Indonesia and coffee (part 2)

Coffee in Indonesia is generally dominated by two varieties, robusta and arabica, each of which has its own characteristics. Robusta is preferred for industrial market destinations, which have more potential to be traded at the international level due to high volume and market demand. While Arabica is aimed more at the consumption of local people, it is also dominated by small market pockets that have only grown rapidly in recent years. Even so, the market growth and demand for certain arabica coffee are not comparable to the Robusta coffee market. This is because the Arabica coffee market is absorbed more by local consumers who are concentrated in big cities along with the emergence of the lifestyle of consuming single origin Arabica coffee which encourages the development of the cafes that provide coffee. While the Robusta coffee market remains strong with the aim of the processed coffee product market industry which has a wider market that is not only consumed by urban communities, but also in rural areas. This condition can be said to apply globally, which is why the level of demand for Robusta coffee tends to be high and stable in line with population growth.

Indonesia and coffee (part 1)

Coffee is one of the national strategic plantation commodities. Coffee began to be planted by the Indonesian people in the early 17th century when the VOC distributed Arabica coffee seeds in Indonesian regions such as Batavia, Cirebon, West Java, and several coastal areas on the island of Java to rival the Middle Eastern countries which at that time controlled the international coffee market.

At the end of the 18th century, Indonesian coffee plantations were attacked by an epidemic of HV (Hemileia Vastatrix) which almost destroyed most of the Arabica coffee plantations. To deal with this, Robusta varieties were introduced in the early 19th century. Robusta coffee varieties have the advantage of resistance to HV disease. In addition, robusta is also more suitable to be planted in the lowlands with a higher level of productivity. Coffee cultivation in the lowlands is also a plus because of closer access to the coast, making it easier for logistic routes which at that time relied on ports.

Coffee plant classification

Coffee plant classification

Coffee is part of the family rubiaceae, one of the largest families in the world of plants. Rubiaceae consists of 500 genera and earlier than 6500 species. The coffea genus itself consists of 25 species with features of medium trunking, leaf color and size varying to a certain degree with an average oval shape, and produce white flowers and polished cherries in red or yellow with varying sizes. The average coffee fruit is dicot (has 2 seeds), and only about 5% of the fruit contains monocots (single seeded) which are then known as peaberry (lanang coffee). The coffee plant itself is a native plant of Kaffa, Ethiopia, Africa. At this time, coffee plants have been cultivated in about 70 countries, most of which are located on the equator such as the regions of Central and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Liberika Coffee, Rare Coffee Scented Jackfruit

Origin and Variant of Liberika Coffee

Liberika Coffee is an endemic coffee plant from Africa, precisely originating from Liberia. Initially, this coffee plant was classified in the Robusta coffee group with the scientific name Coffea canefora var.Liberica. But the most recent grouping of scientists declares it to be a species of its own with the name Coffea liberica.

This is because morphologically and the other properties are not the same as Robusta coffee. This coffee was brought to Indonesia in the 19th century when many of the Arabica coffee plants at that time were stricken with disease. The regions which are widely planted with Liberika coffee are Bengkulu and Jambi.

Arabica Coffee VS Robusta coffee

Taste

In terms of taste, Arabica coffee has many variations which are diverse. The taste of the coffee can be soft, sweet, sharp, and also strong. You can know that before roasting, the aroma of this coffee is very similar to blueberries. However, after roasting, the coffee will have a sweet fruit aroma. Of course in general, people tend to like the aroma of Arabica coffee when compared to Robusta.

As for the taste of Robusta coffee, it tends to have a neutral flavor variation. Sometimes it also has a flavor or aroma like gandung. Before roasting, this coffee bean has a nutty aroma. What is unfortunate, is very rare to find high-quality robusta in the market there. In fact, the price of Arabica coffee beans is higher when compared to Robusta coffee.

Roasting process

There are various names for the roasting process, but usually everything falls into one of the following four categories:

Light Roast
The light roaster has a mild toasted grain taste with a thin texture, strong acidity, and no oil on the surface of the coffee beans. The lightest roaster is called Light Cinnamon. This process is a light roasting process where the coffee beans will give rise to the taste of lightly roasted grains and a thin texture, high acidity, and without oil on the surface of the coffee beans. The lightest roasting is referred to as Light Cinnamon.

types of coffee beans

Arabica Coffee Beans
Arabica is the first coffee to be cultivated and accounts for more than 60% of the world's coffee production, making it the most popular coffee. The flavor it has is combined with ideal tenderness, sweetness, and acidity.

Robusta Coffee Beans
The word 'robust' in Robusta means strong. Naturally, Robusta was more able to withstand pests and had a sharper, bitter, and lower acidity than Arabica. All of that comes with an abundance of caffeine and antioxidants.

the best coffee in the world

Here are some of the world's best coffee results:

Ethiopian Kaffa
As a place of origin for coffee, it is not surprising that Ethiopia is one of the best coffee producers. The specialty of Kaffa comes from the process of harvesting coffee plants that grow in the wild, like coffee was first discovered.

Moka Yaman
Moka is one of the first cultivated coffee beans and is generally harvested in the mountains near the Red Sea by various traditional methods. The name Moka itself is taken from a port in the Yemen region, where coffee beans are then exported worldwide.