Takengon Atu Lintang Organic

This smooth cup opens with aromas of nougat, dried cherry, and milk chocolate. We found notes of almond, semi-sweet chocolate, and cedar when sipped, with nougat-like sweetness and a pleasant pop of dried cherry acidity. The finish features cedar and cocoa powder.

Certified Organic by OCIA.

Details

Producer: Koperasi Kopi Gayo Organic Cooperative Farm: 1,358 Smallholders Region: Aceh, Sumatra Altitude: 1,300-1,450 masl Varietal: Tim-Tim, Ateng Super Process: Wet-Hulled Roast: Light-Medium Notes: Cherry, Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Cedar

The Story

Imported by our friends at Royal Coffee. 

"The KKGO cooperative has farmers throughout the highlands surrounding Sumatra’s Lake Tawar. We often get high-grade coffees from this group hailing from specific sub-regions and communities. This is a lighter and brighter lot than most, from Atu Lintang, a small area southwest of the lake and part of the vast Aceh Tengah Regency.

"Aceh (pronounced AH-CHEY) is the northernmost province of Sumatra. Its highland territory is considered to be the epicenter of one of the world’s most unique coffee terroirs. Coffee farms in this area are managed with the experience of many generations of cultivation, while also harmoniously woven into their surrounding tropical forests. The canopies are loud and fields are almost impenetrably thick with coffee plants, fruit trees, and vegetables, all of which are constantly flushing with new growth. Year-round mists and rain showers never cease, and nothing is ever still—including coffee ripening, which occurs ten months out of the year."

KKGO and the Gayo Identity

"Koperasi Kopi Gayo Organic (KKGO) is a cooperative of 1,358 farmers. Members average 1 hectare each and are spread across the hillsides of the Bener Meriah and Aceh Tengah Regencies, which together circle the immediate highland ranges north and south of Lake Tawar. The cooperative, along with many local industries in the region, identifies itself as 'Gayo,' after the Gayonese ethnic group which has long made Aceh their home, and which comprises a vast majority of farmer members. KKGO was founded in 2006 and currently mills and exports through nearby PT Ihtiyeri Keti Ara, a family-owned company with whom Royal has worked for the past 20 years."

How Wet-Hulling Works

"Aceh’s very small farm sizes and consistently humid and drizzly climate make prolonged parchment drying impractical. Processing is typically not overseen by a single individual or team; instead, coffee moves task by task through different hands before reaching its final, fully-dried, state. 

"KKGO follows the local processing customs closely, beginning with farmers picking cherry and selling to local collectors. Collectors aggregate cherry from their local neighborhoods and deliver to processors. Processors then float cherry for density, depulp, and ferment the fresh parchment overnight. The following morning the fermented parchment is washed clean with spring water and spread out on tarps to dry directly in the sun. After the parchment is dry to the touch, often only a matter of hours depending on the time of day, it is transferred again to a local miller, who mechanically hulls the parchment from around the coffee seed, which is notably still has a moisture content close to 40% at this time (thus earning the coffee its 'wet-hulled' label). The miller will continue drying the moist coffee seeds on tarps under the direct sun.  

"Final dry milling is done by PT Ihtiyeri Keti Ara, a local miller in Takengon and an old supplier of Royal’s. Their location means containers are filled, sealed, and exported directly from the highlands with minimal time in Sumatra’s humid port city of Medan—in our experience an extremely key step for retaining quality in Aceh’s coffee."

Learn more on our blog.

Sourced from the Aceh region of Sumatra, the Takengon Atu Lintang Organic is produced by the Koperasi Kopi Gayo Organic Cooperative. This lot is processed using the traditional wet-hulled method, a technique common in Indonesia that often contributes to a distinctively heavy body and earthy complexity in the cup. You can learn more about how this specific technique influences the final profile in our processing methods explainer.

Roasted by PT's Coffee Roasting, this coffee presents a profile defined by notes of cherry, semi-sweet chocolate, and cedar. While wet-hulled coffees are frequently celebrated for their deep, rustic character, the specific nuances of this harvest highlight a balance between fruit-forward sweetness and woody undertones. To better understand how these descriptors fit into the broader spectrum of coffee characteristics, we recommend consulting our flavor wheel. Grown at an altitude of 1300-1450 masl, this selection offers a classic representation of the unique terroir found within the Gayo highlands.