Sumatra Wahana Rasuna Honey

About Sumatra Wahana Rasuna Honey

Arrived end of August 2015. And now for something completely different. A very unusual and delightful varietal combined with an uncommon processing method - with terrific results. Rasuna is a hybrid of the Catimor and Typica varietals originated in Sumatra. This Rasuna varietal is grown on 90 hectares of the Wahana Estate land. Catimor is noted for its disease resistance but has a shorter life span than others. Typica however is known for having a longer life span but produces less coffee cherries.

This new lot of Sumatra Rasuna comes from the Wahana Estate from where we have purchased coffee in the past. The Wahana Estate was established in 2005 and is the only large, private coffee estate of its kind on the island of Sumatra. It's located in the village of Lae Mungkur in Northern Sumatra. Wahana Graha Makmur translates to "Vessels for Great Success" and the estate's mission is not just producing their own high quality coffee, but also to improve the quality of coffee farmers throughout the region by offering advice and farm management to neighboring farms. The estate is made up of about 250 hectares and grows 13 different coffee varieties that are each carefully separated into lots to produce distinct single varietal coffees, including some local Indonesian hybrids such as the Longberry and the Rasuma.

The experiment of combining the two varietals produced a new varietal with a longer life span and greater yield and proved to be successful for the Wahana Estate. Rasuna is one of the most popular cultivar in Sumatra and is only cultivated in Indonesia at this time. Rasuna is grown most successfully above 1200 meters (3940 feet) and the Wahana Estate sits at an elevation of 1300 to 1500 meters.

This micro-lot is a honey processed coffee. This means that while the skin of the cherry is removed there is mucilage left on the bean during the drying  process. This gives the coffee a "honey-like" color and allows the sugar from the mucilage to come through into the sweetness and fruity flavor of the coffee.

Cup Characteristics: Perfumed and sweetly and mildly exotic on the nose. This Rasuna is sweet and bright (especially for Sumatra) with stone fruit flavors. Succulent and mouth filling, this is an all day drinker that will take you by surprise. We actually found it elegant, a word rarely used with this origin. Mild fruit intensity from its processing. Complex, dark chocolate mouthfeel.

Roasting Notes: The coffee roasts like other high grown Sumatra varieties and may take a tad longer to finish due to higher moisture levels one typically sees from this origin.