Sumatra

Historically, Sumatra (and the most Northwestern province of Aceh) has been the first point of contact with all points West as a trading post and gateway to Southeast Asia. While the island was not known as Sumatra until much later, it was the seat of the Melayu (at Palembang, and later Jambi) and Srivijaya empires and has recorded history dating to the 7th century. Now, over 50 languages are still spoken here, and nearly 60 million people live within its borders.  

The coffee history of Sumatra is a long and detailed one, dating back to some of the earliest years of another interloping empire: the Dutch VOC and East Indies governments. Succinctly put, the Dutch brought coffee to the port of Batavia first in 1696, and enforced a compulsory cultivation system (read: forced labor) centered around coffee, rubber, tobacco, and sugar beginning in about 1830. This was to the detriment of traditional methods of subsistence agriculture that supported the archipelago for more than 1500 years, and the systems known as Landrentestelsel and Cultuurstelsel caused famine and epidemics throughout Indonesia. After the first wave of coffee leaf rust in 1876, Robusta supplanted Arabica as the dominant species of coffee cultivation especially at lower elevations, where it remains dominant today.  

As in the past, the majority of coffee growers in Sumatra are smallholders with less than a hectare of cultivated land. Now, these landholders are free to grow what they like, and intercropping is common. Growers sell their coffee onwards to collectors, their cooperatives, or to local processing units. The prime areas for Arabica coffee production are in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, though coffee is grown nearly everywhere in Sumatra. Some familiar names to the regular consumer of Sumatran coffee might be Gayo, Lintong, and Mandheling, though these are frequently used as a designation of flavor profile rather than actual location of production; in fact, Mandheling is not even a location, but rather the name of a group of people originating in Tapanuli regency. The nearby Mandailing Natal Regency does indeed produce coffee, but is certainly not the source of all Mandheling coffee.  

In general, these flavor profiles are as follows: Gayo coffees are known to have creamy body, deep sweetness, and lush herbals. Lintong coffees are prized for their aromatic cedar notes, dry herbals, and more marked acidity. Mandheling coffees are the standard of Sumatran fare: herbal, chocolatey, and heavy to the point of oiliness. Gayo coffees generally hail from Aceh province, while Lintong are usually from Lintong Nihuta regency, or the area surrounding Lake Toba in general.  

Traditionally, all of the above would be subject to wet-hulling, also known as giling basah. Sumatra is the birthplace of this process, which some have postulated to be an accommodation to long supply chains and lack of capital for financing coffee purchases. The usual explanation is that farmers would prefer immediate income for their cherry or minimally processed Gabah (wet parchment coffee), and collectors also prefer immediate payment for their task of moving the gabah. Millers also want to turn a quick buck doing the actual hulling of the coffee to Labu stage (hulled coffee at 18-25% moisture), as do the exporters who bring the coffee to their warehouses for final drying and sorting of the Asalan (original, unsorted coffee). This is an economically efficient, but sometimes logistically inefficient system, and one that leads to a very unique flavor profile.  

Sumatran coffee can be used as both single origin and as a blender. If you’re looking to add heaviness or herbal character to a blend, this origin is a great place to start! If you want to get into new and different coffees from Sumatra, this island is a hotbed of experimentation and regional specificity. Take a look at our offerings to experience the breadth of what Sumatra has to offer.  

The island of Sumatra is a very big place – bigger even than Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua combined. In all that space, there are a good many varieties being grown but the foremost among them are S795, USDA, various Catimor varieties, Caturra, and Bourbon. You’ll even see local nurseries with Yemeni cultivars, experimental arabusta crosses, and a smattering of Gesha. The Adsenia/Abyssinia variety, said to have been brought from Ethiopia, is much vaunted, but rarely confirmed present by agronomists. While it’s possible to find single-cultivar selections, it’s quite rare. Variety is the spice of life, and biodiversity makes for a more secure harvest with its incumbent pest and disease resistance.  

Since the equator runs through Sumatra, coffee is being harvested year-round. Peak harvests are from around May to July and September to December, with smaller crops in between. Crop timing has been changing with the climate, especially over the past decade, so do keep in touch with us to stay up to date.  

As mentioned above, wet-hulled or giling basah process is the most commonly referenced processing method for Sumatran coffees. Of course, there are many counterexamples, and nearly every processing method is in active use in Sumatra including full washed, fruit dried naturals, honey process coffees, and even carbonic macerated or koji-inoculated naturals. Producers are incredibly creative here, and you’re likely to find everything under the sun! 

There are many factors that affect the price of coffee in this island nation. Indonesia’s strong local economy creates an environment where the base cost of labor is higher than it is in other countries like Peru, Nicaragua, or Colombia. As the largest economy in Southeast Asia and the fourth largest exporter of coffee in the world, Indonesia can effectively set its own prices as well.