Sumatra Asman Gayo Mill

This coffee comes from a small mill in the Pegasing district of Takengon, in Sumatra's coffee-famous Aceh region run by Cup of Excellence winner Asman Arianto. The Asman Gayo mill serves several small coffee producers within the Pantan Musara villages. Several years ago, these producers were dislocated from their homes and land because of a natural disaster, and they have rebuilt their lives and farms with a new focus on coffee. Natural coffees are typically processed the day they are harvested, and are first sorted for ripeness and quality before being rinsed clean of debris. In many places this initial sorting happens via a float tank: Damaged and defective cherries will float to the top to be removed, while high-quality coffee will sink to the bottom to be cleaned and dried. After sorting, cherries are spread on raised drying beds, table, tarps, or patios, where they will be rotated constantly throughout the course of drying. Drying can take an average of 30–40 days, depending on the weather. The average farm in Aceh is one hectare, 80% of producers within northern Sumatra are women, and 95% of producers are smallholders. Coffee is grown on this volcanic mountain amongst the rainforest.