The first attempt to grow coffee on the Indonesian archipelago was a failure. In 1696 the Governor of Jakarta (then Batavia) was sent a present of a few coffee seedlings by the Dutch Governor of Malabar in India. These plants were lost in a flood in Jakarta, so a second shipment was sent in 1699. These plants flourished.

Exports of coffee began in 1711, and were controlled by the Dutch East India Company, usually referred to by its Dutch initials VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagniey). Coffee arriving in Amsterdam sold for high prices, 1kg (2lb) costing nearly one per cent of the average annual income. The price slowly came down during the 18th century, but coffee was undeniably very profitable for the VOC. However, as Java was under colonial rule at the time, it was not at all profitable for the farmers who grew it. In 1860 a Dutch colonial official wrote a novel entitled Max Havelaar: Or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company, which described the abuses of the colonial system. This book had a lasting impact on Dutch society, changing public opinion about the way coffee was traded and the colonial system in general. The name Max Havelaar is now used for an ethical certification within the coffee industry.

Initially Indonesia produced only Arabica, but coffee leaf rust wiped out much of the crop in 1876. There was some attempt to plant the Liberica species instead, but that also suffered at the hands of leaf rust, so production switched to the disease-resistant Robusta. Today Robusta still makes up a significant portion of the crop.

GILING BASAH

One of the unique aspects of coffee production in Indonesia, and the source of Indonesian coffee’s deeply divisive taste, is the traditional post-harvest process of giling basah. This hybrid process combines elements of the washed and natural processes. This semi-washed process has a dramatic effect on the cup quality. It significantly reduces the acidity of the coffee, and seems to increase its body too, creating a softer, rounder, heavier-bodied cup of coffee. However, it also introduces a gamut of additional flavours, sometimes vegetal or herbal, sometimes woody or musty, sometimes earthy. This is not to say that all coffee processed this way is uniform in quality and has gone through some sort of flavour standardization. There are huge variations in the quality of these coffees.

The flavour of semi-washed coffees is particularly divisive within the coffee industry. If a coffee from Africa or Central America displayed the same flavours, regardless of how well the process was done, it would be considered defective and rejected immediately by any potential buyers. However, there are many people who find the intensity and heavy-bodied cups of coffee brewed from Indonesian semi-washed lots delicious, and so the industry continues to buy them.

In recent years, speciality buyers have encouraged producers throughout Indonesia to experiment more with the washed process to allow some appreciation of the taste of the variety and the land rather than the dominant flavours of the process. We shall see if demand for these coffees is strong enough to encourage widespread production of cleaner coffees, or if the industry will see continued demand for semi-washed lots and simply continue to meet it.

An Indonesian woman scales a large coffee tree to harvest the crop. Coffee has been exported from here since the 16th century, when the Dutch East India Company established a lucrative trade.

Large baskets of Robusta berries are raked out to dry in the sun in Tanggamus, Lampung Province, one of the largest coffee-producing regions in Indonesia.

KOPI LUWAK

In Indonesia, Kopi Luwak refers to coffees that are produced by collecting the droppings of civet cats that have eaten coffee cherries. This semi-digested coffee is separated from the faecal matter and then processed and dried. In the last decade it has come to be seen as an amusing novelty, with unattributed claims of its excellent flavours, and it sells for spectacularly high prices. This has caused two main problems.

Firstly, the forgery of this coffee is quite commonplace. Several times more is sold than produced, and often low-grade Robusta is being passed off at high prices.

Secondly, it has encouraged unscrupulous operators on the islands to trap and cage civet cats, force-feed them with coffee cherries and keep them in terrible conditions.

I find Kopi Luwak abhorrent on just about every level. If you are interested in delicious coffee then it is a terrible waste of money. One-quarter of the money you might spend on a bag could instead buy you a stunning coffee from one of the very best producers in the world. I can only regard the practice as abusive and unethical and I believe people should avoid all animal-processed coffees, and not reward this despicable behaviour with their money.

TRACEABILITY

While it is possible to find coffees from individual farms on the islands, these are relatively rare. However, those that have been kept traceable, and have been fully washed (rather than semi-washed) are definitely worth trying.

Most coffee is produced by smallholders with just 1–2 hectares (2.2–4.4 acres) of land so usually a coffee is only traceable down to a specific washing station, or only a region. There is very wide variation in the quality of these regional coffees, and they can be something of a gamble.

TASTE PROFILE

Semi-washed coffees tend to be very heavy bodied, earthy, woody and spicy with very little acidity.

GROWING REGIONS

Population: 263,510,000

Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2016: 11,491,000

From its origins in Java, coffee slowly spread around the other islands in the region, first to Sulawesi in 1750. It didn’t reach Northern Sumatra until 1888, first being grown around Toba lake, and eventually appeared in the Tawar lake region in Gayo in 1924.

SUMATRA

The island of Sumatra has three main growing regions: the province of Aceh in the north, the Lake Toba region a little to the south and, more recently, coffee has been produced in the south of the island around Mangkuraja. It may be possible to trace coffees to smaller areas within these regions: Takengon or Bener Mariah in the Aceh region; and Lintong, Sidikalang, Dolok Sanggul or Seribu Dolok around Lake Toba. Traceability down to this level is relatively recent.

