Sumatra Organic Wet Hulled Aceh Tengah

Many Sumatra farmers have been gravely affected by the recent typhoons, isolated in rural areas without critical supplies, like food, water, and fuel. Read more about the current efforts to fly in aid here, where you can also donate to help bring supplies to Sumatran coffee communities.

Sumatra coffees are a grand exception in many ways. We would not accept the earthy tones, the low acidity, or other exotic and rustic flavors from other origins, especially in wet-processed coffees. But in Sumatra coffee, flavors seen as defect from other origins can be positive attributes! The unique flavors are due to the influence of the coffee varieties, the climate, and, last but not at all least, the processing method we call "Wet Hull" (or Giling Basah to locals - read more about that process here). Here's an overview of the processing difference: Traditional Sumatras are from small-holder farms, where they process the coffee by pulping off the skin in a hand-crank machine, then ferment the coffee in buckets of water or small concrete tanks to break down the fruity mucilage layer. This is not so different from wet-processing, but by the time they leave it to ferment may or may not be enough to remove all the fruit, and they don't wait for the coffee to dry. Basically it is traded to collectors, middlemen, while the coffee has high humidity. When sold to the mill, it might be dried a little more, but it is hulled out of the parchment skin wet; hence the term Wet Hulled. The fact that the green coffee is then laid out to dry on patios without its protective parchment layer is quite different than wet-processing, where the coffee is dried in the parchment. And it's also where a lot of Sumatra coffee is ruined, since it can absorb taints from the environment. This is a particular lot we really liked for it's rustic sweetness and earth-toned aroma. It's from a cooperative in the broader Bener Meriah area in Aceh, and collected from 57 farmers in neighboring villages. The coffee is sorted with machinery and by hand to remove the worst defects. That doesn't mean it's perfect, you should expect some bug holes, broken beans, and the like. It is also Certified Organic.