History & Origins
Wahana Estate was established in 2005 and stands as the first single varietal and specialty estate located in Sumatra, Indonesia . The meaning of the word Wahana is ‘Vessels for Great Success’ , reflecting the ambitious vision of its founders. After decades of trading Indonesian coffee, the need was found to produce and supply coffee for the specialty and high grade specialty market. Through years of research and planning, land was finally acquired to start the Wahana Estate Project in 2005 .
The estate spans across almost 500 hectares of land in Sidikalang, Toba Region, North Sumatra with 250 hectares dedicated to growing specialty coffee . A further 30 hectares are used as a nursery . Beyond coffee cultivation, Wahana provides free housing, water and electricity to the 1,000 workers it employs. There is also a free healthcare centre on-site, a kindergarten, and a nursery for the workers’ children , establishing it as both an agricultural enterprise and community support system.
Terroir & Growing Conditions
Wahana Estate is located in the North Sumatra region called Sidikalang, west of volcanic Lake Toba, where coffee is grown under the shade of Leguminous trees . With a high altitude of 1200-1320m above sea level and annual rainfall of 1,450 mm/year, it has optimum conditions for growing specialty arabica coffee . Located on the west of volcanic Lake Toba combined with high altitude on the equator belt, Sidikalang produces one of the most remarkable Sumatran coffees in the world .
Coffee growers on the Wahana Estate have developed sustainable coffee farming practices, using only organic fertilisers – manure and composted cherry pulp – and planting canopy trees to provide shade for coffee plants . Coffee trees at Wahana Estate are strategically spaced and shade-grown under indigenous Lamtoro trees (river tamarind) . Environmental stewardship is at the core of Wahana Estate’s philosophy, with a substantial portion dedicated to conservation land. This not only safeguards native species but also establishes buffer zones around tributaries, mitigating runoff into local waterways .
Processing & Production
Wahana have their own wetmill and are able to concentrate on processing at all steps , giving them exceptional control over quality. Wahana Estate is set up with very sophisticated drying facilities; a two-hectare canopy for drying and sixteen mechanical dryers – they were among the first in Indonesia with this kind of processing infrastructure. This was built to show the potential of Indonesian specialty coffee using different processing methods; these facilities allow them to create natural, washed and honey-processed coffee as well as the traditional Giling Basah .
While most Sumatran coffee undergoes the traditional wet hulling process, what makes the coffees sourced from Wahana particularly unique is that one is a fully washed Longberry, and the other a natural processed Rasuna, neither of which underwent the wet hulled process . At Wahana Estate, the Longberry is fully washed, fermented for 72 hours, then dried under canopies to 12% before the parchment is removed. For reference, the wet hulled process only dries the coffee to approximately twice the moisture content in a shorter amount of time . However, they also produce traditional wet hulled coffees, where the unique process involves hulling the parchment off the bean at roughly 50 percent moisture content and results in Sumatra’s trademark flavor profile (low acidity, richness that lingers on the back of the palate, and a chocolate finish) .
Cup Profile & Tasting Notes
Wahana Estate produces distinctly different flavor profiles depending on processing method and varietal. The washed Longberry results in a creamy cup with clear notes of cherry, golden raisins, and date . The coffee presents an unusually sweet profile with pure chocolate notes complicated by strawberry-like fruit and a hint of night-blooming flowers, with the pervasive chocolate sensation lasting far into a quietly balanced finish .
The Natural Rasuna produces a sweet, fruity cup profile with prominent ripe plum and strawberry notes , while the wet hulled versions offer tons of fruit notes with a buttery and honey like body, and a heavy berry and stone fruit finish . The traditional Rasuna wet hulled process delivers a big round body with sweetness of caramel and hint of dry orange, pleasant low acidity with typical spicy rasuna after taste . North Sumatran smallholders really know how to coax out the flavour in coffee, and in Wahana’s case it’s the bright floral and fruity notes that shine through , challenging conventional expectations of heavy, earthy Sumatran coffees.