August 2016 - Sumatra an endless enigma

Date Posted:6 August 2016 

August 2016 - New Arrivals

It's been a long time coming, but we have finally shone the spotlight on that mystical enigma of the coffee universe - Sumatra.

A fresh lot from Aceh Gayo has just landed into the country and it's a cracker - dark, brooding and soulful - the Jack Nicholson in our portfolio and our feature coffee for August 2016.

New arrivals have been filling the warehouse during the last month. We are well stocked with plenty of fresh season coffees and this month we take a brief look at some of the popular arrivals with brief comparison to the previous season's lots.

The Honduras Microlot 87 from July remains a standout in the customer satisfaction rankings, beaten only by the Kenyan which continues to develop an ever expanding group of new devotees. The H87 is getting low, so if you haven't yet given it a run, holdings are limited.

 

sumatran coffee beans

sumatra - an endless enigma

Over the last 3 years we have featured coffees in our monthly Newsletter from just about every origin. It's never been about a simple process of running through the A to Z of growing regions, but a carefully considered, well planned journey of discovery to identify that special something, a unique or distinctive nuance worthy of celebrating within that origin or coffee.

At times we have referred to the coffee equivalent of a Bucket List and taking a prominent place in the shortlist of any coffee lovers experience are those diverse offerings from Monsoon Malabar, Kenya, Ethiopia and last but not least the enigmatic Sumatran.

With Sumatran coffee it's an experience unlike any other origin - wild, bold and memorable.

Indonesia has historically ranked as the 4th largest coffee producer and it's been exporting coffees for 300 years, however, the last few seasons have yielded lower crop volumes due to excessive rains. At various times, it sits in the world volume ranking between 4th and 6th.
Like most coffee producing regions around the equator, the micro-climate of Indonesia is perfectly suited to ideal growing conditions and it benefits from high altitude terrain and tropical, volcanic soils.

With this long history of exporting coffee, Indonesia was sometimes referred to in the past as "Java" with the famous blend known as "Mocha (Moka) Java" consisting of Sumatran and Ethiopian beans - still to this day, it's a match made in heaven.

Around 90% of the coffee production across Indonesia/Sumatra consists of a high number of small landowners from holdings averaging around 1 hectare. These are small farms in the relative scale of the coffee industry and it means that much of the raw coffee that is exported will be sorted, graded, hand picked sometimes twice or 3 times and then "blended" from numerous farms. This diversity creates the opportunity for an incredible spectrum of flavors and characteristics and it's not unusual to see variations in the coffee processed and bagged from the same brand or label.

It has taken more than 2 years for us to be ready to feature such a charismatic and important origin as Sumatra. Like most companies in Australia, we had been operating in a constant state of supply shortage, careful not to run out of a coffee type that many of our regular customer rely upon. Around 4 years ago, companies roasting in the giant North American coffee market accustomed to sourcing most of their coffees from nearby Central and South America, stumbled upon the impressive features of Sumatran coffees. For some of them it was a real wake up call.

In Sumatra, these huge North American roasters found a bean with incredible body, flavor, complexity, acidity and more importantly something that possessed an ability for extended shelf life. Like Monsoon coffee, Sumatrans tend to improve with age, making them ideal for the US market which is less reliant upon freshly roasted beans compared to the rapid turnover of product by the espresso culture in Australian and New Zealand markets.

The mega buyers at Starbucks, Green Mountain, etc. in North America that can each buy more coffee than the whole of Australia consumes, swooped up large portions of annual crops in Sumatra and booked up forward years harvests, creating a dramatic spike in the buying price and a global shortage as demand exceeded supply.

On top of the increased demand, excessive rains in the last few years affected the harvest volumes, spoiling lots during the harvesting, drying and processing stages.

The reason Sumatran coffees are unique is due to a processing technique that is different to every other coffee growing area. Well hulling (or Giling Basah) is a process of mechanically "beating" the hand picked cherries by removing the outer skin and then drying for a day in beds with the mucilage in tact. This process is deemed high risk as it deals with elevated moisture levels that create a partial fermentation - a critical process that can taint the coffee if not well managed.  Rain during this period can ruin the coffee as these small farms have limited infrastructure to protect the processing of the coffee from the elements. In the past it was often these types of moisture related defective characteristics (mould, rust, ferment) that would pull down Sumatran cup scores significantly.

