Sumatra
Giling basah – Medium roast

Flavours : Guava, pomelo, cedar
Terroir : Sumatra – Kerinci (INDONESIA)
Farmer : Koerintji Barokah cooperative
Variety : Andung Sari, Ateng, Linie S-795, Timtim, Typica
Altitude : 1200 – 1700 m
Process: Wet Hulled (Giling Basah)
Score : 85
Harvest : 2021
Roast : Medium
Net Weight : 220g
100 % arabica coffee

Minimum 7 days resting period after roasting date.

Indonesia is perhaps best known for its unique wet hulling process. Though its exact origins are unclear, wet hulling most likely originated in Aceh during the late 1970s. This incredible Giling Basah coffee is from Koerintji Barokah Bersama Cooperative, an award-winning coffee farmers’ organization with 320 members, who live and farm at the foot of Mount Kerinci in Sumatra.

But first, back in the days, it was the Dutch colonial government who planted the first coffee trees in Indonesia around Batavia (Jakarta) in the 17th century. Those the first seedlings were destroyed in flooding, but the second iteration of seedlings successful produced cherry. By the early 1700s, the first exports of coffee left for Europe from the Port of Java on Dutch East India Company ships. Just a few years later the government was exporting several thousand pounds of coffee annually, making Indonesia the first country outside of the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia to cultivate coffee in commercial volumes.

To day, wet hulling’s popularity can be attributed to producers’ need for prompt payments. It was also adopted specifically by many producers who lacked the drying infrastructure that was needed to shelter drying parchment from the high humidity and inconsistent rainfall typical in Sumatra. At higher elevations with constant humidity and unpredictable rainfall, drying can prove to be slow, risky and difficult.
Our wet hulled is a game changer for Indonesian coffee production. The efficient supply chain reduces costs to the customer and shares more profits with farmers by removing the circuitous to route export coffees have been taking.
While it’s difficult to know for certain, we estimate that somewhere between 70-90% of all wet-hulled coffee produced in Indonesia is exported via Medan and sold as “Sumatra Mandheling,” regardless of the island where it was actually produced. This opaque and convoluted supply path is driven by the high price the name “Mandheling” demands. Most people associate the name “Mandheling” with good-quality Indonesian coffees. The name suggests that that coffee was grown on Sumatra; however, it can actually be added to all coffees traded through the major port in Medan, which has been Indonesia’s main hub for trading and export for decades.
Our coffee is sourced through select partnerships across the Indonesian archipelago, where the traceability can be verify to the point of village collector or district processor.  The importer on the ground controls quality from the point of purchase through export, collaborating with regional mills, warehouses, and logistics providers to deliver the unique flavor of Indonesia, year-round, and with the freshest harvest available.