What Is the History of Sumatra Mandheling Coffee Beans?

The Dutch began producing Mandheling coffee beans in northern Sumatra.

The term "Mandheling" has come to represent a wide range of Sumatra coffee beans. Though there is an actual Mandheling district, it does not produce much coffee. Rather, the term broadly describes coffee beans from northern Sumatra.

Origin

When the Dutch began to colonize Indonesia, they attempted to fulfill Europe's growing demand for coffee. At first the Arabs did not want to lose their commodity, but eventually the Dutch obtained the coffee bean in the latter part of the 17th century. They then increased coffee production in the area of Sumatra.

Recent History

In the 1920s, coffee became a cash crop in Indonesia, and the designation of "Arabica" was given to beans in the 1950s. Northern Sumatra became the source of 90 percent of Arabica coffee production.

Fun Fact

One theory about the origin of the name "Mandheling" for the coffee concerns occupying Japanese soldiers drinking coffee at a Mandheling coffeehouse. They asked the owner the name of the delicious coffee they were served, and he mistakenly thought they asked him what his nationality was, to which he replied "Mandheling."

References

• Sweet Maria's: About Sumatran Coffee
• National Coffee Association of U.S.A.: The History of Coffee
• Specialty Coffee Association: History of Coffee in Indonesia
• Sweet Maria's: Sumatra Notes