In the past it was common to see coffee sold under the name of ‘Sumatra Mandheling’. There is no place called Mandheling, the name refers to an ethnic group from the island. Often Mandheling coffees were given a grade, either 1 or 2. The grading is apparently based on the cup quality rather than the green coffee, which is more usual, but I would be hesitant to recommend all grade 1’s because the awarding can occasionally seem somewhat random.

It is unusual to separate different varieties into different lots, so most Sumatran coffee will probably be a mixture of unknown varieties. Coffees from Sumatra are shipped out of the port of Medan, but the hot, humid climate can have a negative effect on the coffee if it is left on the dockside too long before being shipped.

Altitude:Aceh 1,100−1,300m (3,600–4,300ft), Lake Toba 1,100−1,600m (3,600–5,200ft), Mangkuraja 1,100−1,300m (3,600–4,300ft)
Harvest:September–December
Varieties:Typica (including Bergandal, Sidikalang and Djember), TimTim, Ateng, Onan Ganjang

VARIETY NAMES

Variety names in Sumatra can be a little tricky. Most of the Arabica seed stock initially brought to the island would have been derived from the strain of Typica that was taken from Yemen. In Sumatra this is often called Djember Typica, but it should be noted that Djember also refers to a completely different variety (a less superior one) found in Sulawesi.

It is common to see varieties that have, at some point, been cross-bred with Robusta. The best-known hybrid is called the Hybrido de Timor, a parent of the more common Catimor variety. In Sumatra it is often called TimTim.

JAVA

It is more common to find large coffee estates here than anywhere else in Indonesia, due to the colonial history and practices of the Dutch. The four largest farms, previously government estates, cover over 4,000 hectares (8,800 acres) between them. For a long time the island enjoyed a stellar reputation for its coffee, although I am sure it was not long before other coffees came to substitute the real thing in the ‘Mocha-Java’ blend of a great many roasters. Javan coffees commanded huge premiums for a long time, although prices fell towards the end of the 20th century.

Much of the coffee is planted on the east side of Java, around the Ijen volcano, but there are producers on the west side of the island, too.

Altitude:900−1,800m (3,000–5,900ft)
Harvest:July−September
Varieties:Typicas, Ateng, USDA

OLD BROWN JAVA

Some estates in Java choose to age their coffee before export, for anything up to five years. The raw coffee beans turn from the blue-green commonly associated with semi-washed coffee, through to a muddy shade of brown. Once roasted there is no acidity left in the coffee whatsoever, and there is an intense pungency and woodiness that some enjoy. However, if you like your coffee sweet, clean and lively, you may well hate it.

SULAWESI

Most of the coffee from Sulawesi is produced by smallholders, although there are seven large estates which make up about five per cent of the total production. Most of the Arabica on the island is grown high up around Tana Toraja. To the south is the city of Kalosi, which became a kind of brand name for coffees from the region. There are two other less well-known coffee-growing regions: Mamasa to the west, and Gowa south of Kalosi. Some of the most interesting coffees from the island are fully washed, and can be exceptionally enjoyable. I would recommend seeking them out if you get the opportunity. The semi-washed process is still common though, and the island also produces a good amount of Robusta. Coffee production can be somewhat disorganized throughout the region, as many smallholders grow coffee for supplemental income, concentrating their efforts on other crops.

Altitude:Tana Toraja 1,100−1,800m (3,600–5,900ft), Mamasa 1300–1700m (4,300–5,600ft), Gowa average of 850m (2,800ft)
Harvest:May−November
Varieties:S795, Typicas, Ateng

FLORES

Flores is a small island about 320km (200 miles) to the east of Bali, and among the Indonesian islands it was a latecomer to both growing coffee and developing a strong reputation for it. In the past it was not uncommon for a large portion of the coffee from Flores to be sold internally or blended into other coffees rather than being exported as ‘Flores coffee’. The island has a mixture of active and dormant volcanoes, which have had a positive effect on the soils. One of the key growing regions is Bajawa. In terms of coffee processing, the semi-washed process is still extremely common in the area, although there is some fully-washed coffee being produced.

Altitude:1,200−1,800m (3,900–5,900ft)
Harvest:May−September
Varieties:Ateng, Typicas, Robusta

BALI

Coffee came to Bali fairly late, and it was initially grown on the highland plateau of Kintamani. Coffee production in Bali suffered a significant setback in 1963 when the Gunung Agung volcano erupted, killing two thousand people and causing widespread devastation to the east of the island. By the late 1970s and early 1980s the government was doing more to promote coffee production, in part by handing out Arabica seedlings. One could argue that this had limited success, however, as today around eighty per cent of the island’s production is Robusta.

While tourism provides the largest income for the island, agriculture is its biggest employer. In the past, Japan bought a substantial portion, if not all, of the coffee crop.

Altitude:1,250−1,700m (4,100–5,600ft)
Harvest:May−October
Varieties:Typica and Typica derivatives, Robusta

Raw coffee beans are dried at a plantation in Bali. Coffee production creates significant employment in the region and much of the coffee harvest is sold to Japan.

Plantations in Papua New Guinea’s Eastern and Western Highlands are the most notable areas for coffee, most of which are owned by smallholders.