Typical Sumatra taste?

[Duffyjr]

I purchased some Sumatra from my only local roaster and I like it but not until it cools down some. It is earthy which I have read most Sumatra's are but this has a very dirty harsh taste or musky maybe at first but then as it cools it loses a ton of this and is actually very good. I have tried different grind settings but doesn't seem to get rid of the harshness just less/more of it.

Is this typical of a Sumatra bean? I did try and email him as he usually has a link to the Coffee Shrub describing the beans and what farm they came from etc... but I haven't heard back from him. I see the Sumatra island is very narrow and long so the farm location could play into this.

 

[ensoluna]

how did you prepare the sumatra coffee?
for the farm info, that might be difficult. Coffees from Indonesia is not known for SOC (single origin coffee) that specify the exact farm info.

 

[Duffyjr]

how did you prepare the sumatra coffee?

I used my moccamaster cup one and a burr grinder. I use 16.3 grams of beans to 10oz water. I haven't had a chance to try the Chemex but will this weekend. Maybe the thicker Chemex filter will remove some of the harshness. Again this is only right after it brews. I'm not sure if it's because it is cooling or resting that makes it taste better or perhaps a combination of both.

for the farm info, that might be difficult. Coffees from Indonesia is not known for SOC (single origin coffee) that specify the exact farm info.

Ah, this is good to know, thanks Alex.

 

[birght_java]

how did you prepare the sumatra coffee?
for the farm info, that might be difficult. Coffees from Indonesia is not known for SOC (single origin coffee) that specify the exact farm info.

Hey now, we have great farm and co-op specific specialty coffee here. The problem I have seen is trying to get this coffee onto the specialty market in quantity.

In general your typical Sumatra coffees will have an earthy, musty flavor to them with no brightness or acidity and a heavy body. But that is definitely not all of them. Origins like Solok Minang, some of the Aceh Gayos, and even Samosir (the island inside Lake Toba) have their own distinct flavor especially when the producers get away from wet hulling.

 

[ensoluna]

Origins like Solok Minang, some of the Aceh Gayos, and even Samosir (the island inside Lake Toba) have their own distinct flavor especially when the producers get away from wet hulling.

Aha... Now you HAVE TO explain about wet hulling. People here (including me) never seen wet hulling. I know what that is because I studied a bit, but it would be great coming from Indonesian farmer's point of view. thanks in advance.

 

[Musicphan]

Nice quick read : Coffees from India and the Pacific: Sumatra | CoffeeReview.com

 

[ensoluna]

Nice quick read : Coffees from India and the Pacific: Sumatra | CoffeeReview.com

thanks mike. That is an informative read. I think that I read that before and certainly I will read it again.

There are so many information via internet. you can find out just about everything, but since I work in Guatemala in coffee industry, I realize that there are a lot of internet information about Guatemalan coffee / situation / certificates...etc are just plainly WRONG!. (Someone said that we tend to believe almost everything in Internet, even though there are a lot of wrong info)

So, if possible, I really would like to hear from real Indonesian farmer about wet hulling process.
HIS POINT OF VIEW.
How it gets done and what kind of effects on the coffee flavors and specially the hidden meaning of wet hulling process for the farmers and coops and exporters.

If an Indonesian farmer tells the story that he/she has experienced, that would be really awesome!

 

[ensoluna]

https://espressocoffeeguide.com/gou...ific-coffees/indonesia-coffee/sumatra-coffee/

thanks for the info about this.
However, do you have any personal experience on Sumatra coffee?
like what type of Sumatra is your favorite? How did you like the coffee, flavor and mouthfeel wise?
if you are a roaster, have you roasted the beans and are they different than roasting beans from other countries?

thanks for sharing.

 

[Duffyjr]

Nice quick read : Coffees from India and the Pacific: Sumatra | CoffeeReview.com[/QUOTE

Yes, very interesting and informative, I don't know who writes these articles for this site but they are very entertaining as well as informative. Who would ever think of describing a taste as "mildewy taste of old shoes in a damp closet".

Now that the beans are over a week off roast the harshness is mellowing but so is the rest of the cup.

I'll email the roaster again and see if he has a link so I can find out more info, after reading these articles I'd like to know for sure where they came from.

 

[birght_java]

Ensoluna;

I cannot be of much help on the difference from a farmer perspective on wet hulled vs semi-washed vs natural vs yellow/red/black/mauve/chartreuse honey etc. At this point I merely look for Indonesian farmers who are at specialty quality already or getting there. I'm years away from finding a spot of land to call my own.

As far as the difference between wet hulling and other processing methods, the parchment comes off the green bean itself at above above 20% moisture level. It's in the subsequent drying that taints can be introduced into the beans. Hope this helps. I get a lot more from your posts than you could ever hope to learn from me.