Indonesia Sumatra – Asman Gayo Mill

Behind this coffee is Asman Arianto, a Cup of Excellence winner and founder of the Ribang Gayo Musara cooperative, which brings together over 350 smallholder farmers in the Pantan Musara region of Aceh province. Many of them moved here after a natural disaster—the eruption of Mount Sinabung—and coffee became the foundation of their new livelihood. From the start, Arianto decided to go against the grain. While the vast majority of Sumatran coffee is processed using the wet-hull method (giling basah), which gives the beans a typical earthy to herbal character, his mill in the Pegasing district near the city of Takengon produces both washed and natural beans.

The result is clean, complex cups that are a far cry from the classic “Sumatra.” The version from Vienna’s Coffee Pirates—a roastery that has been shaping the third wave since 2012 in a city with one of Europe’s oldest coffee traditions—is processed using the natural method. And it shows. In the cup, you’ll find tropical notes of papaya and melon, the sweetness of cherry and red apple, along with a caramel-nougat base and a subtle hint of yogurt. A coffee that will surprise even those who associate Indonesia exclusively with heavy, earthy profiles.