Peculiar conditions - including wildly erratic weather patterns and a forced early harvest - has resulted in reduced coffee yields in Sumatra. This is also a staple coffee, and people have been clambering to keep it stocked in their coffee shops and on roasters' shelves. Sumatran coffees are among the most sought-after, unique, and rewarding coffees on the market.

Sumatran coffees are processed in an unusual way. For most washed varietals, the coffee is picked and the cherry skin is pulped off - fermentation is complete when the fruit surrounding the parchment of the bean has completely dissolved, at which point the fruit-free parchment is rinsed off. The beans are dried, shipped, stored, and eventually roasted.

In most places, the seed is dried in the parchment and the parchment is milled off of the beans when they're dry - this simply is not so in Sumatra.

In Sumatra, the bean is still very wet when the parchment is hulled. The bean comes out of the parchment quite soft, white, and spongy. These wet soft beans are then sun-dried on raised screens. Typically, drying conditions in Sumatra include on-and-off sessions of fierce tropical sun, interrupted regularly by torrential thunder showers. This slow, inconsistent drying is what provides the essence of a Sumatra Mendheling, both in flavor and appearance. The coffee is incredibly musky and, preferring a darker roast, it is the perfect early-morning brew.

This cup is fantastic. The odd drying conditions, rich soil, and perpetual rain is what makes this exquisitely smooth, earthy, rustic blend. Enjoy!