Sumatra Mutu Batak

Not your father's Sumatra. This new generation Sumatra has flavor notes of cacao, cedar and bell pepper with a hint of lavender floral notes. A cup that is very clean and balanced while still providing the body one expects from Indonesia.

The Sumatra Lintong Mutu Batak comes from selected producers surrounding the town of Lintongnihuta in the Provinsi Sumatera Utara (Northern Sumatra Province). This specific area is located on the southern shores of Lake Toba, which is the largest volcanic lake in the world. The soil around the southern part of the lake is volcanic which leads to exceptional terrain for growing coffee. The town of Lintong Nihuta sits on a plateau that ranges from 1000 meters with a few farms to around 1300 meters.

The producers of this coffee are small farmers who have been recognized by our staff to produce exceptional raw material. These selected farmers run small two to four-hectare plantations with each hectare consists of approximately 1,000 coffee trees. The farmer grows, harvests, and de-pulps the coffee on the farm. After de-pulping he stores the coffee overnight, allowing it to ferment and washes the following day. After washing the farmer will briefly dry the coffee to remove the moisture from the exterior of the parchment and delivers the coffee to the production facility.

Most coffee in Sumatra is grown between 2,500 and 5,500 feet and nearly all coffee is grown by smallholders coffee farmer. Nine out of 10 coffee farmers in Sumatra grow coffee on less than one hectare of land. Virtually all Sumatran coffee is wet hulled, a process known as “giling basah”. Plant Species include Bergandal and Sidikalang varieties of Typica, Hibrido de Timor (aka "Tim Tim"), a Bourbon cultivar known as Linie S, S-288 and S-795 found in Lintong, Rambung, Abyssinia, "USDA,” Caturra cultivars and Catimor lines.

Wet-hulling, or giling basah, is the traditional method used in Indonesia. And although both the name and the method are very similar to wet processing, the cup characteristics are incredibly different.

After the coffee is dried to 12 to 13% moisture content in the greenhouses, the coffee will be delivered to the warehouse in Medan. It is inspected and graded again upon arrival to ensure no errors were made during processing. The coffee is then warehoused for 2 months. Then it goes through the final grading, hand sorted, bagged and ready for export.

Wet hulling is a process devised in Sumatra and adopted throughout the region as a solution to rainy, humid conditions that make drying green coffee a challenge. Typically, farmers depulp freshly picked cherries, ferment overnight, and wash the seeds before selling to a mill or collector only partially dried. The coffee's husk (parchment) is removed at a much earlier stage than in a standard washed process, while the green seed is still soft and pliable. Great care is needed to prevent excessive damage. After milling, the coffee seeds are then finally dried until optimum moisture content is reached.

COFFEE REVIEW - SUMATRA MUTU BATAK 94 POINTS #9 Coffee - 2018

Ken Davids of Coffee Review in his 94 POINTS - March 2018 assessment describes our Sumatra Mutu Batak as:

Deeply, refreshingly pungent and earthy. Grapefruit zest, dark chocolate, candied ginger, graham cracker, moist fresh-fallen leaves in aroma and cup. Structured around complexly layered tart, sweet and savory tastes; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

...A fine Sumatra, simultaneously expressing the pungent, full, resonantly earthy genius of the type, while lifting it with refreshing lightness and complex vivacity.



Ken Davids of Coffee Review in his 94 POINTS - July 2016 assessment describes our Sumatra Mutu Batak as: "Complex, sweetly rich. Pungent grapefruit, sweet violet, almond brittle, pipe tobacco, fragrant sandalwood in aroma and cup. Juicy acidity; lightly syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. The crisply rich, long finish retains a pretty combination of violet and tobacco tones."

...This exceptional coffee was selected as the #29 coffee Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2016...

https://www.coffeereview.com/review/sumatra-mutu-batak/