We have an exciting lineup of Indonesian coffees this year, and the first one up comes from the Kintamani highlands of Bali, Indonesia. This small island is cradled in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago, and while it’s known more for its Hindu culture, temples, beaches, impressive views, and reputation as a popular tourist destination, Bali is also becoming known for its coffee. While coffee from Kintamani has been exported globally, domestic consumption is growing rapidly thanks to the increasing numbers of coffee drinkers in Bali.
Tanah Lot Temple is a popular tourist destination in Bali. While people are welcome to walk towards the temple during low tide, only those who are going to pray and wear traditional Balinese clothing may enter the inner area of the Temple.
Coffee is primarily produced in the Kintamani highlands amidst three volcanoes: Gunung Agung, Gunung Batur, and Gunung Bratan. Oranges are another major crop in Bali, and their trees are planted alongside coffee trees in order to provide shade. It also serves as another source of income for farmers. Coffees in Bali are mainly produced by small-scale farmers, most of who are organized into traditional groups called Subak Abian. Bali is the only island in Indonesia where Hinduism has remained as the primary religion of its population, and the Subak is a cooperative agricultural water management system that is rooted in the Hindu principle of Tri Hita Karana. This principle focuses on the harmonization between the environment, humans, and God. Everyone in the Subak works communally, building water tunnels, weirs, and canals so that water can be distributed proportionately between the farmers.
Here, young coffee trees (short trees with dark leaves) are grown alongside orange trees. This is a common practice in Bali, and citrus trees help provide shade to the coffee trees. In addition to coffee, Bali is known for its citrus production.
Most coffee in Bali goes through the washed process, but some farmers began to naturally process their coffee as a way to address water scarcity in 2009. Ripe coffee cherries are picked and dried on raised beds that were originally used for drying parchment.
In 2019, Andytown was invited by the Consulate General of Indonesia on a trip to Sulawesi, Indonesia to learn more about Sulawesi Coffee Production. Before heading back to the US, we stopped in Bali for a few days with Evan Gilman, our travel buddy and friend at Royal Coffee Importers. Here, we’re cupping coffee with Rodney Glick (right) and Kadek Edi (center) of Seniman Coffee. In collaboration with 5758 Coffee Lab, Seniman Coffee created the first Indonesian Coffee Flavor Wheel (more about the flavor wheel in our next Indonesian coffee release!). While we have yet to source coffee from Sulawesi, we’re grateful for the trip to Indonesia, and glad we’re able to source Balinese coffee through Royal Importers.
Since we have other Indonesian coffees coming onto our menu later this year, we almost considered not purchasing this coffee. But upon receiving its arrival sample, we just couldn’t pass up this staff favorite, and wanted to highlight the diversity of flavors you can find across Indonesia. This coffee has notes of strawberry, red dragon fruit, and cocoa nibs. The berry notes are unmistakable but slightly more approachable, and sometimes reminds us of chocolate raspberry cake and chocolate covered gummy bears. This coffee is suitable for various brewing methods, but it makes a really refreshing iced coffee!
