Jumping through Java

As I take an early flight from Medan to Java, I reflect on the past week, my experiences, the people, the food, and the coffee. I nearly cry with gratitude for all of the people who guided me through the rugged terrain, taught me about the coffee in Sumatra, and welcomed me into their homes.

I am greeted at the airport by a representative with Belift, a friend’s organization, who are working to educate producers in Java about improved processing methods in order to export more coffee around the world. We then meet up with a colleague of mine who flew in from Singapore, and we are off to dive deep into Surabaya, the capitol city of Java, and the second largest city in Indonesia.

Our adventure begins with a visit to Belift’s facilities, where we cup exceptional coffee from Java and Bali. Normally, Indonesian coffees are classified as earthy, chocolatey, and nutty. But Belift have begun working with some amazing producers, who are experimenting with processing methods to bring about more fruity notes.

After our cupping, we have a dinner with the main Belift team, filled with Gado Gado, tofu, rice, juice, and delicious galore. Then a hotel rest before a long week of adventure to visit the coffee farms of East Java.

The morning, my colleague invites me to his room so he can brew some coffee he bought from our Belift friends. We sip and talk about coffee, life, and then meet with the crew. Our drive is along a long highway that is quite new, and we are surrounded by massive volcanoes, rice paddies, and exquisite landscapes.

Roughly three hours later, we begin to gain altitude, and are in the region of Mt. Agropuro. Our car stops at a beautiful home, quite open and elaborate with marble. A koi pond is situated near the drive, and cats jump about. A smiling and happy producer, Pak Muhlisin, welcomes us to his home. This man is seriously so happy and sweet. We sit on his porch and a delicate floral teacup is offered to me with coffee.

*Muhlisin home, East Java; Photo Credit: Beau Badinski*

Now I must say that I love being offered coffee when I visit coffee farms, but my expectations are low. I do not expect anything specialty, nothing like the pour overs I sipped in Singapore, or batch brews from London. But this coffee in the tiny tea cup, oh my. It was fruity, full, balanced, sweet, tart - one of the best coffees I have ever tasted.

My eyes bulge with joy as we talk to Muhlisin about his farm, his history, and his home. He is only in his 30s! He was born in the Tlogosari Village and studied agriculture and science at Brawijaya University in Malang and further agricultural studies at the IPB (Institut Pertanian Bogor) / Bogor Farming Institute. In 2012, he took the knowledge he learned and bought a coffee farm. His passion and knowledge allowed him to find success immediately, yet prices were low, forcing him to visit specialty roasters throughout Jakarta to sell his coffee. He began to generate revenue by selling within Indonesia, and other producers followed suit, reaching out to him for assistance. Thus the Pokmas Walida Cooperative was created in 2014, where Muhlisin led a group of producers to improve coffee production in Agropuro.

Today, he works with roughyl 200 producers. He is a true entrepreneur. I learn that he recently moved into this house after he began to actually export his coffee thanks to the support from Belift. He is so happy, and I cannot help but smile at his success.

Lunch is served. And once again, a seriously amazing meal. Trays of rice, tofu, vegetables, and the most amazing peanut sauce. I was in heaven. Sitting on this beautiful patio, great company, excellent food, and this teacup of coffee.

A couple of coffee producers join us, Malik, Abdullah, and Zaen, all speaking in the native language of Java. My friends help translate as I ask questions and learn more about the farms, the coffee, and Muhlisin’s business. Everyone begins to stand and we tour the facilities, Muhlisin also has a roaster and sells his roasted coffee. He gives us a large bag to take home.

The motorbikes are awakened and lined up - I ask ‘Are we supposed to get on?!"‘ And sure enough, we are! I had never ridden one of these motorbikes before, and eagerly hop on behind a coffee producer who has dark hair dusted with blonde highlights. I must confess, I felt quite cool.

The wind in my hair, hanging on this motorbike behind an awesome coffee producer, gazing out at the mountains of Agropuro, it was truly thrilling. I learned that this area was known for tobacco production, yet, this crop was not a great source of income for these communities. It required heavy inputs, monoculture, and working with only three monopolies…yikes.

*Motorcycles at Muhlisin farm, East Java; Photo credit: Beau Badinski*

The cool misty air felt so fresh on my skin, the road grew rugged, filled with large rocks and steep slopes. But my companion drove us mightily up the mountain until we reached the top. My hair wild, my heart warm, a smile on my face. I felt like a child at an amusement park. The coffee trees were coated with blossoms, the air heavy with a syrupy jasmine scent. We dove right into the coffee trees, so rich, waxy green leaves in this lush mountainous jungle. I hike through and we stop at a small hut with a place to sit and look out at the view. We chat a bit as I learn more about the history of the farm, how the government owns the land, but allows the producers to claim most of the revenue as long as native trees are maintained in the rich soils.

*Muhlisin Farm, East Java; Photo Credit: Beau Badinski*

I learn that he began to experiment with coffee processing methods, connecting with producers on Instagram to learn more. Carbonic maceration, honeys, different fermentations. He used the internet to teach himself, and he taught others. Through his leadership, he united a collection of growers from this region, helping them earn more income, and increase their yield/quality. Belift discovered him via Instagram, and began buying his coffee when their company was solely a roastery based in Surabaya.

I was vibrating with excitement, I wanted to stay on this mountaintop, build a house, and stay forever. Alas, we departed, and the ride down was challenging! I kept sliding into my companion because the slope was so steep. But he kept me safe, and it felt like the best moment of my life.

