TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
North Sumatra: Coffee flavor goes global
Coffee hub: Customers enjoy coffee at Mandheling Coffee on Jl
Change Size
Coffee hub: Customers enjoy coffee at Mandheling Coffee on Jl. Abdul Haris Nasution in Medan, North Sumatra.
The Indonesian Coffee Exporters Association of North Sumatra lists the coffee of North Sumatra as a highly prized commodity for Americans, with 56 percent of North Sumatra's total coffee production being exported to the US.
'Sumatra's coffee is unique. The taste is very strong, very bold and we love it, because the flavor of Sumatra is unique compared to anywhere else,' emphasized a staff member of US coffee company Starbucks during a visit to a coffee producing center in Pematang Sidamanik district, Simalungun regency, North Sumatra, recently. Starbucks takes pride in offering coffee from Sumatra on its menu.
'North Sumatra's coffee exports to the US this year have increased in value by 23.53 percent in comparison with the same period in 2014,' explained Fitria Kurnia from the North Sumatra Industry and Trade Agency.
Apart from the US, North Sumatran coffee is also exported to Britain, Germany, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. 'Nearly all coffee consumer countries appreciate North Sumatran coffee, and that proves it is an international flavor,' assured Fitria.
North Sumatra has two types of coffee, Arabica and Robusta. Arabica takes a shorter time to harvest and grows at the altitude of 900-1,400 meters, whereas Robusta thrives in lower areas at an altitude of 800-1,300 meters. Arabica is the most famous North Sumatran coffee type and is highly in demand by the world consumers due to its special flavor.
North Sumatra's Arabica coffee, with its deep flavor revered both at home and overseas, comes from Sidikalang. Among the varieties rivaling the taste of Sidikalang coffee is that of Brazil, one of the world's best products.
Located in a cool mountainous zone, Sidikalang is the capital of Dairi regency. Coffee experts say the distinctive taste of Sidikalang coffee is derived from a combination of the cool climate and soil type within the region's Bukit Barisan mountain range, with plantations ideally placed at 1,500 meters above sea level.
Mandailing coffee is the province's alternate Arabica variety and that is also sought by coffee lovers. It grows at an altitude of 1,700 meters in the districts of Ulu Pungkut (Hulu Godang), Pakantan and Muara in the Mandailing Natal regency.
Coffee entrepreneur Ahmad Parlindungan Batubara describes Mandailing as an Arabica coffee specialty. Compared to Robusta, Mandailing has a stronger aroma and pleasant taste with a lower caffeine grade. Mandailing is also milder and lower in acidity.
'Coffee addicts will smell a sweet aroma when they drink Mandailing coffee, and it also presents consumers with a sweet aftertaste,' Ahmad Parlindungan explained to The Jakarta Post during a recent visit to Mandheling Coffee café on Jl. Abdul Haris Nasution/Tritura, Medan, North Sumatra.
He mentioned that the current price of unroasted Mandailing green beans rests at Rp 80,000 (US$5.89) per kg while in powder form this coffee costs Rp 80,000 per 200 gram pack. 'Many foreign consumers, especially Europeans, buy Mandailing coffee because it's tasty and relatively cheap,' he added.
Another Arabica variety from North Sumatra favored by coffee lovers is Lintong, which originates in Humbang Hasundutan regency. Lintong, a coffee variety that has been popular for centuries, is known on the international market by the additional names of Sumatra Lintong Arabica, Sumatra Lintong Mandheling and Blue Batak.
Lintong coffee reflects the taste of chocolate and spices. It is warned that people with gastric disorders should be careful when consuming this coffee due to its high acidity.
Meanwhile in Samosir regency, the quick-yielding Arabica variety known as Sigarar Utang is grown. Named because local farmers regard this coffee as one that enables them to repay utang (debts) more speedily than other varieties as it bears fruit within one year and eight months.
Tanah Karo Coffee Association chairman Wilson Rajaulu Sembiring admitted that coffee farmers had, to date, not been fortunate traders due to a low selling price, and many live below a basic welfare level. In Karo, farmers sell their coffee at Rp 26,000 per kg to collectors who, in turn, sell the commodity in green bean form at Rp 80,000 per kg.
'The stark contrast between farmers' and traders' selling prices has made it impossible for coffee growers to live in prosperity while coffee traders enjoy good fortune,' said Wilson on the sidelines of People's Coffee Festival in Berastagi, Karo regency, on Oct. 3.
Arabica coffee plantations in Karo are scattered over the districts of Merek, Tiga Panah, Simpang Empat, Payung and Munthe. Amid the growing trend of coffee planting in various parts of North Sumatra today, local citrus farmers in Karo have even turned to coffee in the wake of the Mount Sinabung volcanic eruptions.
With these ever expanding coffee plantations, North Sumatra's coffee production growth has reached 60,000 tons and its exports sit comfortably at 50,000 tons annually. Green bean coffee is exported at a price of $6 per kg and domestic coffee consumption totals about 10,000 tons a year.
' Photos by JP/Apriadi Gunawan
