Saturday. The time of the week when I get to wake up late and enjoy every waking moment of this short life a bit more. And by moment I mean typically the simple things that most people just fly by without savoring...including the slow sipping your morning cup of heaven.

     As I was about to put my usual grind, that is Vietnamese coffee, into the machine, I noticed the bag of Sumatra Mandailing on the counter and had a quick change of heart. I tore the top gently and smelt the oh so good aroma it gave out. Bliss. Ah how joyful was I!

     Sumatra is one of the three islands of the Malay Archipelago in Indonesia, including Java and Sulawesi. A number of Indonesian islands were formed by volcanoes (fact of the day!). I think the nutrients from the soil makes it super ideal to grow coffee! The name Mandailing is an ethnic group in Indonesia and are found in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. It is not a place guys. (second fact of the day!) 

     Giling Basah is an age-old Sumatran coffee making process. It means "wet hulled." Here, the farmers pick coffee and hull them...just picture a grater that removes the skin of a fruit, only that they're using a manual machine to do so. This then goes through an overnight fermentation. Then they kind of dry the coffee for a couple of hours until this reaches at 50% moisture content...not like other kinds which have only about 10% to 11% moisture content. Ah, I could go on an on about this but it's quite a long and tedious system...and read. But you see, every time I get to try a new kind of coffee, I read about it...a lot. That adds up to my coffee experience!

      Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Sumatra Mandailing coffee has a bold, strong flavor minus the acidity. It's has a trademark taste and is nothing like the other types of Indonesian coffee I have tried. It is a lighter version of Vietnamese coffee with notes of tobacco and spice! It's smooth and balanced. That being said, it undoubtedly will give you a pleasant coffee experience.

I'm not a coffee expert but I want to get to know my coffee much better.

Get caffeinated!

Michelle