Last month, we had the opportunity to take our first trip to Sumatra in five years. It was wonderful to reunite with our partners there and enjoy excellent coffees from the new crop. We’re dedicating this month’s newsletter to an in-depth report on the visit.
Raking coffee on the drying patios
Covering coffee to protect it from impending rain
Ineu and Priska evaluating deliveries for quality
Purchasing coffee from farmers at the warehouse
Wet-hulled and parchment coffee
A view of Lake Toba
Coffee intercropped with cabbage
Visiting with a partner farm
A Visit to Our Partners in Sumatra
It has been 5 years since my last trip to visit our partner in Sumatra. To say that a lot has changed within the country is a bit of an understatement. At the same time, most of the coffee production has not changed.
I arrived on Monday morning to meet our partner Ineu at the airport outside of Medan. In the past, the drive from Medan to South Lake Toba/Lintongnihuta has been about 8 hours of busy roads filled with motorcycles, large trucks, pedestrians and anything in between. Now, over half of the trip is on a large 4-lane divided highway that took us to the town of Pematangsiantar in an hour and half. From Pematangsiantar, we had another 3 hours to our destination, Lintongnihuta. After only 6 hours, we arrived at the home of James and Priska, where we would stay for the next 3 nights.
Their house is nestled back behind their production and receiving warehouse and patios. We spent the early evening watching coffee being received at their warehouse from collectors or small famers and finished with dinner at a restaurant that they own.
The next morning we went to visit a few other producers. The main harvest for the area began in early/mid October, and we were in the middle of the highest part of the harvest when the coffee flow is fairly abundant. Each producer had farmers visiting them bringing in coffee. They were evaluating each delivery separately and paying the farmers according to the quality and volume they were delivering.
One of the major changes from 5 years ago was the delivery of parchment coffee to the producers. In the past the collectors would gather the parchment coffees from the farmers, bring their purchases to the market and sell the coffee to each producer. The markets were in Lintongnihuta on Mondays, and Dolok Sanguul on Fridays. The producer would then take the parchment coffee to their warehouses, dry to about 40% moisture, wet hull the coffee and then dry to about 12%. The process has evolved a bit. While the producers still go to the markets to purchase coffee from the collectors and farmers, many farmers go directly to the producers with their coffees throughout the week. Each producer has a group of up to 400 farmers who they buy coffee from on a regular basis. In their warehouse, they have a scale and a buying area where they pay the farmer directly for their coffee. This current system enables more control by each producer over the final product.
On Wednesday, we ventured out on motorbike to visit a few coffee farms/gardens and take in a view of Lake Toba. The farms we visited were about a hectare each and had around 500 trees. Many of the farms were planted with not only coffee, but the rows of coffee trees were intermingled with chili plants, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, or tomatoes. They were using as much of the land as possible to grow any type of produce. One entire coffee farm was planted with Jember varietal that was taken from the feces of the animal that eats coffee cherries, similar to the process of Kopi Luwak coffee.
When we visited each farm, we noticed that there was not a lot of new growth for the fly crop that is expected in March. The trees were healthy, or as healthy as normal, for Sumatra. There was some growth, but less than expected.
That evening we cupped coffees from a few different producers. The coffees were outstanding, with a pleasant acidity, syrupy body and an herbal sweetness, reminiscent of the classic Mutu Batak that we have carried for almost 10 years.
On Thursday, we returned to Medan and had dinner with our partners before departing to Singapore on Friday to begin the journey back.
I have worked in the area for over 18 years. It was wonderful to return to meet and visit with our partners. Many things have changed in the area since my first visit, but the people are still there working hard to produce the coffees we all expect. We will have shipments of Mutu Batak, Suku Batak and Grade 1 by the end of December or early January. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like any additional information about our Sumatran coffees.
Report by Drew Zent, Senior Manager Green Coffee
available now
GUATEMALA, CANDELARIA SELECT
This smallholder-produced coffee from the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala has become a favorite of many of our roaster clients for its balanced quality and plentiful citrus, stonefruit, and chocolate notes.
Availability: Annex
Certifications: N/A
Cupping notes: Orange, plum, milk chocolate
COLOMBIA, HUILA EXCELSO
This co-op produced Huila Excelso is a recent arrival. It’s a great example of the region’s beloved profile, capable of starring as a featured coffee or slotting seamlessly into a blend.
Availability: CTI NJ
Certifications: N/A
Cupping notes: Citrus, soft red fruit, chocolate
That’s all for this month’s edition. Thanks for reading, and as always, if there’s anything we can do for you, reach out to your salesperson or fill out our contact form and we’ll get right back to you. See you next month!