Sip Java Co. brews two different coffees each day: Sumatra Mandheling Medium Roast and Colombian French Roast. I have already written about our Colombian French Roast; now let us talk about the Sumatra.
But first, let's level set with a little history about how coffee has gotten its nickname. Java is an island in the same archipelago as Sumatra, both islands are part of the country of Indonesia.
Java was renowned for its Arabica coffee for 200 years until leaf rust in the 1880's and 1890's destroyed the Arabica coffee plants. The name Java was both exotic and connoted a premium product. So naturally, when people wanted coffee, they would ask for a cup of Java.
In response to the leaf rust, colonial estates and small farmers gradually replaced Arabica plants with the hardier Robusta coffee plants, changing the type of coffee being exported from Java. Robusta from Java is highly regarded by coffee afficionados but coffee from Java no longer dominates the world market. But calling coffee Java has stuck.
When I first opened Sip Java Co. in 2014, I was not a coffee savant, I was a novice. I thought it would be a natural hook to serve coffee from Java at Sip Java Co. My roaster, with 40 years of experience buying and roasting coffee, steered me towards Sumatra Arabica away from the Java Robusta, explaining that the intense flavor and natural bitterness of Robusta might not be well received by my customers.
So, I started serving a Sumatra medium roast as contrast to the Colombian French Roast.
Sumatra Mandheling coffee grows 750 to 1500 meters above sea level in west-central Sumatra in the Mandailing Natal Regency but extends further into Northern Sumatra. Coffee is grown in Aceh, and Lintong near Lake Toba. These regions are squarely located in tropical rainforests with warm humid weather and rich volcanic soils. Combined with the wet hulling process (giling basah) and the fertile soil, Sumatra coffee is low acidity, full body and promises hints of spice.
Small farms dominate production, allowing coffee plants to be grown with other crops and in the shade of trees. The term Mandheling derives from the ethnic group, Mandailing, living in the Mandailing Natal Regency. Sumatra Mandheling Coffee is a trade term and does not refer to a specific farm.
I drink my Sumatra black (I drink my Colombian French Roast with half & half). Sumatra hits the center of my tongue; it's a little bit acidic or in coffee terms bright. There is a sturdiness to the coffee that lingers but not like the Colombian French Roast where the taste sticks to the back of the tongue. I have not picked up the hint of spice; I don't view this as a promise broken but my lack of taste sensitivity and training on my part. I prefer Sumatra in the afternoon, which might sound random but as the coffee cools, I can continue drinking it without worrying that the half and half might make me sick.
So, after a decade of serving Sumatra Mandheling, it is the coffee I choose when the day draws to a close.