It turns out that most of the quality coffee in Indonesia comes from Sumatra. Sumatran coffee was first planted in the highlands around Lake Toba, North Sumatra around 1884. Then in the Gayo highlands, Aceh.

Air factors, altitude and volcanic soil structure affect the complex, heavy and strong flavor of Sumatran coffee.

Since then my love for coffee has grown. I like to try coffee from other regions, but I always come back to Sumatran coffee. My first love...

The wet hulling process commonly used by local farmers brings out the "earthy" taste in Sumatran coffee and reduces the sour taste of the coffee beans. This process is more coarse and random than the washing methods popular in Latin America.  

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Starbucks buys Sumatran coffee in bulk and roasts it slightly darker to use as a base in their espresso blends. This may have given birth to the idea of a 'Sumatra Roast' which is darker than usual." (reported from coffeechronicler.com)
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The famous type of Sumatran coffee

1. Aceh Gayo Coffee.
The area in Aceh that is most popular for producing coffee is the Gayo highlands, precisely in Takengon. This first coffee plantation is located at an altitude of 1,250 meters above sea level making it a suitable location for growing Arabica coffee.

This Arabica coffee from the Gayo highlands has been known to the world because it has a distinctive aroma and enjoyment. When cupping or testing the taste and aroma, Gayo coffee has the taste of coffee from almost all over the world.

40 percent of premium Arabica coffee beans from the total coffee harvest in Indonesia are produced from the Aceh region. 

2. Sidikalang Coffee.
Sidikalang coffee comes from the city of Sidikalang, the capital of Dairi district, North Sumatra. Sidikalang is located at an altitude of 1,066 meters above sea level. The combination of cold weather and soil type in the Bukit Barisan area, according to coffee experts, gives Sidikalang coffee a distinctive taste. The enjoyment of this coffee is said to rival Brazilian coffee, one of the best coffees in the world.

3. Besemah Coffee.
The majority of Besemah Coffee is a type of Robusta that grows in the highlands around the slopes of Mount Dempo, Pagaralam city in South Sumatra.

Local coffee farmers say that Pagaralam coffee was one of Queen Yuliana's favorite coffees during the Dutch era.

There is also Besemah coffee originating from the Muara Enim Regency area, commonly called Semendo Coffee. Robusta Semendo is denser and thicker in texture, the flavor is more chocolatey and slightly spiced.

4. Lampung Coffee.
The type of coffee that is cultivated in the Lampung area is Robusta type. The climate, geographical location, and fertile soil conditions affect the taste of this coffee. Planted on land 600 meters above sea level, giving it a distinctive taste. As much as 70 percent of Robusta coffee in Indonesia comes from the Lampung area.


The various choices of Sumatran coffee with their respective characteristics can be an alternative mood booster or a "friend" to accompany staying up late.

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Located in the bean belt just south of the equator, Indonesia is geographically ideal for growing coffee. Warm climate, mountainous regions, and volcanic soil produce rich flavour and good quality coffee.

Click here for Bahasa Indonesia version.

Coffee cultivation in Indonesia began in the late 1600s during Dutch colonial period. The first coffee arrived in Batavia (now Jakarta) from Yemen. It was Arabica coffee and was sent by the Dutch governor in Malabar, India. Initially planted around Batavia but failed due to flood. The second attempt used coffee seedlings from Malabar and it was successfully grown, starting the spread of coffee plantations in Java Island and making Indonesia the first place, outside Arabia and Ethiopia, where coffee was widely cultivated.

In 1711 the first exports were sent from Java to Europe through the Dutch trading company, VOC (Verininging Oogst Indies Company). In the late 1800s, the Dutch colonist established large arabica plantations on Ijen Plateau, eastern Java. But in 1876 leaf rust swept through Indonesia, ravaged particularly the lower altitudes and wiped out the cultivar of arabica. Robusta coffee, which is more resistant to leaf rust and suitable to be planted in the lowlands, was then cultivated as a substitute.

For years, coffee cultivation continued to grow rapidly in Indonesia and generated hefty income for the Netherlands. The Dutch then expanded coffee plantations in other parts of Indonesia such as Sumatra, Bali, Sulawesi and Timor. At the same time as the Dutch coffee expansion, the Portuguese began to grow a different cultivar of arabica on East Timor and Flores.

There are 6 categories of arabica coffee in Indonesia:

Typica - the original cultivar introduced by the Dutch. Unfortunately, most of typica cultivar was lost during the leaf rust pestilence. In spite of that, typica varieties of Bergandal and Sidikalang can still be found in Sumatra.

Hibrido de Timor (HDT) – a natural cross between arabica and robusta, also known as “Tim Tim”.  It was first found in a plantation of cultivar Typica in Timor Island in 1917. It was then first collected in East Timor in 1978 and was planted in Aceh in 1979.

Linie S – originated from India, developed from the Bourbon cultivar. The most common are S-288 and S-795, and can be found in Lintong, Aceh, Flores and Papua.

Ethiopian lines - were brought to Java in 1928. Then, this variety including Rambung and Abyssinia were cultivated in Aceh as well. The Ethiopian lines variety was later developed in Sumatra and Flores, which was known as "USDA", after the United States government project carried out in Indonesia.

Caturra cultivars - Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon variety, which originated in Brazil.  Various lines of the coffee-leaf-rust-resistant Timor Hybrid were crossed with Caturra to produce a dwarf plant with rust resistance.

Catimor lines – a cross between Caturra and Hibrido de Timor. It has poor flavour, but further research is being conducted on this variety as locally adapted Catimor in Aceh has excellent characteristics.

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