Smells good: The Kisah Kopi (Coffee Story) Festival took place at a shopping mall in Kemang, South Jakarta, in July. ()

Indonesian coffee beans attracted the attention of the world’s largest coffee chain long before it opened its first store in the country in 2002. Many may not know that Sumatran single-origin coffee has been a staple of the company’s offerings since 1971.

With its fertile volcanic soil, Sumatra, which means the Island of Gold in Sanskrit, is recognized worldwide for producing the finest arabica coffee beans, including Gayo coffee from Aceh. The neighboring province of North Sumatra also produces flavorful coffees, such as Sidikalang coffee from Dairi regency, Tarutung coffee from North Tapanuli and Mandailing coffee from Mandailing Natal regency. 

Among these names, Simalungun is perhaps the least known. As such, this arabica coffee was promoted by coffee house and roastery Goreal-Ah! Coffee during the Kisah Kopi (Coffee Story) Festival at a shopping mall in Kemang, South Jakarta, in July.     

An ode to Indonesian coffees, the festival gathered together coffee shops from across Greater Jakarta to familiarize Indonesians with the many varieties of coffee produced in their country —  the fourth largest producer of arabica coffee in the world. 

“Simalungun coffee is loved by many for its distinctive flavor. Even though it acidic, it is juicy and syrupy with notes of plum and berry,” said Amalia Nuraini, the owner of Goreal-Ah! Coffee. 

Like other Sumatran coffees, Simalungun coffee is grown more than 1,350 meters above sea level. The high elevation slows the growing process but also contributes to the coffees’ fuller, robust flavor as the plant has more time to distribute nutrients and minerals to the beans. Sumatran coffees are earthier and less acidic than arabica coffees from Java.  

Goreal-Ah! Coffee, which Amalia cofounded with roaster Natasha Tasman in 2017, serves various arabica coffees from regions across the archipelago.

Amalia said her Simalungun coffee was a “specialty coffee” as it received a cup score of 80+ from a certified grader. 

The duo gets green coffee beans from Huta Raja Collective farmers, who grow their crops in the highlands of Simalungun, 1,450 meters above sea level.

“We choose Huta Raja Collective because the farmers use the petik merah method to pick cherries. They select only red cherries at their peak of ripeness and that are free of defects,” said Natasha.  

To process the cherries, she said, the farmers used the natural drying method rather than the wet-hulled method commonly associated with Sumatran coffees. The varietal of Simalungun coffee she roasts at Goreal-Ah! Coffee is Sigarar Utang. 

Sigarar Utang is not the only varietal in Simalungun with Sumatra Typica, Onan Ganjang and Usda also grown. Most of these varietals were historically brought to Simalungun by farmers from the Gayo highlands in West Aceh.

Sigarar Utang, meanwhile, was introduced to Simalungun farmers by the Jember, East Java, based Indonesia Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute in the mid-1990s.

Dutch colonialists first brought coffee plants to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, in 1699.

In North Sumatra, arabica coffee was first planted in 1888 near Lake Toba. In early 1901, the coffee leaf rust disease destroyed all arabica coffee plantations in the region, prompting farmers to replace their crops with robusta plants that had a higher resistance to the disease. 

Their preference changed after they learned that arabica coffee could survive the disease if planted at high altitudes, leading to the establishment of plantations throughout the highlands of Sumatra.   

In Pematang Purba district, farmers of the Huta Raja Collective have teamed up with Simalungun native Leo Purba and his wife, Lisa Matthews. They are both Q Arabica graders from Lisa & Leo’s Organic Farm. 

Since 2010, they have trained local farmers to produce the highest quality specialty coffee as a way to raise Simalungun’s reputation as an arabica coffee-producing area.

Their hard work has paid off.

Last year, for example, Lisa & Leo’s Ladang Isabella Coffee received the highest score for espresso at the Indonesia Barista Championship.  

Like Goreal-Ah! Coffee, the couple believes that making the best coffee requires a commitment to the highest standards of quality in taste and flavor, as well as a focus on excellence in a coffee’s journey from seed to cup. 

Amalia understands competition in the coffee industry is tough, but she knows her organic coffee beans stand out not just because of their quality but also because of her baristas, who act as storytellers.

They recount the journey of the specialty coffee, so customers can appreciate the passion and dedication that went into making their cup of coffee.  

Amalia is often bothered by the prevalence of misleading information about coffee, like that people with ulcer disease should not drink coffee because of its acidity. Goreal-Ah! Coffee, therefore, has a mission to counter
misinformation. 

She said coffee did not have negative health effects if grown organically and made using the best quality cherries. Health issues, she said, were only a problem if cherries with defects were not removed during the sorting process.

Amalia lives with ulcer disease, but she is still able to drink coffee. As a coffee lover, she said she never faced health issues because she only ever drinks specialty coffee, not robusta coffee.

She added that coffee had many benefits, from improving heart health to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

“We sell what we drink. For us, customers are friends. Because they are our friends, there is no way we would give them junk,” Amalia said.

— Photos by A. Kurniawan Ulung

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