Indonesia | Sumatra | Wahana Estate | Wet Hulled | Single Origin Coffee

We love this coffee and there’s no other bean than we have bought more of over the years than this. The AMAZING Wet Hulled coffee from Wahana Estate is just it’s own thing. It has a big juicy body, it’s sweet, it’s bright – it is THE best wet hulled coffee we have ever tasted. We simply love it here at Silverskin Coffee and are sure you’ll feel the same. COUNTRY: Indonesia REGION: Wahana Estate, Sidikalang ELEVATION: 1200-1500 M.A.S.L. VARIETY: Andung Sari, Catuaí, Caturra, Jember, Local Landraces, S795, Typica, Various, Villa Sarchi PROCESS: Wet Hulled NOTES: Honey sweetness, big juicy body, red fruits and raspberry, caramel and chocolate with a long clean finish. Please check Wahana Estate out here

Below is a more detailed overview on Wahana Estate, the Wet Hulled Process and coffee in Indonesia:

The 250-hectare estate cultivates 13 distinct coffee varieties, featuring local hybrids like Rasuna, Long Berry, Andong Sari, Toraja, and S795 (Jember), alongside Jantung, and renowned types such as Caturra, Catuai, Villa Sarchi, and Typica.

A dedicated farmers’ support center operates on-site, supplying coffee seeds and guidance on farm management practices. It also provides shade trees and educational resources on organic fertilizer application.

Employing 800 to 1,000 local residents, the estate offers comprehensive benefits including an on-site health clinic, complimentary housing, electricity, potable water, healthcare, and childcare facilities with a nursery and kindergarten. A church and mosque have been constructed for workers’ use, and the estate has facilitated computer acquisitions for area schools.

Cultivation:
Coffee trees occupy over half of the estate’s total 468 hectares. An additional 30 hectares function as a specialized nursery for propagating local varieties. New seedlings start in sandy beds, are transferred to polybags after three months for 7-8 months of growth, and are finally planted in designated plots with varietal labeling.

A substantial portion of the land is conserved to protect native species and establish buffer zones around tributaries, reducing runoff into local waterways. As a newer development, the owners aim to progressively expand both coffee cultivation and outreach programs supporting local farmers.

Coffee trees are spaced and grown under shade provided by indigenous Lamtoro trees (river tamarind). Complementing meticulous production methods, the estate’s location in North Sumatra—renowned for its ideal coffee-growing climate—significantly contributes to the production of high-quality beans.

About Giling Basah: The Wet Hulled Process
Indonesia is particularly noted for its distinctive wet hulling method, known locally as giling basah. While its precise origins are uncertain, the technique likely emerged in Aceh in the late 1970s.

Wet hulling gained traction primarily due to producers’ need for faster payment. It became essential for many farmers lacking the infrastructure to dry parchment coffee adequately amidst Sumatra’s high humidity and irregular rainfall. Drying under these conditions, especially at higher elevations, is often slow, challenging, and risky.

The fundamental wet hulling process involves:

1. Harvesting cherries and pulping them (often near the farm using small manual or motorized pulpers).

2. Fermenting the coffee overnight in small containers or bags, followed by washing the next morning.

3. Sun-drying the parchment for half a day to two days (a “skin drying” phase to ease parchment removal), reaching 30-40% moisture.

4. Delivering the parchment to a processor (frequently via a village collector) for hulling using a specialized, more powerful wet huller.

5. Hulling produces a soft, whitish seed called labu, which is then dried on tarps or patios down to 14-15% moisture. This stage is termed asalan coffee – unsorted and containing defects – which constitutes much of the internal trade.

6. Exporters, mainly based in Medan, complete the drying to 12-13% moisture, sort, and prepare the asalan coffee for shipment.

Wahana Estate’s premium and specialty wet-hulled coffees are sourced through direct partnerships with village collectors and processors. This ensures consistent drying, storage, and lot traceability from farm to export, allowing us to deliver cleaner, more stable, and fully traceable regional coffees.

Coffee in Indonesia
Despite a long history of production, Indonesian coffees have often been overlooked by the specialty sector in recent times (which we at Silverskin just cannot believe!). Through Wahana Estate’s evolving and innovative supply chain, they are proud to offer high-quality coffees from diverse Indonesian regions, complete with detailed traceability.

Indonesia’s unique contribution remains the wet hulling process (giling basah). Its exact beginnings are debated, but evidence points to an origin in Aceh during the late 1970s.

The method’s widespread adoption stems from producers requiring quicker payments and, crucially, the common lack of drying infrastructure needed to combat Sumatra’s high humidity and unpredictable rains. Drying parchment under these persistently humid, high-altitude conditions is typically slow and fraught with difficulty.