Indonesian Sumatra Org. – Koperasi Putra Tani – Wet-hulled

Burman Coffee Traders

Details

Origin

Indonesia

Process

Wet-Hulled

Roast Suitability

Description

This lot comes from the Koperasi Produsen Putra Tani Berkarya, a relatively young cooperative founded in 2022 by the new generation of producers in the Bener Meriah and Aceh Tengah (Central Aceh) regions, at the northern tip of Sumatra. Its roughly 708 members live in or near nine villages in the area, farming plots that are traditionally passed down from generation to generation and that rarely exceed 1 to 3 hectares. Unlike many Sumatra lots, the cooperative runs its own processing unit with a drying area, huller, sorting room, and storage room, so it collects freshly picked red cherry from its members and processes it centrally to keep quality consistent across every export. Bener Meriah is one of the regencies in Aceh province and part of the celebrated Gayo Highlands, one of the most recognized coffee growing areas in Indonesia. The region is famous for its Gayo coffee thanks to its cool climate, large hills, and volcanic soil, with an active volcano in the immediate area. Coffee grows here between 1200 and 1400 meters above sea level, on the volcanic slopes of the Barisan Mountains and amongst the rainforest. Aceh is also an origin with a strong female presence in production and a fabric made up almost entirely of smallholders, which gives these cooperative lots a very particular character. The varieties grown are the ones typical of the area: Ateng, Bor Bor, Catimor, and the Timor hybrids. Processing is Wet-Hulled, known locally as Giling Basah, the method responsible for the unmistakable profile of Sumatran coffees. The cherry is depulped and washed, pre-dried until it reaches roughly 35% moisture, and only then hulled while still wet, leaving the greenish-blue bean exposed. It is then finished on patios down to the 10 to 13% moisture appropriate for export. This process was developed to speed up drying in a climate of constant rain and cloud cover, and it is exactly what gives Sumatra coffees the heavy body, low acidity, and earthy, spicy notes that set the