Indonesia's iconic coffee shops brewing decades on

By Fitri Wulandari

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.