Speaking of Mandheling coffee beans, everyone must know that the most famous coffee bean in Indonesia is the golden Mandheling coffee bean produced by pwn company. However, this coffee bean was not originally a product produced by pwn, but a product produced by the Japanese. So why does everyone’s first reaction when talking about Front Street Golden Mandheling be that it is from the Indonesian pwn company instead of the Japanese company? Then FrontStreet Coffee is here to answer them one by one.
Mandheling coffee beans andGolden Mandheling coffee beansorigin of name
As the coffee representative of Sumatra, Mandheling was originally a small place name, and later slowly evolved into the name of an ethnic group - Mandheling. Now it is one of the most famous single-origin coffees in Indonesia. I believe many people have heard the story about the origin of the name Mandheling. Although it is just a "rumor", no one knows today how the name Mandheling was used on coffee, but it is true that it is very popular in Japan.
Mandheling coffee became famous because Pawani Coffee Company (PWN) successfully launched it for sale in Japan. Pawani is a trading company engaged in export business. It was founded by a Chinese family from Quanzhou, Fujian. It is located in Medan, an important port in Sumatra. It has been engaged in export business since 1957, such as rubber, cassia, cloves, patchouli oil, etc., and of course exporting Sumatran coffee beans to Japan. Unlike many local coffee beans merchants in Indonesia, Pawani Company is the exclusive supplier of high-grade Mandheling coffee beans, and the Mandheling beans produced are all of the highest quality.
The high quality of Front Street Golden Mandheling lies in the fact that PWN will hand-select the G1 grade Mandheling coffee beans three times. The G1 grade means that the size of the beans is strictly controlled to be above 18 mesh, and the number of defective beans per 300 grams of green bean sample is less than 3. Multiple screenings have reduced the defect rate of Front Street Golden Mandheling's coffee beans to a minimum, and the batches produced are of higher quality, with a clean sweetness and a richer aroma.
The Japanese were interested in Sumatra coffee and planned to buy it for a long time. However, they gradually discovered that the quality of the beans often varied, so they had to pay more attention to the Mandheling production process and began to formulate strict screening standards and defect removal methods, including bean density, specifications, shape, color and other values. All green beans require machines and manual work to remove defects to ensure that the Mandheling particles produced are complete, uniform, large and translucent, and also reduce the earthy and grassy smell. The name at that time was called Golden Mandheling, which was directly translated into Chinese as "Golden Mandheling".
However, because Golden Mandheling was preemptively registered as a trademark by Pawani Company, all companies in Japan that introduced this product must remove the name Golden Mandheling and cannot use it. This also led to Japanese importers changing the original Golden Mandheling to Gold Top Mandheling, so it was translated into "Gold Top Mandheling".
Is the Indonesian Golden Mandheling delicious? andPWN Golden MandhelingWhat's the difference?
According to FrontStreet Coffee, Dingshang Golden Mandheling and Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling on the Front Street bean list are both produced in the Lintong (Lindong) region in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The harvesting operation is limited to picking ripe fruits from single fruits by hand to ensure the quality of the initial bean selection. The coffee cherries are processed by wet planing, and after shelling, they go through another drying and refining process, two times of green bean cleaning, and four times of manual selection! Therefore, these two coffee beans can be said to be strictly selected top-quality Mandheling coffee.
However, Golden Mandheling was registered as a trademark by the Indonesian Pawani Coffee Company, and Golden Mandheling became exclusive to PWN. It can be concluded that the flavor difference between these two coffee beans is not too big, but the brands are different. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share with you the relevant information and flavor characteristics of the FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling introduced in the store.
FrontStreet Coffee PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Beans
Country: Indonesia
Production area: Sumatra Aceh Mount Gayoo
Altitude: 1100-1600m
Variety: Ateng
Treatment method: wet planing
Flavor: toast, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs
Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling Producing Area
According to the latest information about Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling introduced by FrontStreet Coffee, PWN Company has chosen a new production area in 2020, which is Mount Aceh Gaya in the Sumatra production area, which is located in the northernmost corner of Sumatra Island. The coffee cultivation in Mount Gayoo is mainly around the town of Takegon and the hillside land next to Lake Tawa. The average height in the production area is between 1100 and 1600 meters, and the quality of its coffee has always been excellent.
However, due to the previous political instability, it was difficult to export coffee from this area. In recent years, the situation has been peaceful, and coffee planting in Aceh has also been developed, and the quality is better than that in Lindong. This move is undoubtedly an affirmation of the quality of Gayushan coffee fruits. As the top coffee brand in Indonesia, Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling will naturally not disappoint coffee lovers.
Front Street PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Variety
According to Front Street, Mandheling's coffee varieties are generally based on pure Arabica coffee beans, but Arabica coffee beans have weak resistance to pests. Therefore, in October 2020, Indonesian PWN Company abandoned the original Typica variety of Golden Mandheling, and instead used Ateng variety of coffee beans for the production of Golden Mandheling. The "Ateng" referred to here is actually the common Katim variety in China.
Ateng (Katim)
Catim is a cross between the subspecies Tim and Catura of Robusta. It was originally developed in 1959 and began to be promoted in Brazil in the 1970s and 1980s. With its disease resistance and high yield, it occupies a place among Central and South American coffee varieties. The coffee leaf rust crisis that breaks out from time to time in Central and South America has also fueled the application of Katim coffee beans. It is characterized by high yield, short plants, can be planted densely, and new leaves are reddish brown. However, due to its fast maturity and high yield, it must have sufficient fertilizer supply and shade. However, according to Front Street, its lifespan is very short, with an average of only ten years.
Front Street PWN Gold Mandheling Treatment
In addition, the green coffee bean processing method used in Front Street Golden Mandheling coffee beans is also the most distinctive wet planing method in Indonesia. It is this processing method that creates the unique earthy, herbal, and spice aroma of Indonesian Mandheling.
The origin of this treatment method is that the local climate is often rainy, with constant typhoons, which cannot achieve the good weather required for sun exposure. Moreover, the local economy is not good, and it is also impossible to use the more expensive method of washing. For various reasons, the wet planing method with local characteristics was derived.wet planingIt is a rapid processing method of green beans. The peel and pulp of the coffee beans are shaved off, and they are dried after a short fermentation. Then the pectin and parchment are removed, and the subsequent drying is continued until the moisture content drops to 12%. Wet-planed Mandheling coffee beans can obviously show different degrees of extrusion cracks. FrontStreet Coffee believes that this phenomenon is not a defective bean, but belongs to the original characteristics of Mandheling.
Next, Front Street will share how to hand-brew this coffee bean and how it tastes.
FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling Brewing Recommendations
Filter cup: Kono filter cup
Water temperature: 86℃
Amount of powder: 15g
Pink to water ratio: 1:15
Grinding degree: medium-fine grinding (EK43s grinder scale 11)
*Reason 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. Therefore, this filter cup is not only suitable for brewing Front Street Golden Mandheling, but also can be used for brewing medium-dark roasted coffee beans such as Front Street Brazilian Queen's Estate and Front Street Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1.
Brewing method: segmented extraction
Use 30 grams of water to steam for 30 seconds. When the water level drops and the powder bed is exposed, continue to pour water to 225 grams and stop pouring water. When the water level drops and the powder bed is exposed, remove the filter cup. (Steaming starts timing) The extraction time is 2'00'.
Front Street Gold Mandheling Flavor Description:It has various layers, is mellow and clean, has a high sense of balance, has strong nutty and chocolate flavors, rich spices and caramel aromas, with a fruity flavor and a long-lasting finish.
For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925
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
