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44 Tea & Coffee Trade Journal | www.teaandcoffee.net I ndonesia is the world's mystery cof- fee, or to be more accurate, coffees, since there are several distinct grow- ing districts. I'm sure they are proud to be chosen as 2016 Portrait Country of Year at this year's SCAA Expo in Atlanta, Ga. As we're all heading there soon, I urge you to take a special interest at SCAA to taste as many of their coffees there as you can. You will experience the many advantages of Indonesian Coffees and perhaps be encouraged to take the origin trip of a lifetime and visit this beautiful and exotic coffee growing coun- try. Indonesia offers some of the world's finest and distinctive coffees by region, and it's time to really recognize their col- lective value to specialty coffee. The Republic of Indonesia is the world's largest group of islands—more than 17,500 islands! Located in Southeast Asia and Oceania, Indonesia consists of hundreds of distinct native ethnic and linguistic groups. Their national motto, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," which means, "United in Diversity," reflects a world reputation for handling the immense diversity that shapes the country, its peo- ple and cultures, but also happens to be a fairly apt description of its unique and distinctive coffees as well. Diversified Coffees In general, Indonesia's Arabica coffees have low acidity and strong body. But, it's a mistake to typecast this region's coffees into a two-word slogan. Each region has its own distinctive flavor profile. Here's a sample of Indonesia's most well-known coffees: Sumatra Mandheling, Lintong and Gayo: coffee from this western island is grown by a large number of small pro- ducers using a special wet-hulling process. Coffees from Sumatra are known for smooth, sweet bodies that are balanced and intense. Mandheling: is a trade name used for Arabica coffee from northern Sumatra. Lintong: coffee is centered on a high plateau, known for its diversity of tree fern species. Gayo: coffee from this region is generally processed at farm-level using traditional wet methods. Due to the giling basah pro- cessing, this coffee is described as higher -toned and lighter-bodied than Lintong and Mandheling coffees, although it's by no means a light-bodied coffee. Sulawesi Toraja, Kalosi, Mamasa and Gowa: Sulawesi coffees are clean in the cup. They generally display nutty or warm spice notes, like cinnamon or cardamom. Hints of black pepper are sometimes found. Their sweetness, as with most Indonesian coffees, is closely related to the body of the coffee. The aftertaste coats the palate on the finish and is smooth and soft. This coffee is also grown by small holders and uses wet hulling. Java: this coffee is prized as one com- ponent in the traditional "Mocca Java" blend, which pairs coffee from Yemen and Java, although I no longer think this is always true, since reading AJ Thurber's 1871 book, Coffee. Thurber claimed that the best Java coffees were labeled Mandheling! Nonetheless, Java is cer- tainly where the coffee seed was original- ly planted from its Yemen origins, and where it has since flourished to the point that much of the world calls coffee "Java." Bali: generally, Balinese coffee is carefully processed under tight control, using the wet method. This results in a sweet, soft coffee with good consistency. Typical fla- vors include lemon and other citrus notes, and I think these fruit notes are interest- ing enough to include Bali in a search for interesting new Indonesian varietals. Sumbawa: The western slopes of Mount Tambora in Sanggar peninsula is the main coffee-growing area in Sumbawa scaa portrait country: indonesia A coffee lover takes in the aroma of one of Indonesia's varied selections of coffee beans. Understanding Indonesia's Wildly Diverse Coffee Regions Given Indonesia's diversity of coffees, demand for them from specialty roasters still remains high. As detailed below, each region has its own distinctive flavor profile. By Kevin Sinnott All photos courtesy of Kevin Sinnott