Coffee Beans cannot be left out. Front Street Coffee once had cat poop coffee on its bean menu. The variety of civet coffee beans is Robusta coffee beans, because the range of civet activity is in the middle and low altitudes, and most of the coffee varieties in this altitude area are Robusta coffee beans. High-altitude Arabica coffee is rarely produced.
Although the coffee beans have not been digested in the civet's digestive tract, the highly corrosive digestive juices have corroded its surface. These digestive juices contain a special protease that can break the original protein chains of the coffee beans and break down the long-chain proteins into small particles to form short-chain peptides and amino acids.
The processing of cat poop coffee is completed in civet cats, because animals are much more sensitive in selecting fruits than humans. Civet cats select mature coffee beans with high sugar content. After fermentation in their bodies, the coffee beans have a special herbal aroma and are also excellent in body. Front Street Coffee’s cat poop coffee is also as rich and of high quality.
The controversy surrounding cat poop coffee beans goes beyond their unusual flavor and the way they are produced. Cat poop coffee is low in quantity and high in price. In order to increase production, businessmen breed civet cats in large numbers and feed them coffee beans. Some people think that this deprives the animals of their freedom, and overeating will also affect the quality of the coffee beans.
Take [Front Street Coffee]Cat poop coffee] as an example
Flavor description: Herbal, nutty, dark chocolate, fermented.
The brewing parameters are: filter cup: Kono filter cup, water temperature: 86°C, powder amount: 15 grams, powder to water ratio: 1:15, grinding degree: medium grinding (EK43s grinder 11 grids)
The brewing method adopts segmented extraction. 30 grams of water is steamed for 30 seconds. When the water is poured to 125 grams, it is divided into segments. When the coffee liquid is about to dry up and expose the powder bed, continue to pour water until it stops at 225 grams. The total extraction time is 2 minutes.
Java coffee beans
Front Street Java coffee beans have a delicate aroma, relatively low acidity, delicate taste and good balance. The aroma and acidity of Javanese coffee beans are superior to those of Sumatra coffee. Java's climate type is a tropical rainforest climate, which is hot and humid all year round. The plains along the northern coast are warmest, while the mountains are much cooler. High humidity often creates a debilitating climate. Because it is located in a volcanic zone, Java's soil is very fertile.
The better-quality coffee on Java Island is mostly located in West Java Province in the west, which is a first-level administrative region in Indonesia. They usually come from state-owned and private estates. Because state-owned estates have government support, they are easier to sell to European and American countries and are relatively famous. The plantations are basically above 1,400 meters above sea level, supplemented by the local typical volcanic soil, creating a unique flavor.
Take [Front Street Coffee]West Java Coffee] as an example
Flavor description: Mango, red wine, peach juice, strong fruity aroma, with plum and jackfruit flavor, clean and sweet aftertaste.
Brewing parameters are: filter cup: V60 filter cup, water temperature: 90°C, powder amount: 15 grams, powder to water ratio: 1:15, grinding degree: medium-fine grinding (EK43s grinder 10 grids)
The brewing method adopts segmented extraction.30Steam with water30seconds, slowly fill the water with a small flow of water until125Divide the time into sections and continue to pour water until225Gram stops, the extraction time is2'00"。
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
