Sumatra Coffee and Indonesian Coffee - Coffee Origin Focus (RR07)

Sumatra is one of the most popular, easily recognized coffee growing regions in the world. Sumatra is an island and just one of the many coffee-growing regions in Indonesia. To understand Sumatra and the coffee grown there we must first understand Indonesia as a whole.

In this episode of the podcast we will examine the history of coffee growing in Indonesia from the time of Dutch colonial rule to the present day. Indonesian coffee has a rich history that is complicated with abuse, poverty, and starvation of the local population and coffee farmers.

The semi-washed or wet-hulled coffee processing technique is unique to Indonesia and particularly Sumatra. This technique results in specific flavors that are commonly associated with coffees from this region.

We will briefly cover and highlight specific coffee growing regions in Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Flores, and Bali). Indonesia is also home to very unique coffee. Old Brown Java is a specific coffee from the island of Java that is processed in a way that mimics the conditions of coffee in the hull of ships during the colonial era. Kopi Luwak is the most expensive and one of the most unique coffees in the world. This is literally shit coffee. Wild civet cats, which are small nocturnal mammals, feed on ripe coffee cherries. Kopi Luwak is coffee made from coffee beans collected from the feces of the civet cat. No, I’m not kidding. I can’t make that shit up (you’re welcome for the pun).