Sumatra Mandheling

Sumatra is one of the great romance coffees of the world. Sumatra coffee is earthy, mouth-filling, supple coffee with pronounced aromatics of tobacco and exotic earth notes.  When it is at its best, the coffee itself suggests intrigue with its complexity, its weight without heaviness, and an acidity that resonates deep inside the heart of the coffee, enveloped in richness, rather than confronting the palate the moment we lift the cup.  Earthy Sumatras, which pick up the taste of fresh clay from having been dried directly on the earth, are popular among some coffee drinkers.  Musty Sumatras, which acquire the rather hard, mildewy taste of old shoes in a damp closet, are also attracted to some palates.

Sumatra Lintong and Mandheling. This praise applies mainly to the finest of the traditional arabica coffees of northern Sumatra, the best of those sold under the market names Lintong and Mandheling. Lintong properly describes only coffees grown in a relatively small region just southwest of Lake Toba in the kecamatan or district of Lintongnihuta. Small plots of coffee are scattered over a high, undulating plateau of fern-covered clay. The coffee is grown without shade, but also without chemicals of any kind, and almost entirely by small holders. Mandheling is a more comprehensive designation, referring both to Lintong coffees and to coffees grown under similar conditions in the regency of Diari, north of Lake Toba.

eetness, fruit, and winey flavors come to the foreground as the cup cools.