Back then most “Mandheling” was grown between Medan and the Northern shore of Lake Toba.

Our most popular, simply called Mandheling Grade 1, made up most of our volume and still does. Notes of chocolate are evident in the finish.Throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s Royal sold a couple of different Sumatra types. This unique Sumatran process results in a trademark flavor profile (low acidity and a richness that lingers on the back of the palate) and gives the green beans a signature dark color. Giling Basah, the name of the traditional Sumatran process, involves hulling the parchment off of the bean at roughly 50% moisture content for comparison, most other processes hull coffee at around 10-12% moisture. The unique method used in its production results in a very full body with a concentrated flavor, garnished with herbal nuances and a spicy finish. “Mandailing”, spelled here correctly, is technically an ethnic group in Indonesia, not a region, as is Batak. Coffee trees were successfully replanted and quickly gained a large share of the world market until the plantations were ravaged again during World WarII. Yet by the end of the century disease completely destroyed the crop.

Within a few years, Indonesian coffee dominated the world’s coffee market. Sumatra Mandheling coffee is grown on thelofty volcanic slopes of Mount Leuser near the port of Padang in the Balak region of west-central Sumatra.Ĭoffee trees were originally brought to Indonesia in the early 19th century by the Dutch, who sought to break the world-wide Arabic monopoly on the cultivation of coffee. Sumatra is the second largest islandof the Republic of Indonesia. Approximately 15% of all the coffee grown in Indonesia is Arabica. It is no wonder that some of the world’s most famous coffees are grown on the islands of the Malay Archipelago of Indonesia: Sumatra, Sulawesi, and Java. Therefore, they are mountainous and have rich soil that is ideal for growing coffee. Many of the islands of Indonesia were formed by volcanoes.

Sumatra mandheling arabica