Coffee in Indonesia: Beans, Roasters and Best Cafes

The amazing coffee in Indonesia has made it one of the top producers of coffee in the world. Its climate is highly suited to produce a strong unique brew. What began as a trade commodity production, now has spread to be the third largest producer of coffee. If you’re in Indonesia, we’d highly recommend that you try out the local blends which will leave you hanging for more.

Indonesia is renowned for six varied coffee types that are island specific. Being the largest exporter of indigenous coffee beans, Indonesia dominates in the Arabica, Robusta and Taroja. Each archipelago produces unique beans with a varied taste.

Types of Coffee in Indonesia and Where to Find It

Sumatra: The Gayo Ache coffee in Indonesia, one of the most popular amongst Indonesian production has a distinctive flavour with intense cocoa, earthy flavour with tobacco undertaste

Java: Profoundly known for its Arabica and Robusta beans, Java produces coffee in Indonesia that produces a heavy, herby flavour with a rich aftertaste when brewed. An aromatic wonder, it’s strong essence gives a rustic, earthy flavour.

Bali: Known as the Kintamani beans, the coffee sourced from Bali has a citrusy and flowery undertone with deep flavour.

Sulawesi: Known for its Toraja beans, this blend provides a warm, sweet and spicy notes. Without the intense acidic taste of the former, it provides a calming earthy brew.

Flores: The coffee sourced from Flores is called Bajawa coffee. It produces a heavy chocolatey caramel brew. These are mostly exported to America.

Papua: A relatively overlooked bean, the coffee grown in the Indonesian highlands of Papua is known as Wamena coffee, after the town at its centre, and is not the same as coffee from the separate country of Papua New Guinea. It has medium spicy undertones to a chocolate brew with a delicate fruity aroma.

Kopi Luwak: It is produced from an uncommon method from the digestives of an Indonesian cat-like animal called Civet. The process of collection, cleaning and production raises its cost exorbitantly, making it the most expensive coffee in the world. Most of what is sold today, however, comes from civets kept in cages and fed coffee cherries, a practice widely criticised on animal welfare grounds; genuinely wild collected beans are rare and hard to verify at INR 20,000 for a kilogram and a cup for INR 3000.

Here are the list of best cafes to find coffee in Indonesia to get these fine brews from while reading a book or chilling with friends:

Best Coffee Shops and Cafes in Bali

1. Seniman Coffee Studio

Located in Bali, this unique coffee studio offers the most famous blend of coffee in Indonesia in a cosy cultural setting. Off the Ubud highway, it is a cultural hub preserving the ethical values while maintaining ecological balance. With in-house roasted beans, sourced from organically grown fields this is a coffee addict’s heaven. Wooden furniture provides a rustic feel to this place lit up with natural light, under the shade of recycled glassware that can be spotted as light bulbs, decoration pieces amongst others.

Widely popular amongst remote workers, you can find laptops propped against aesthetically served coffees at almost all times. With a choice for light to medium roast, this studio serves different varieties of Indonesian coffee along with a light snack. Facilities like Wi-Fi are available.

Address: Jalan Sriwedari, Ubud, Bali 80561
Timings: 8.00 AM to 10.00 PM
Must Try: House blend U.S.P Espresso, Trans X. Try out the Lemon Tart too!

2. Anomaly Coffee Shop

While the Anomaly Coffee shop is a franchise based shop, it is a homely yet elegant brew place. With its main brewery located in the Kuta shop, this is a perfect backpacker’s shop that opens early in the morning for brewing your caffeine fix. Open throughout the week, this is a cosy indoor cafe with decent pricing.

Location: Jalan Raya Ubud, Seminyak, Bali 80571
Timings: 7:00 AM- 10:00 PM
Must Try: Aceh and Toraja blends are highly recommended

Best Coffee Shops in Jakarta

3. Tanamera

Tanamera is an elegantly styled place for coffee in Indonesia best known for its award-winning brew, is an interesting mix of various cuisines. Wafting with the deliciousness of delectable snacks and coffee, it is also famous for its gelatos and local cuisine. With minimalistic red and black interiors, it offers wacky twists to regular brews.

Location: Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta
Timings: 7:00 AM- 7:00 PM
Must Try: Choose among the wackiest of options like Mocha, Red, Cheese Lattes and Cold Brews

4. Antipodean

A rustic, New Zealandic cafe that brings back the good ol' café feel right into perspective. A widely popular hotspot, its brew and food options bring a perfect fusion of traditional and modern café feels. It has an intimate brunching scene with an extensive menu and caffeine to offer. A must visit for casual munching and homely coffee in Indonesia.

Location: Bangka, Jakarta
Timing: 8:00 AM- 8:00 PM
Must Try: Freshly roasted espresso drinks, Indonesian single origins. Highly recommend the side dishes.

5. St. Ali

Another outdoors and trendy café that started from Australian roots into Indonesia, St. Ali combines fun and trendy cultures. The coffee in Indonesia is among the best, serving both freshly prepared espresso brews and manually prepared brew. It also caters to the iced and non-coffee drinks along with tempting snacks.

Location: Jl. H. R. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta
Timings: 07:00 AM - 07:00 PM
Must Try: The Orthodox blend in their lattes is among the best

6. Benedict

A warm sepia-toned cafe that focuses heavily on breakfast options doesn’t leave you in death of good coffee either. Their novel project of ‘From Crop to Cup coffee’ features the Benedict Blend of arabica coffee sourced from Toraja, Dolok Sanggul and West Java.

Location: Pacific Place Mall, 4th Floor, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, SCBD, Jakarta
Timings: 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Must Try: Coconut Latte, Hot Cappuccino and Coconut Cold Drip Coffee

7. Crematology Coffee Roasters Jakarta

This versatile café is a perfect blend of brew, business and buff. This café is committed to bringing the farmer’s blend to the coffee taster’s lips. It offers a coffee-brunching variety handled by professional coffee mixologists who will recommend you delicious cuppas according to your taste. An organic experience, this place offers a variety of drinks centred around caffeine. A luxurious setting, this place is frequented by both professionals and casual brunchers. A unique way to try coffee in Indonesia? Then you MUST visit this place

Location: Jl. Suryo No. 25, Senopati, Jakarta
Timings: 07:30 AM - 12:00 AM
Must Try: Nutella Frappe and Oreo Frappe are amongst the popular ones.

8. Giyanti Coffee

An Insta-worthy café that doubles up as a second, vibrant workplace and gives a sharp coffee blend. Giyanti Coffee is a haven for sore eyes and coffee lovers who seek a strong, rustic blend. With limited timings and fantastic service, even as this cafe gets crowded it is a must-visit if you come to Jakarta. Focusing on a limited menu and their blends, it is an intimate and personalised café that promises you leaving for more.

Location: Jalan Surabaya No. 20, Jakarta Pusat
Timings: Tuesday to Saturday. Opens from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Must Try: Piccolo with a side of carrot cake

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Caffeine fixes or plain fun outings, Indonesia has it all covered. With this comprehensive list, we leave you to slurp a taste of the fantastic brews of coffee in Indonesia and better still, bring it back home with you!