Muhtar
Muhtar grows standout coffee on his family farm that is some of the best we’ve tasted from this region.
Partnered with Stumptown
2014
Location
Aceh Tengah Province
Elevation
1200 - 1600 Meters
Varietal
Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catimor
Processing Technique
Semi-Washed (Wet-hulled)
On Our Menu
The Producer
Muhtar is one of the original contributing farmers to Stumptown’s Indonesia Bies Penantan. Since 2014, he’s separated out his delicious coffee so we can offer it as a single producer microlot. His farm is located in the city of Takengon, within the Aceh Tengah province on the island of Sumatra.
The Place
Muhtar tells us every tree has different needs – you have to get to know them each individually. He is out on his farm every day, usually singing, visiting each tree at least twice a week. The health of his plants is paramount. He carefully digs a trench around each coffee tree for fertilizer which he makes out of spent coffee cherry, citrus peel, and water. His coffee plants are well integrated with other crops, which he says helps maintain healthy soil.
The Process
On a recent visit to Muhtar's farm, he explained to our team how he prunes his trees with a “wind hole” at the base, towards the trunk, so the plant gets better air circulation. Muhtar alternates his pruning regimen to maintain balanced production, since plants pruned most recently will produce less in the short term. Once harvested, coffee is processed using the wet-hulling method, a technique specific to Sumatra and responsible for the unique profile of coffees from this region.