Sumatra Mandheling RFA

This Sumatra reminds me of Bali coffee -- it has a chocolate creaminess with spice and is fairly clean tasting. Normally we buy Grade 1 Double Pick which makes a nice middle ground of earthiness, but this is a Grade 1 Triple Pick which is a cleaner tasting Sumatra Mandheling than we normally look for. BUT it came in pre-tariff, and works well for REALLY dark Italian roasts, so that's what we are using it for, but if you like a cleaner profile Sumatra than we normally carry, you will like this one. This is a rainforest alliance certified co-op in Northern Sumatra. 

Even though this is still a wet-hulled process in the traditional Indonesian style, the coffee is a lot more clean tasting and complex than the lots of Sumatra Mandheling that we usually carry. Part of this is because of how well they sorted it, and part of it is just from where it grew. With this Sumatra, you get just the slightest amount of earthiness, but a lot of complexity.  There is a deep aroma, a syrupy sweet molaases taste, sambuca black licorice, slight black peppery spiciness, and dark chocolate.

You have to at least get it to the 2nd cracks to bring out the full potential of this coffee, but it really shines as a dark roast. Take it at least 40 seconds into the 2nd cracks, but we are going 70 seconds into 2nd cracks where it is burnt and oily and powerfully intense tasting coffee. 

US Arrival March 2025