Sumatra Takengon Green Bean Roasting and Taste Test

These beans come from the highland slopes of the Gayo Mountains near Laut Tawar in the Takengon region of Northern Sumatra. The beans are quite large; in fact, one of them got jammed in my grinder. (See my review of the Solis Maestro conical burr grinder).

Because of the size of the beans I roasted them on a longer profile (stored roasting profile #4 in my iRoast-2:

• 385F at 6 minutes


• 430F for 3.5 minutes


• 465F for 2 minutes

The resulting roast was a dark City roast.

The beans produce good crema. The flavor of the espresso is characterized by strong but pleasing acidity and a total lack of bitterness. This is the kind of espresso I love to drink after a big dinner that has been accompanied by an ample supply of wine! When used to make an espresso-based drink with milk such as a latte or a flat-white the result is an excellent flavor with the sweetness of the milk complimenting the acidity of the beans perfectly.

My overall recommendation for these beans is "excellent" and I highly-recommend them.

I bought these beans as part of a sampler pack of green fair-trade organic sold by Seven Bridges Cooperative at Amazon.com. Buy the Sumatra Takengon Green Beans or the 5 Lb. Organic Fair Trade Green Coffee Sampler from Seven Bridges Cooperative.

Seven Bridges Cooperative says of these beans:

There are over 200 small coffee producers who contribute to this very important OCIA certified organic coffee production. The farmers and communities of this remote region face a number of environmental and socio-economic challenges, including soil erosion, deforestation, low and unstable incomes. The organization, production, technical assistance and higher prices for certified organic coffee help these remote farmers by being able to generate a better income for themselves and improve the economic basis in the commmunities. The organic Sumatra Takengon semi-washed coffee is full bodied, slightly fruity, and clean with a sweet finish. This coffee is great as a varietal, blender and perfect for espresso.