Decaf Sumatra Mandheling is a Swiss Water Process produced by the Gayo Megah Berseri cooperative. The co-op is made up of 554 individual farmers, of which nearly half are women. Growers of Sumatra (and Sulawesi) are the world’s exclusive practitioners of the Semi-Washed / Wet Hulled (or Giling Basah) process. A chief characteristic of the process is the moisture content of the parchment at the point of sale – Washed or Wet Process coffees (which are the most common throughout the world) are pulped, fermented, washed and dried in the parchment until moisture content is reduced to approximately 10-12%, which typically takes about 12-24 hours. Conversely, Semi-Washed coffees like this Sumatra Mandheling Decaf SWP are pulped and dried for only a handful of hours until moisture is somewhere between 25 and 50%. At this point the parchment layer is still intact along with a good portion of the mucilage, causing the beans to be gummy and sticky if not outright slimy to the touch. With regards to flavor, the extra mucilage profoundly alters the cup profile by providing more sweetness and even body. In effect, this makes the semi-washed process a sort of mid-way point between washed coffees and naturals. Cupping notes include a nice earthy, syrupy aroma. Big body, muted notes of dark chocolate, a pleasant lingering finish and very low acidity compared to washed Centrals. Origin: Sumatra Region: Jagong Jeget District, Central Aceh Variety: Ateng, S288, S795, TimTim Altitude: 1350 to 1500 meters