Search on the internet and you might find out-dated descriptors like forest floor, funky, spicy, etc. from articles published a long time ago, however, these days farmers in Sumatra are far more aware of quality practices and will take the required steps to achieve cleaner and higher graded coffees. Sumatra has come a long way over the last 10 years.
As Sumatrans are processed with this unique method, it's the primary contributing factor that enables Sumatran coffees to exhibit incredibly low acid, intense body and amazing complexity - quite frankly, there is nothing else like it anywhere else in the coffee universe.

In 35 years of coffee appreciation, Sumatra remains at the top of my list as an origin that both surprises and delights with every new arrival. Sumatrans are bold and "out there" in ways that no other coffee origin can match. After all this time I remain enchanted by Sumatran coffees because just when you think you have a handle or understand Sumatran coffees, along comes something new and interesting to disrupt your knowledge.

A few years ago we sourced Sumatran naturals from the esteemed Wahana Estate. These coffees were not traditionally wet-hulled and were instead processed like Ethiopians by sundried methods. The Wahana's were so "out there" that nothing could touch them - papaya, strawberry, melon, lime leaves and tropical fruit salad in a cup - simply amazing. In fact, these coffees were so "out there" people who tasted them did not know what to say - speechless was not uncommon.

A long time ago in my early coffee roasting days, I remember the first few months of dealing with Sumatran coffees. The mottled appearance gives the impression of an ugly coffee, the musty odours of the raw coffee were rank and the funky, indescribable aromas of the fresh roasted product were confronting and in those days most things about Sumatrans did not make sense.

I had made the novice's mistakes of attempting to taste these fresh roasted coffees when they were still developing and basically fell into the common trap. Little did I realize that Sumatran coffees needed to be "put away" for 10 days after roasting, else the cup was harsh and abrasive. Some of my most memorable coffees have been 90 day old Sumatrans - they just refine so well with age.

So what precisely do you get with a Sumatran coffee that makes it so special ?

  • Intense body - that viscosity element filling your mouth and rounding out everything - coating all surfaces of your palate with a thick syrupy substance that, well..... lasts for ages.
  • Boldness - whilst Sumatrans are typically low in acid, they exhibit incredible flavour with lemony acids and complex spices that persist through to the long finish.
  • Buttery mid-palate - there is a level of richness from Sumatrans that makes for a pleasant experience from ultra smooth, silky delivery of flavours.
  • Versatile - As a Black or in milk, Sumatrans have a universal ability to span many brew methods. As a milk-based espresso, the caramel, toffee and chocolate notes are glorious. When combined with legendary long finishes, it's no surprise that roasting companies around the world continue scrambling to get their hands on great quality Sumatrans.

Just 2 weeks ago, a wonderful Aceh Gayo Grade 1 arrived in Melbourne - it's super-fresh and juicy. Last Tuesday we took delivery of the first shipment that we hope will become a regular staple in our store offering.

This fabulous coffee comes from our good friends at Langdons Coffee Merchants in Melbourne. Langdon's have selected a superb quality lot that we are proud to showcase to our mycuppa customers around Australia.

The Gayo region is renown for producing a high quality Arabica. This coffee originates from the Pondok Baru and Redelong villages within the Bener Meriah Regency,  the northern part of Central Aceh.

Grown between 1200-1400 MASL, this Typica varietal is wet-hulled in the traditional Sumatran method and is everything we have come to love and expect from a great Sumatran coffee. 

Cup Profile:

  • Dark cup with blackcurrant and soft cedar notes upfront. Coriander seed mid-palate.
  • Toffee and dark fruit sweetness throughout.
  • Well balanced, tart, sustained acid and syrupy, full body.
  • Intense, very long burnt toffee and molasses finish. Coating and lingering.
  • Score : 84.00

These freshly roasted coffee beans represent exceptional value and absolutely nails that classic Sumatran experience.

