In the North Sumatra and Aceh coffee areas farmers pulp their cherries at the farm and partially dry the fresh harvested coffee on patios before selling at the local village market.

There are very few 'estates' or even growers’ co-operatives or associations. In this matriarchal society many women are represented in the village markets with their produce. Prices for semi-prepared coffee in the internal market are high by equivalent Latin America and African standards. The issue of traceability is complex for this origin and we have been selecting our coffee from smallholders farmers who are members of Gayo Mountain Co-operative. Once purchased from the farmers, the crop is sent on to the mill to remove the parchment.

Our 'extra fancy' preparation involves a staggered drying process at the milling facility in Takengon, Sumatra where the parchment coffee is removed from the sacks, taken out to dry under sun then put back in sacks. This complex process creates the intensity of aroma in the coffee. The final milling is completed and then the coffee is transported to Medan facility for final hand sorting. Our 'extra fancy' has an extra hand sorting process which produces coffee that is superior to the more usually seen Grade One coffee. The dark/blue green colour of the coffee makes it unsuitable for the type of automated colour sorting that is used to separate Central American coffees.

The coffee from this high grown Northern Aceh region has a very special and unique quality of flavour; a deep earthy peatyness with low acidity, almost syrupy mouthfeel. It is not an easy coffee to roast as the dense beans demand and intensity of heat but balanced with care to ensure the roast develops in the deep core structure of the bean without tipping the exterior. Our extra fancy preparation has a natural sweetness with bold deep tones; really balances spicy foods or for a really sublime late afternoon pick up, enjoy a cup of our Sumatra coffee with a smoky, peaty, single malt whisky.