Cooked cranberries and chocolate—that sounds more like a dessert than a description of coffee. But that’s exactly what the Indonesia Sumatra Asman Gayo from NABR Roasters tastes like, including a lively, slightly fermented acidity that pleasantly enlivens the entire cup. Behind this profile is a roastery led by a Cup of Excellence winner, so precision here isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a craft backed by a trophy. Add a cupping score of 86, and you have a filter coffee that redefines what Sumatra is capable of when courage to try something different takes precedence over tradition. Pour yourself a cup—the rest will be told by the cup itself.
The beans come from a small mill in the Pegasing district near the city of Takengon, in the province of Aceh in northern Sumatra. Coffee trees grow here on volcanic slopes in the middle of the rainforest at an elevation of 1 ,300 to 1,650 meters above sea level, in a landscape enclosed by the Barisan mountain range, which stretches along the entire western coast of the island. The mill is operated by Asman Arianto and brings together small-scale growers from the villages of Pantan Musara. Years ago, they were forced to leave their homes and livelihoods due to a natural disaster, but they rebuilt their farms, this time with a focus on premium coffee. The lot features a blend of Ateng, Bor Bor, Catimor, and Timor varieties—a typical composition of the Gayo Highlands.
The cherries were dried using the natural method—that is, whole, including the pulp—from which the beans absorb sugars and fruity compounds during drying. This is precisely where the distinctive fruitiness, dense body, and sweeter character of the cup come from. In the context of Sumatra, this is a rarity; the Asman Gayo mill is one of the exceptions that handles natural-processed coffee alongside washed coffee, while most of the island adheres to traditional methods. This lot is classified as a microlot with traceability down to the mill level, which is the highest possible standard for Sumatran production. So you know not only what you’re drinking, but also who processed your coffee and where, right down to the very last step.