Jamaica Arts Works

Sumatra Coffee In North Sumatra, a road snakes around the lush forest, beautiful waterfalls and striking volcanoes to arrive in a land that grows a strong coffee with enchanting flavor. Lintong Nihuta lies southwest of Lake Toba, one of the worldâ??s most buried inland bodies of water. The land in this region rises to a high plateau, providing the altitude necessary for Arabica cultivation. Lintong accurately describes only coffees grown in a relatively small region just southwest of Lake Toba in the district of Lintong Nihuta. Small plots of coffee are scattered over a high, undulating plateau of fern-covered clay. The coffee is grown without shade, but also without chemicals of any kind, and almost entirely by smallholders. Each of the small farmers produces coffee on less than a hectare of land. They may bring some of their coffee to sell at the weekly market in Lintong, but companies also go directly to the farmers to purchase most of it at a better price. Because of its dark bluish color, the coffee is also well known as â??Blue Batakâ?? (Batak is the ethnic group that inhabits the region). Notes of chocolate are evident in the finish. High-quality Lintong differentiates themselves from other Sumatran coffees in their clean mouthfeel and slightly brighter acidity. In contrast with Mandailing, Lintong has a medium body but retain notes of dark chocolate and fresh earth. The coffee's taste recalls sage, tobacco, cedar and herbs, but these earthy flavors are balanced by chocolate tones. It is a fairly robust cup with a low to medium level of acidity and a syrupy mouthfeel.

Arabica Coffee Gayo Gayo, which also means nice, is an ethnic group with their own language, strong music and dance culture, and society of highly educated scholars. The Gayo tribe has a population of 85.000, and they live predominantly in the scenic, pine-studded mountainous region of Aceh province on the island of Sumatera, accessible only by road and hence fairly remote. Also known as Urang Gayo, they have traditionally been rice farmers and traders. Aceh Gayo Arabica Coffee comes from the Gayo highlands, where the superb tropical volcanic soil provides a unique earthy, deep, rich taste. The crop is organically grown without fertilizers and is widely known as green beans for being environmentally friendly. The people of Central Aceh developed the skill of coffee planting with the arrival of Dutch East Indies to the area around 1904.Grown above 1.200 meters, Gayo semi-washed Arabica coffee has thrived and is consistently rated as one of the best among Indonesia's many coffee growing regions. This lot has been hand-sorted a third time before export, hence it is called Triple Pick. This coffee has a light earthy notes with a full body and smooth aftertaste. It is mild in acidity, has caramel fruity tastes and bittersweet spicy.