The Hunt for Arabica Coffee in Bali

-

Karl Priston, a coffee supplier, sent me an email and said that he needed a Bali tour guide who can assist him while travelling around Bali in search for Bali coffee. In particular, it was called Arabica coffee. He was not interested in any other type ofcoffee (Robusta coffee or any other coffee).


First we went to Seribatu village and met my acquintance, Oka, to ask him about where can we get the Arabica coffee.


Based on Oka's info, we headed to Mengani Village (S8°17'17.25", E115°14'58.78") , north of Kintamani Village. It was a remote village, far from any where. While observing the village, Karl asked if the people who lived around the village would enjoy spending in a place like Kuta which was totally different from this mountainous area. Maybe not.


arabica coffee.JPGWe arrived at the coffee processing place. I walked to the main building and saw a stack of wet coffee beans waiting to be peeled off. The beans go to a kind of chanel where it will then squeezed by certain kind of machine. At the other end, some workers who said that they have been working late the night before, were collecting the beans and put them into sacks.


Around the building, you could see a lot of coffee plantation. The coffee plants were short, maybe 1 to 2 metres with dark leaves and bigger beans. This is the characteristics of robusta coffee.


Pak Wayan, the keeper of the place, said that we could not buy any coffee there nor taste any sample. They did not do that.


"Go to Maharaja Resto, please."Said him. "You will get this coffee bean for sale there, and even try the sample."


There was no time to waste. Well, we were hungry. It was already half past one. We jumped to the van and made a haste to Kintamani village where the Resto was located.


arabica tasting.jpg


Finally we tried the coffee in Maharaja restaurant forty five minutes later. According to Karl, as he sipped the coffee, it had a strong aroma. Well, being a coffee supplier, I would believe he knew what was talking about very well. "The coffee is slightly bitter," he commented again. "And it has a good body."


Well, I ageed about the aroma but I am not sure if the coffee can also have a sexy body.


"It means, it is not watery, and more complex."


"A good breakfast coffee," he concluded.


We went back to hotel via Tegalalang and Ubud. Karl said that he would contact me again to hunt for coffee at Banyuatis village, north Bali again. After the tour, he would go to beach to relax.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Swastika symbol in Bali?

-
Swastika sign can be seen in Bali, especially in Balinese Hindu temple. I must say almost all the Hindu Balinese are familiar to this symbol. Besides temple, one can also see it in houses, or community building. Even the 'Swastika' word is used as a person name, for example, Ketut Swastika. But why and what does Swastika mean? It simply means balance in relationship. The Balinese Hindu see the life is ideal when they live a balanced life indicated by three good relationship. The first is good relationship between human and the Almighty God. All the festivals, offering in temples, praying activity that you witness in Bali are examples that the Balinese really long for a great relationship with Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, The Almighty God. Next, the harmonious relationship among the human race. The Balinese values good relationship between themselves. Many activities in villages in Bali involve community of villagers . When one family in a certain village hold a ceremony such as cr
Read more

The Journey to the North Bali

-
Image
Going on a tour to North Bali can be exciting if you enjoy watching the lush area of Bali with the view of hills and lakes. There are many places to visit to enjoy the scenery and breath fresh air along the road. Your first stop is at Pacung village where you can see beautiful scenery of rice field and vegetables plantation. The farmers of this village plant many kind of vegetables like cabbages, potatoes, carrots, and radish. Along the way you will also find various kind of flowers grown in the farmers field like marigold, or roses. There is also special flowers they grow for making religious offerings. They sell their crops in markets in Denpasar and in Bedugul which is your next stop. Bedugul is a local market where you can find spices, flowers, and vegetables. Well, I don't think you will be doing any cooking on your vacation in Bali, so there is no need to haggle for vegetables. But, it is a very colourful pasar (pasar is the word for market in Indonesian or Balinese). As
Read more

Bali Shanti Shanti Shanti; The Brand New Bali

-
Image
For centuries, the number three is very important in Bali'nese Hindu in Bali island. For example, the number 3 can be clearly seen in the brand new logo of Bali introduced in June 2007. First, the shape is a triangle. The triangle actually means stability and harmony. Besides, it also represent the three manifestation of God, Brahma (the creator), Wisnu (the preserver) and Siva (the sin destroyer). The Balinese belief in the existence of 3 worlds, called Bhur, Bwah, and Swah which is also indicated by the triangel. There is three stages of life, birth, life and death. Next, the popular concept of Tri Hita Karana (three that causes happiness) does underlie the idea of the new logo of Bali. It is the THK that actually is believed to be responsible to the peaceful feeling and harmony the visitors feel when they step their foot on the Bali island. What are those three creating happiness? The three things that causes happiness are Parahyangan : the harmonious relationship between men an
Read more