Sumatra Kenawat Anaerobic Wet Hull - September 2025
Sumatra Kampung Kenawat: A Fermented Selection
From the misty highlands of the Aceh region comes a coffee as rare as the story behind it. Born from the hands of six smallholder farmers—most of them women—this medium roast carries notes of cotton candy, rose jam, and cascara, along with the resilience of a village that transformed its identity from a symbol of conflict to a beacon of excellence.
Grower: 6 smallholder farmers organized around the Adena Coffee Kenawat Coffee Mill
Region: Kampung Kenawat, Bener Meriah Regency, Aceh District, Sumatra, Indonesia
Cultivar: Typica, Tim-tim, Catimor, Abyssinia
Altitude: 1600 -1700 masl
Process: Anaerobically fermented, wet hulled
Drying: Dried on cement patios
Roast Level: Medium
Roast Body: Mild
Cupping Notes: Cotton Candy, Rose Jam, Cascara
Grown On The Edge Of The Clouds
High in the Gayo Highlands of Aceh, Sumatra, the village of Kampung Kenawat clings to the mountainside at 1,600–1,700 meters above sea level, where the air is cool, the soil is volcanic, and the morning mist settles so low it brushes the tops of the coffee trees. Here, it truly feels as though the farms are perched on the edge of the clouds.
These small plots, rarely more than three acres, are tended by members of the Hutasoit tribe, with seventy percent of the farmers being women whose livelihoods are rooted in coffee. The trees, a mix of Typica, Tim-tim, Catimor, and Abyssinia cultivars, are grown using traditional, hands-on methods passed down through generations.
Harvest season brings long, careful days of handpicking, where only the ripest, crimson cherries are selected at peak sweetness. Each lot is meticulously sorted to remove underripe or damaged fruit before moving to the mill. This dedication at the very start of the journey gives Kenawat coffee its celebrated cleanliness, balanced sweetness, and distinctive floral, fruit-forward character.
Tradition Meets Innovation
After harvesting, cherries are meticulously sorted and prepared for transport to the wet mill. At this stage, the coffee cherries are going to take a detour from coffee's usual processing path. And this detour is where the real magic begins.
In a blend of innovation and climate-savvy technique, the coffee is sealed in airtight containers for up to seven days of anaerobic fermentation —allowing delicate, fruit-forward sweetness to develop. Once fermentation is complete, the beans are washed and begin the wet-hulling process , known locally as Giling Basah.
Unlike conventional processing, the parchment is removed while the beans are still high in moisture, exposing them during patio drying. This method is perfectly adapted to Aceh’s high humidity and rainfall, and gives the beans their striking bluish hue. The final result is a flavor arc that blooms from candy-like sweetness to delicate florals.
The History of Kenawat & the Hutasoit
Kenawat was once a name whispered in the shadow of conflict. In the 1970s, the village became associated with the Free Aceh Movement, born from deep historical and economic grievances and the region's distinctive identity. hough the Hutasoit farmers themselves weren't combatants, their lives were upended—military checkpoints restricted access, villages emptied, and coffee farms were left abandoned, increasingly overgrown
Adena Coffee saw something deeper in Kenawat however, and partnered with Fahman Yoga, a former professional footballer who returned home to revive his roots. Adena began collecting and processing local coffee, supporting both his farm and neighboring producers. These farms practice agroforestry , shaded by multiple tree species, and driven by traditional methods like hand harvesting, careful sorting, and patio drying; true expressions of the Hutasoit way of life
From the ashes of conflict, Kenawat began to reemerge as a symbol of excellence . Adena’s work empowered the community, giving young people a reason to stay, to rebuild, and to take pride once more in their harvests. Every bag of coffee became not just a commodity, but a story of redemption, resilience, and hope.
Adena Coffee: A Partnership For Change
Adena Coffee stepped into Kenawat with a mission: restore the village’s reputation through quality and transparency.
Together, they refined post-harvest practices, championed careful fermentation, and showcased wet-hull processing at a level the global market had never seen.
The result was historic—Kenawat coffee placed 9th in the Cup of Excellence 2022/2023 , the first-ever internationally acclaimed wet-hulled beans from the region.
This achievement not only elevated the farmers’ income potential but also rewrote Kenawat’s identity, from a place marked by division to a hub of excellence in specialty coffee.
How Do I Get This Coffee?
Fresh Roasted Coffee’s Roaster’s Choice program is your passport to the world’s most captivating coffees, and this month’s journey takes us high into the misty Gayo Highlands of Aceh, Sumatra. Our Sumatra Kenawat Anaerobic Wet Hull delivers a cup as vibrant as its story—soft and sweet with notes of cotton candy, rose jam, and cascara.
Grown by six smallholder farmers of the Hutasoit tribe and processed at the Adena Coffee Kenawat Mill, this lot is a marriage of tradition and innovation. Handpicked at peak ripeness, anaerobically fermented, and finished with Indonesia’s signature wet-hulling method, it’s a shining example of how a community once marked by conflict transformed itself into a symbol of specialty coffee excellence.
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