Sumatra Lintong Nihota

Description

Within the Lintong Nihota area, Aek Nauli lies due west of Dolok
Sanggul. Much of this area’s Landscape is defined by Lake Toba, the
largest volcanic crater lake in the world. It’s gigantic, and the
coffees from around this area can be truly unique. ‘Aek Nauli’
translates to ‘village with 1,000 ponds’ – ironically it’s difficult to
find much water in the surrounding area, but there is a small river in
Aek Nauli. The people of Aek Nauli rely on rain water for much of their
daily water consumption, and this is used for agriculture as well. We
work with a mill who buys directly from the farmers, many in the
surrounding highlands, keeping lots separated and intact. This is one
reason for the top quality of this coffee, the other being meticulous
and repetitive sorting during milling – much more so than most Grade 1
Mandhelings.

Cupping Notes

This lot from Aek Nauli is a potent Lintong coffee, earthy sweetness and
potent fruit tones that follow through from dry fragrance to the cup.
The dry grounds have a sweet smell of palm sugar, dried coconut, ripe
berries, as well as a mossy earth-like note. The sweetness found in the
wet aroma is incredible – an intense scent of butterscotch raisin
pudding comes off the crust, with green herbal notes showing up on the
break. It’s a lovely set of aromatics, and while revealing earth and
“rustic” qualities we tend to associate with Indo coffee, fruit and
developed sugar notes have strength, and add a welcome twist. The cup is
delicious, with lots of up-front sweetness. Cup flavors vacillate
between complex sugars like brown rice syrup and caramel sauce, and
fruited notes like rhubarb, pulpy citrus, and pungent tropicals. Flavors
shift a bit as the cup cools, opening up to a much more in the way of
juicy fruits, foresty Lintong flavors (cedar, sandalwood), and even
modest acidity (still very low in comparison to most African coffees).
The finish has citrus zest and cacao nibs, with a pleasantly bittering
effect in the long aftertaste – this one really goes long. Would make a
great espresso component, and even a sweet SO Sumatra shot of espresso
for those who enjoy complexity.