Sumatra Gayo “Wine Process” 25 Day Anaerobic Natural

Well. We made it. Our first coffee.

If you’re reading this…thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

When this project/experiment started, I had no idea if anyone would care. And while we aren’t the biggest coffee brand in the world, I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of support and love from everyone.

But let’s get to the important stuff.

You came here for a brew guide and that’s exactly what I’m going to give you.

The Coffee

Variety: Typica, Abyssinia, Catimor, P-88

Origin: Indonesia

Region: Aceh Region

Elevation: 1500–1600 meters

Tasting Notes: Limeade, Passion Fruit, Mandarin, Floral, Juicy

Nestled in the heart of Sumatra's Aceh province, a hidden gem of coffee cultivation thrives in the Sintep and Kenawat sub-districts. Here, bordering a tranquil inland lake, coffee trees stretch their roots into rich, black humus soil, drawing nourishment from elevations of 1500 to 1600 meters above sea level. The misty, humid air that cloaks these highlands whispers of Indonesia's tropical essence.

What sets this coffee apart is not only its origin but also the unique “Wine Process” used in its production. The ripe coffee cherries are washed and then sealed in airtight containers for 25 days. This anaerobic fermentation method imparts distinct wine-like flavors to the beans, resulting in a truly exceptional coffee.

After fermentation, the cherries are rinsed and sun-dried until they reach 12-13% moisture content, which preserves their newly developed flavors. The beans are then milled, sorted, and prepared for export. This process results in a coffee that reflects both its Sumatran origin and the innovative processing method used.

Filter

This coffee reaallllllyyyy shines on filter methods. It has an incredibly juicy body with tasting notes of lime and mandarin. Testing and sampling this coffee during the hot summer months was honestly so satisfying – it truly tastes like a cup of fresh fruit juice.

Here’s a recommended brew guide for this coffee:

Ratio: 1:17

Dose: 15g

Yield: 255g

Personally, I’ve been a big fan of Lance Hedrick’s pourover recipe and found it was well suited for this particular coffee. It’s rather simple to follow and also a great baseline to add your own tweaks to. Let’s get into it!

Please note: I used an Orea V4 brewer for this recipe, so if you’re using another brewer, specifically a conical brewer, your results may vary. Nonetheless, as I said previously, this is a GREAT baseline to start from and make tweaks later on.

1. Start with 15g coffee
2. Bloom 50g
3. Immediately set timer for 2:00
4. Agitate grounds just a bit or use Wet WDT method
5. When 2:00 surpasses, pour the rest of your water in one single pour (200g)

Tips:

• If the coffee is dripping slowly, you can swirl the brewer to speed things up
• Pour water around 6-8g/s at a decent height to have optimal turbulence

Total brew time:

• 2-3 min for 1:00 bloom
• 3-4 min for 2:00 bloom

Big shoutout to Lance Hedrick for sharing this recipe with the world. If you want to watch his video for more help, watch it here.

Espresso

Enter at your own risk. That is all I will say.

I’m mostly kidding…But in all seriousness, this particular coffee on espresso will take you for a wild ride. It’s incredibly bold, insanely juicy, and packs a serious punch.

It’s one of the most interesting espressos I’ve had to date.

I tested a f*ck ton of different doses, yields, brew times, etc and this is the one that worked the best for me.

Please note: I am using one of the newer, “fancy”, high extraction baskets that are great for turbo shots. If you’re using a more traditional basket, you may have to tweak this guide a bit.

Dose: 19g

Yield: 47.5g

Time: 0:20

A challenge I faced when trying to dial this one in was taming the acidity and balancing everything out. Of all the tests I did, this one was hands down the best. I was getting a very juicy body from and I was tasting lime again along with some apple notes as well.

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