Our Story
Indonesia is not one coffee.
Most coffee-growing countries have a single national character. Indonesia has an archipelago of them — more than seventeen thousand islands, with coffee growing across a handful of the largest, each shaped by different altitude, volcanic soil and centuries of local practice.
A Gayo from the Aceh highlands tastes nothing like a Toraja from the mountains of Sulawesi. A Kintamani grown between Balinese citrus groves tastes like neither. Yet most people outside Indonesia have only ever met one of them, usually labelled simply “Sumatra”.
We think that is a waste of a remarkable country, and it is the reason Sumatra Highlands exists.
What we do
We bring together single origin coffee from across the Indonesian archipelago and sell each one under the name of the place it came from, rather than under a blend name.
Today that means arabica from:
- Gayo and Aceh Peaberry — the Aceh highlands of northern Sumatra, grown as high as 2,000 metres
- Mandheling, Lintong and Blue Batak — North Sumatra, around Lake Toba
- Toraja and Sulawesi — the Sulawesi highlands
- Bali Kintamani — volcanic slopes in central Bali, where coffee is often intercropped with citrus
- Papua — the Baliem Valley and the highlands around Wamena
Alongside robusta from Bali, Java and Sumatra, and Excelsa — an unusual species that still grows in Indonesia and is rarely seen elsewhere.
Why Indonesian coffee tastes the way it does
A great deal of it comes down to processing. Sumatra is known for giling basah, or wet hulling — a method largely particular to Indonesia, in which the beans are hulled at a much higher moisture content than is usual elsewhere.
It is why Sumatran coffee carries that heavy body, low acidity and earthy, herbal depth. People tend to either love it on the first cup or take a little while to come round to it. Very few are indifferent.
Start where most people start
If you have never drunk Indonesian coffee by origin, buying a single bag is a gamble. You might land on the one profile that is not for you and conclude the whole country is not for you.
That is why we put together Testers' Choice — a sampler that lets you taste several origins side by side in one order, and work out what you actually like before committing to a favourite.
Most of our customers find their coffee this way, then come back for it.
Gifting and corporate orders
We also build coffee hampers and custom gift boxes — for Lebaran, Imlek, Christmas and New Year, and for companies sending something to clients, partners and staff.
Contents, quantities and presentation can all be adjusted to a budget. If you have something specific in mind, talk to us directly rather than working from the standard listings.
Where we are
Sumatra Highlands is based in Jakarta and ships worldwide.
Jl Durian Raya No 54/B, Jagakarsa
Jakarta Selatan 12620, Indonesia
info@sumatrahighlands.com
+62 856 9373 5970
If you have a question about a particular coffee, which origin suits your brewing method, or a larger order, message us on WhatsApp using the icon on any page. You will reach a person.