They have a tendency to require a finer grind setting. Grab it here - Sumatran Coffee Beans

 

single origin sumatran coffee

'tis the season

July and August are the peak months for new crop arrivals from Africa, Central America, Sumatra and PNG.
New season coffees are always an exciting time - we are filled with hope and aspiration that some, if not all, of these new holdings will provide the opportunity to produce an amazing array of sparkling flavours - helping us in our quest to constantly improve performance standards.
In a saturated and competitive market, everyone is looking for an edge - that critical point of difference. Whilst some industries constantly seek lowest sourcing costs, it's a different story in the global coffee industry as challenges involved in sourcing quality lots affect the supply and demand metrics. With the ever-increasing demand for better quality coffees, prices paid are constantly rising as buyers must meet whatever the market asks.
In many ways, the trading of raw coffee has become similar to the Melbourne and Sydney residential real estate markets. Prices that 12 - 18 months ago you thought were not possible seem cheap today.

Here is our summary of the new arrivals.

  • Kenya - a clear leader in our portfolio and a favourite for our customers. New season lots have arrived and the quality is comparable to last season, if not marginally better. Kenya is a key coffee in our holdings, so we don't muck around with inferior qualities to make up volumes. Think deep, dark chocolate. Prices are higher......Kenya is always going to be a sellers market, they set the price and if buyers don't commit, they simply withdraw knowing full well buyers will come back later. Kenya is the Apple or the Dyson of the coffee world.
  • Monsoon Malabar - we have picked up some fresh A grade Malabar that arrived this week. This is a slightly smaller screen size compared to the AA, but in my opinion it's juicier, richer and more rewarding compared to the AA lots we have been running for the last few years.
  • Costa Rica - The new Jaguar is quite different to the previous season's specially prepared honey-lot. More stone fruit without the intense candy sweetness of the honeyed lot. This washed coffee presents with a more refined balance. Costa Rica, like Panama, has been suffering from a rapidly rising cost structure and it's accelerating faster than expected - farming land is being converted to real estate for development, challenging the traditional economics of farming.
  • PNG - we are predicting big things for PNG and look forward to this one going off the scale. We have been short on PNG for many years whilst a degree of turmoil existed in local supply and distribution channels. Excited to announce we have a trusted, highly regarded supply with fresh lots arriving at the end of August. Watch this space for more information - we are going long on PNG's for the remainder of the year and perhaps beyond.
  • Ethiopia - our Sidamo stocks have been bolstered by some superb fresh lots that have just arrived in the country. In the past we have tended to run long on Limou and short on Sidamo, so now we have reversed this strategy to focus on the attributes of washed Sidamos. Harrar continues to be popular since our feature in June. Yirgacheffe remains a challenge - lots are relatively expensive and competition fierce, always a difficult coffee to source.
  • Tanzania - Rich and complex lots showing sparkling acid, rich caramel and cane sugar sweetness are inbound soon to our store.
  • Burundi - new lots arrived in our roastery a couple of months ago. Showing balanced chocolate, hints of fruit and great levels of flavour and body. Many of our customers that have tried Burundi have stuck with it as a permanent favourite on their regular orders.
  • FAIRTRADE Organic lots from PNG, Sumatra, Colombia, Ethiopia, Peru, Mexico and Nicaragua are recently stocked in the warehouse giving us a good run for the remainder of calendar 2016.
  • Sumatra - the new Aceh coffee we feature this month will remain as a staple in our store while stocks last. Dark fruit sweetness with a very long toffee and molasses finish.
  • Guatemala - new crop arriving late August for both the stellar Huehuetenango and the bold Antigua - expect similar quality and consistency.
  • India - Tiger Mountain and Mysore Nuggets remain our key offerings outside of the popular Monsoon Malabar. The Mysore Nuggets is exceptional as a black coffee - soft acidity and delightful balance - my go-to coffee for a shortie.

rio 2016

Good luck to all our Australian Athletes
Wishing our Paralympic and Olympic teams all the best.