An Indonesian Coffee - Subak Bali Agro

   If you wander into your local cafe or buy coffee or teas from a nearby supermarket you may well notice a selection from around the world, Indonesia being one of those destinations. What better place to experience a tasting session then than underneath a luscious green canopy of coconut palms, pineapple plants and papaya trees on a Balinese hillside. Lidya, my brother Matt, and I traveled to Bali and Java in February 2015 and through Lidya's family ties on the Island, we managed to obtain a local resident from the town of Sanur called Bli Komang to drive us around Bali. He was a very proud Balinese man, aged only 27, owned his own chauffeur company and enjoyed his responsibilities of taking business personnel around his homeland. A dedicated Buddhist, Bali's principal religion, Bli knows his birth island like the back of his hand having never ventured off its shores. He took us to a small coffee tasting shop called Subak Bali Agro, on the descent back down from Ulun Danu temple in central Bali.

   We were greeted with a smile by a young local employee who led us through the forested vegetation on a meandering track, pointing out various plants and their fruits, including the coffee beans. He also introduced us to their most highly treasured employee, the civet. These animals, native to South East Asian rainforests are responsible for providing the main ingredient in the much sought after 'Kopi Luwak', or Indonesia's equivalent of Italian Cappuccino, 'Catpooccino', as our tour guide referred to it. The coffee beans are eaten by the civet and pass through the digestive tract before then being defecated with other waste products (They are poo'd out!). These are then collected and roasted to make the Kopi Luwak.

   We sat down at a table at which point the heaven's opened and gave us the true experience of visiting an equatorial region. Fortuitously our table had a thatched palm leaf roof so we stayed relatively dry. We were then brought 12 varieties of locally brewed coffees and teas, each with its own unique aroma, flavour and some with medicinal properties. Firstly, as the most famous of its creations, we tried the Luwak with its deep brown colour and earthy aroma, while I can only imagine the civet, had it known what we were drinking and appreciating, must have been chuckling to itself. It has a rich gritty taste and something I would highly recommend trying if you venture to Indonesia. Do avoid the processed sachets though that bear its name as it doesn't do the freshly roasted version true justice. We sniffed, twirled, sipped and admired, like true connoisseurs (even if we had no idea what we were doing), each of the beverages one by one and picked our favourites. I rather liked the coconut infused tea and coffee as it gives them a natural richness without the need for sugar and the ginger coffee as it has a really kick to it. I ended up purchasing mangosteen tea however, as reading through the curative characteristics that it is said to possess, I'm pretty sure that having drank a whole bag full I am now immortal. Our tour guide also mentioned to us while sampling the aphrodisiac ginseng coffee that 'this makes papa strong, mama will be happy in the bedroom'. I can only conclude from his broken English that this was lost in translation as Lidya is definitely not convinced!

Once we had finished our tasting session we headed to the accompanying shop. Still under a tropical monsoon, we were kindly handed umbrellas and escorted along the waterlogged muddy path which had now turned into a fast flowing stream. All the coffees and teas that you sample during the tour are available to purchase in store, plus various chocolate products flavoured with the same ingredients. Overall the experience was educational and informative, entertaining and most of all delicious and is definitely something worth incorporating into a vacation in Bali.

Notes: The actual coffee tasting and tour through the grounds at Subak Bali Agro is free, the only expense being a cup of Kopi Luwak for 60,000Rp (3.50GBP). The prices in the shop afterwards should you wish to purchase any of the items are similar to Western prices, fairly dear by Indonesian standards. As a side note, due to the demand for the luwak coffee civets are farmed and often subjected to animal cruelty. Please be aware of this and make sure if you purchase Kopi Luwak in Indonesia that it is from a sustainable source.