*School in Agropuro, East Java; Photo Credit: Beau Badinski*

We stop at a school that Muhlisin and his family help fund through the sale of coffee. Thanks to his recent improvements, he was able to gather enough funds to build new dormitories and paint the school with bright colors. This man does it all, AND he has a sweet son who we see singing a Muslim song in class with his classmates. We kick around a ball for a bit before heading back to Muhlisin’s home for a snack of pisang (bananas) and bread. I seriously wanted to stay here, sipping coffee and looking out at the misty mountains, but we had to leave. So we said farewell, and headed on our way.

An hour’s drive into Bondowoso and we sup on rice, steamed veggies, and some strange soda desert that was confusing, but I ‘had to try.’ We reach our hotel, the Grand Padis, quite nice for this small Java town, and settle in to rest. I eat nuts and chat with a friend before bed, I was so happy and could not wait to see what the next day had in store.

Once again, my colleague and I brew coffee in our hotel room. He brews Muhlisin’s coffee, and we are both in awe. It was exceptional. Our companions from Belift greet us and we head to Ijen to meet with Echwan, a lovely producer who we pick up near a grocery store.

*Echwan farm, East Java; Photo Credit: Beau Badinski*

We travel just outside of the Dawuhan Village to visit his farm along the slopes of Ijen. This area is significantly different from Agropuro, filled with towering pine trees, required by the government for people growing coffee on this land. Echwan began growing coffee in 2013, and Belift reached out to him in 2020 to assist with exporting his coffee. Similar to Muhlisin, he works with 50 producers who have small coffee farms in the region. He gathers the cherries and processes with new methods he also learned via Instagram. His coffee blog gained popularity, allowing him to create his cooperative Ijen Coffee to sell coffee locally and internationally.

*Echwan at his farm, East Java; Photo Credit: Beau Badinski*

We walk through the pine trees, smelling the coffee blossoms, and learning about his history. He is also quite entrepreneurial, and has numerous jobs in his community.

We hop back into the car, and drive down the mountain to visit the producer who helps process the coffee. We see the facilities, the greenhouses and pulping machines. It is a humble and simple facility. The sun is bright, and we sit under a pergola, snacking on strong coffee and these unique cassava taco shells. It was delicious. Then…lunch…

Oh my…this was truly my favorite meal during the whole of my time in Indonesia. We take off our shoes and enter the home of the producer. On the floor is an array of dishes, somehow prepared in the small ‘kitchen’ that only had a hot plate and a table. The women of the household sit against the wall, with their beautiful headscarves. I learn that it is normal to allow the guests to eat first, and for the hosts to watch.

Rice, fried eggs, fried tofu, steamed squash and leaves, these magical beans, and an extremely spicy peanut sauce are offered. We sit, eat, laugh, and sweat because that sauce was so spicy. I was so content, and felt overjoyed at their kindness. We thank them, and bid them farewell. It is always so hard leaving and saying goodbye after producers and their families offer me food, hospitality, and kindness. I yearn a way to repay them.

The next drive was quite lengthy, I grew weary in the car, eager to not be in the car. We head to Bromo, for a non-coffee related adventure. This takes roughly three hours. We finally arrive at our accommodation, the power is strangely out in some areas, and I am weirdly starving. How?!

The accommodation is simple, my companion and I share a room as we are only sleeping for a few hours. We hike down the mountain for a small dinner of rice, veggies, and tofu. Then, we rest quickly, for an adventure awaited us.

At about 3am, a large red jeep greets us, and we hop in. I fall asleep instantly, despite the rugged ride. The jeep stops amongst many people bundled up and climbing the slopes. It is freezing! We stop at a small cafe and drink ginger tea to keep warm. I am so sleepy! We then navigate our way through the dark to take our place at the top of the slope to watch the sun rise. Rays of light soon spilled onto the landscape, revealing a collection of large calderas and the steam emerging from the largest - Bromo. I was amazed, and soon forgot my weariness and frozenness.

Once the sun was a bit higher on the horizon, we made our way back to the jeep. At this point, it was only 5am, so I slept more in the jeep, until we arrived at a vast expanse of dark sand. We began to walk, closer to the caldera of Bromo. A steep staircase welcomed us, and we climbed to the top. The aroma of rotten eggs, classic SO2 emission, filled our nostrils. It was thrilling! Seeing this volcano, having been awake since 3 am (sort of). My companions and I had an amazing time exploring, visiting different points of the park, playing in the sand, and watching the horses the locals offered to ride you through the area.

Soon we were back at the hotel, where we prepared to depart. Somehow, we discovered an awesome specialty coffee cafe embellished with beautiful wood. The owner was actually someone Belift knew, Ainur, who had been growing coffee only since 2014. We tasted his coffee as we chatted under a tent-like structure. I felt wild being awake for so long. But it was great to meet this man, see his bright smile, and learn, once again, about how entrepreneurial and inventive he was and his plans for the future. We visit his farm, look at the trees, and wish him luck.

Our drive back to Surabaya, sleepy, weary, and we return to our hotel. A nap, shower (much needed) before dinner in a strange mall. Then we have drinks at an American bar, laughing and enjoying our last evening together.

I rest that evening, once again, excited about my adventure and all that I had seen. Coffee, volcanoes, rice, tofu, and plenty of driving. I rest easy, and in the morning, one last coffee with my colleague before we both head to the airport.

My next adventure will be in Bali…no coffee farms…purely for pleasure…but I am sad to leave these humble places, the amazing producers, but I am so grateful to have met them, to have supped with them, and I hope to help spread their stories and ensure they have bright futures.

Befuddled Bali

Inspiring Indonesia: Part One