More Indonesians take to local specialty coffee

JAKARTA: More Indonesians are enjoying their cup of Joe in ways not seen since coffee was first introduced to the country by Dutch colonisers in the 18th century.

Dozens of cafes have sprung up particularly in urban areas, catering to the palates of middle-class Indonesians responding to coffee's third wave. This wave, which is shaping the coffee culture in major cities worldwide, is a move to provide specialty coffees to consumers who are able to appreciate the nuances of the brew.

These specialty coffees have achieved at least 80 out of 100 in their cupping score, an index used to evaluate a brew. One of them is the Aceh Gayo, a full-bodied coffee with earthy tones, from Sumatra.

Dozens of cafes such as this one now serve made-in-Indonesia specialty coffee. (Photo: Sujadi Siswo)

Aceh Gayo is only one of more than 100 specialty coffees grown in Indonesia, which makes the country perhaps the most diverse coffee-producing nation in the world. Indonesia is also the world's fourth-largest coffee producer, with at least seven coffee-growing regions.

However, three-quarters of the beans grown in the country belong to the Robusta species, often perceived to be of lower quality. For decades, Indonesians had no access to the small number of specialty coffees the country produced. 

The range, which came from highly-prized Arabica beans and accounting for less than 5 per cent of total coffee production, was mostly enjoyed outside the country - exported - until the coffee culture hit home 10 years ago.

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Thirty-two-year-old Muhammad Abgari started Anomali Coffee with a friend soon after returning from his studies in Australia. The cafe serves exclusively Indonesian beans, eager to allow locals to enjoy and appreciate their country's best coffee. 

With six outlets in Indonesia and a first overseas venture likely in Singapore soon, he believes there is more that Indonesia can offer to the world's coffee geeks.

"We haven't already explored everything here in Indonesia," said Mr Muhammad Abgari. "I think the trend of specialty coffee itself has only gotten better in the last two to three years. The cupping score has risen significantly. But now the trend is being infiltrated by the foreign coffees coming in." 

One of them is St Ali, a well-known chain from Australia. It recently opened its first Indonesian franchise in Jakarta. 

Despite being one of the world's top coffee producers, each Indonesian drinks just over one kilogramme of it per year, compared to the 10 kilogrammes that each person consumes in Finland, the world's top coffee drinking-nation.

A selection of Indonesian specialty coffee. (Photo: Sujadi Siswo)

But St Ali's co-owner in Indonesia, Mr Aston Utan, believes the market for specialty coffee in Indonesia will grow along with the burgeoning middle class that currently stands at 74 million people, and which is expected to double by 2020.

"The urban areas are the perfect areas to grow coffee culture because that's where you find the more educated consumers, consumers who have travelled and consumers who have broadened their horizons," said Mr Aston.

"A lot of them have travelled to distant places or even gone to schools in different places. They've had these (coffee) experiences there and they are looking for the same thing here," he added.

By the looks of things, the prospects for specialty coffee taking root in Indonesia appear rosy, and globally too, as Indonesian specialty coffee takes centrestage for the first time in the US in April as part of the exhibition by the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

Source: More Indonesians take to local specialty coffee