Sumatra Asman Gayo Washed (250g) - Coffee Cycle Roasting

Origin & Producer Details

• Region: Pegasing, Takengon, Aceh — Northern Sumatra

• Mill: Asman Gayo Mill (owned by Cup of Excellence winner Asman Arianto)

• Producers: Smallholders from Pantan Musara villages

• Elevation: 1300–1650 MASL

• Process: Fully Washed

  • Cherry delivery to mill

  • Depulped and fermented up to 36 hours in open-air tanks

  • Washed clean and dried on raised beds, parabolic dryers, or tarpaulins

• Varieties: Likely Ateng, Bor Bor, Catimor, Timor hybrids

• Harvest: November–January & April–May

• Lot Type: Microlot (greater traceability and selective processing)

Overview

High in the Pegasing district of Takengon, in Sumatra’s storied Aceh region, this coffee is produced by the Asman Gayo Mill, led by celebrated Cup of Excellence winner Asman Arianto. The mill works closely with smallholder farmers from the Pantan Musara villages, a community that rebuilt from displacement after a natural disaster. Their farm plots average just one hectare, and like much of northern Sumatra—where 95% of producers are smallholders and an estimated 80% are women—their work is rooted in resilience, cooperation, and deep agricultural heritage.

The Region

Aceh is one of the most geographically diverse coffee landscapes in Indonesia. The area is framed by coastline and swamplands, with the Barisan Mountains rising through its center. Coffee thrives on these volcanic slopes, shaded by rainforest and nourished by rich soils near Lake Toba, the largest volcanic lake on Earth. This environment produces coffees of remarkable character and supports a centuries-old tradition of smallholder cultivation.

Varieties & Traceability

Due to the very small size of farms in Sumatra, most producers’ coffee is blended together at mills or collection points. True microlots are rare and highly valued, offering greater traceability, selective harvests, and higher quality.
This lot is not traceable to individual varieties, but is almost certainly composed of the region’s dominant cultivars: Ateng, Bor Bor, Catimor, and Timor hybrids, all well adapted to Aceh’s mountainous terrain and humid climate.

Processing in Context

For decades, Sumatran coffees have been defined by the island’s unique Wet-Hulled (Giling Basah) process, introduced in the 1970s to speed drying in the island’s rain-heavy environment. This method—removing parchment at high moisture and rapidly drying the coffee—contributes to the region’s traditional earthy, savory, herbaceous profiles and the distinctive greenish-blue bean color.

Before wet-hulling became widespread, Sumatra primarily produced washed and natural coffees, just like the rest of the coffee-growing world. Today, washed coffees remain extremely uncommon due to the climate: constant cloud cover, humidity, and frequent rainfall complicate slow, controlled drying.

That rarity is part of what makes this offering so special.

Washed Processing at Asman Gayo

As one of the few mills exporting washed coffees, Asman Gayo takes an unusually meticulous approach for the region. Farmers deliver ripe cherry directly to the mill, where the coffee is:

1. Depulped

2. Fermented up to 36 hours in open-air tanks

3. Fully washed

4. Slow-dried on raised beds, parabolic dryers, or tarpaulins

Washed lots like this reveal a different expression of Sumatran terroir—cleaner, brighter, and more nuanced than traditional wet-hulled profiles. They showcase the potential of careful processing and the skill of the smallholder producers whose work makes these coffees possible.

A New Direction for Sumatra

Through decades of cupping and partnership, specialty exporters have discovered exceptional producers and supported more selective harvesting, experimental processing, and women-led coffee associations. Washed coffees in particular have emerged as an exciting frontier, illuminating a clarity and sweetness not often associated with Sumatra.

This microlot from Pantan Musara represents that evolution:
a washed Sumatran coffee that honors tradition while expanding the possibilities of what Aceh can taste like.

YOUR ORDER WILL BE ROASTED FRESH ON THE MONDAY FOLLOWING YOUR ORDER! COFFEES ARE SHIPPED ASAP AFTER ROASTING TO ENSURE YOU RECEIVE THE FRESHEST POSSIBLE ROAST.