Bean of the Month: Sumatra Harimau Tiger

For this month’s Bean of the Month, we’re traveling to the mountains of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, for a coffee with a personality all its own: Sumatra Harimau Tiger. 

“Harimau” means tiger in Indonesian, and it’s a fitting name for this coffee. It’s bold, complex and unmistakably Sumatran. 

Grown at elevations between 1,300 and 1,650 meters, Harimau Tiger is made up of several coffee varieties, including Ateng, Bor Bor, Catimor and Timor. The coffee is harvested primarily from November through January, with another harvest period from April through May. 

But one of the most interesting parts of this coffee happens after the cherries are picked. 

What Makes Sumatran Coffee Different? 

Harimau Tiger is processed using wet-hulling, a technique closely associated with Indonesian coffee. 

After the coffee cherries are picked, the fruit is removed and the coffee begins drying. Unlike most washed coffees, which are dried completely while still protected by their parchment layer, Sumatran coffee takes a different route. 

After roughly 8–12 hours of pre-drying, when the coffee is still around 35% moisture, the parchment is removed. The exposed beans are then dried the rest of the way until they reach approximately 10–12% moisture and are ready for export. 

This unusual process is one reason coffees from Sumatra develop such a distinctive character and heavy body. 

Coffee from the Mountains of Aceh 

Aceh sits at the northern end of Sumatra and is an incredible place for coffee production. 

The landscape ranges from coastal areas and wetlands to the volcanic Barisan Mountains, where coffee grows among lush tropical forests. 

Coffee production here is also built around small farms. The average farm is only about one hectare, and roughly 95% of producers are smallholders. Women also play an especially important role in the region's coffee production. 

This combination of small farms, high elevations, volcanic soils, tropical climate and traditional processing helps give coffees from Aceh an identity unlike almost anywhere else in the coffee-growing world. 

Roasting Harimau Tiger 

Medium Roast | Dark Cocoa • Sweet Tobacco • Molasses 

When this coffee arrives at the Daily Rise roastery, our goal isn't to cover up those characteristics with the roast. We want to bring them forward. 

Our medium roast profile highlights the body, depth and character that make Sumatran coffees so recognizable while developing the sweetness that brings out notes of dark cocoa, sweet tobacco and molasses. 

It's a coffee for someone who wants something a little different from the bright, fruit-forward coffees commonly associated with places like Ethiopia or some Central American origins. 

It's bold. It's earthy. It's distinctly Sumatra. 

And that's exactly why we chose it as our Bean of the Month. Order now and get 15% OFF. Enter code BOMOCT26 at checkout!