Asman Gayo, Sumatra

The Asman Gayo Mill is located in the Aceh region of North Sumatra, a region that is conducive to coffee production due to its diverse geography, including volcanic mountains. The mill serves several smallholder farmers in the villages of Pantan Musara, who have restarted their coffee business after a natural disaster.

Unlike most coffee processing centers in Sumatra, the mill produces coffee in the washed and natural process, in addition to the wet hulling (Giling Basah) process, which is typical of the island. The latter, introduced in the 1970s, gives Sumatran coffee its unique characteristics: earthy and grassy flavors.

Coffee in Sumatra is often harvested, hand-pulped, and then dried quickly before being purchased at a high moisture content. Microlots are usually traceable back to the mill, and rarely to the producer. Washed coffees are rare due to the humid climate, but when they are produced, they undergo a centralized fermentation and washing process. This particular offering is probably composed of the most common coffee varieties in Sumatra, such as Ateng, Bor Bor, Catimor and Timor hybrids.