Indonesia's iconic coffee shops brewing decades on

A worker at a coffee shop brings a tray of a capuccino and mocca blend shake to customers in Jakarta April 17, 2002. In a world where coffee has become another chainstore commodity, small home-grown roasters in Indonesia seem to have the right brew to stay in business for decades: personal service and fresh, quality beans.

JAKARTA (Reuters Life!) - In a world where coffee has become another chainstore commodity, small home-grown roasters in Indonesia seem to have the right brew to stay in business for decades: personal service and fresh, quality beans.

A strong coffee history, and expanding middle and upper classes, have made Indonesia, the world's fourth largest coffee producer, the next frontier for foreign chains such as Starbucks.

But Syenny Widjaja, owner of one of the country's oldest roasters, the Jakarta-based Bakoel Koffie, believes the same signature blends that have kept her store in business for 130 years will continue to appeal to today's coffee drinkers.

"The business is about taste. Other coffee shops only offer ambience but it can be boring over time," Widjaja said. "People are still looking for our blends, that's why we still exist."

A cup of traditional Indonesian "kopi" is a starkly different experience for those accustomed to americanos and espressos. Kopi tends to be brewed from less bitter robusta beans, lavishly sweetened and is a bit gritty, like Turkish coffee.

Despite being one of the world's key producers, Indonesia has traditionally exported coffee, rather than drank it.

But local consumption has steadily climbed in the past years and the younger generation of coffee lovers is looking back to old roasters for a taste of quality coffee.

"They may heard about these old roasters from their grandparents who used to drink their coffee. Historical past is a selling point," said cafe consultant Adi Taroepratjeka.

"Also, the old roasters don't use fresh coffee crops, it makes their coffee blends softer for new coffee drinkers."

FOR THE LOVE OF COFFEE

Bakoel Koffie, which serves drinking coffee as well as sells blends, dates back to 1878 when Widjaja's great-grandfather, Liauw Tek Siong, set up one of the country's first roasters in Batavia, or what is now called Jakarta.

Tek Siong roasted and blended on the spot -- from the most expensive using only the best coffee beans to the cheapest blended with corn -- to suit customers' taste and money.

Hendra Widjaja, Syenny's brother, is now responsible for preserving the old blends. Like his ancestor, Hendra personally roasts and blends beans for their five shops across Jakarta.

At another of the country's oldest roasters, Kopi Aroma, things have not changed since it was set up by Tan Houw Sian in 1930 in Bandung, some 116 kms from Jakarta.

Houw Sian's son, 56-years old Widyapratama, roasts and blends coffee each morning, using a wood-fuelled roasting machine that dates back nearly 80 years.

"I only sell pure and organic coffee beans. That why people keep coming back for our coffee," said Widyapratama, who often takes guests for tours around his art-deco store.

Making sure that customers get a good cup java is personal matter for these iconic coffee roasters.

Bakoel Koffie prefer to buy beans from the same family-run businesses that have supplied them for generations.

For Widyapratama, a good cup comes from aged coffee beans which, like wine, are stored in warehouses for several years to reduce acidity and caffeine content.

The Indonesian Coffee Exporters Association said Indonesia may consume between 180,000-200,000 tonnes of coffee beans this year, up from an estimated 120,000 tonnes in 2007.

Nursila Dewi, a 36-year-old government employee, finds coffee blends from the old roasters more suitable to her palate.

"They don't offer too many choices of blends like decaf, skim milk or this and that," said Nursila, a regular at Bakoel Koffie and also likes to stock up on blends from Kopi Aroma.

"Beside, I don't appreciate drinking coffee from a paper cup. It means the coffee is not well-prepared," she said.