Sumatra Toba Batak Peaberry

Sumatra Toba Batak Peaberry

Farm Description

This is a peaberry preparation of Lintong-area coffee. Lintong coffees are from Sumatra, the island that is politically and geographically part of Indonesia. Lintong Nihota is the town that has become synonymous with the entire southern part of Lake Toba area. Lake Toba defines the landscape of the area, the largest volcanic crater lake in the world, and the result of the largest volcanic event on earth in the last 25 million years! It is huge, and the coffees from the north and eastern shores are quite different from the Lintong coffees. Lintong coffees are farmed by the Batak peoples that are the indigenous tribe that works the coffee in this area. Our Toba Batak coffee is from a family of collectors working in the Lintong Nihota area, who mainly buy much of their coffee direct from the farmers, rather than through the open markets where mixed qualities of coffee are usually tendered.

This coffee is part of our Farm Gate pricing program.

Cupping Notes

This peaberry can take light roasts as well as dark. Many commercial roasters use color and surface texture as indicators of roast level, and tend to go dark on Sumatras in general because of this. The peaberry has a different roast dynamic, and seems to be a more dense bean that the flats. (Sumatra is known as a fairly "soft" bean, overall). The dry fragrance of this coffee has a strong raw honey sweetness in lighter roasts, as well as chocolate, aromatic wood and herbal notes. There's sweet sarsaparilla and root beer scents in the wet aroma, caramel and butterscotch, darker malty scents, and pungent spice. My lightest roast was a bit too light (City, just through first crack and stopped) and it has a tomato stem smell - so make sure you allow the roast to progress a bit beyond City (unless you love tomato in your coffee). At City+ the strong, rustic sweetness reminds me of chicory root, molasses and sarsaparilla, laced with clove and cinnamon. There is dark dried fruit, plum, and a bit of rindy grapefruit in the ligher roast brightness. It's definitely a brighter than other Lintong coffees. The body is lighter than other lintong coffees but still quite syrupy and substantial. There's a dark malty note, as well as caramelized sugars and cocoa with a rustic overlay. The long finish has a nice cinnamon-laced black tea note that I find very pleasing, and hints of aromatic cedar and cinnamon bark, come through.

Score

87.9

Lot Size

135 X 60kg bags

Roast Recommendations

City+ to Full City+.

Processing

Wet-hulled

Varietal

Ateng    

Grade & Appearance

.6 d/300gr, 16+ PB screen

Packaging

Shipped to us in GrainPro
Bookmark and Share
This coffee has sold out. The review is provided for reference purposes only.

The escarpment from the lake up to the Lintong plateau

Ateng cultivar, one of the types planted in Lintong

Ibu Manurund, hand pulping coffee for the local collector

Yanti, harvesting in Lintong
 

Comments

#1 This is a much more rustic

This is a much more rustic coffee than the Blue Batak PB that we've carried which has more sweet basil herbaceous notes to it. That shouldn't scare you away from this coffee though, there is is so much sweetness within the classic Sumatra character, and a lot more going on than just "forest floor" in the cup. The spice and black tea qualities noted in the cupping notes above are spot on, as well as the root beer and cola sweetness in the middle of the cup. In an espresso blend I would pro'lly only use about 20% of this coffee, but that could go a long way. I'm gonna try some with Ecuador Guatenay and perhaps some of the El Salv Tempisque.

#2 Wonderful

This is one of the best Sumatra's I've had this year, really love this little bean!

Further Green Coffee Offerings

Ethiopia Illubabor Baaroo SWP Decaf

This decaf Baaroo has fruit and spice notes in the dry fragrance, allspice and other baking spices, with apple-peach pie. The wet aromatics are intense, with fruited chocolate notes dominating...

Java Pitaloka SWP Decaf

This Java decaf has a defined sweetness that can be difficult to find in Indo coffees in general, not to mention in many decaf coffees period. The dry fragrance is fairly true to Indonesia coffee...

Rwanda Nyamasheke

Sweet spice, honey and sweet cacao aromatics lace the fragrance of the dry grounds. The crust is really something special. Orange zest and almond are what first eminate from it before the...