Sunday, November 21, 2010
The search for java in Java
As an avid coffee drinker, I was super excited to move to Indonesia, as it could be considered the Mecca for coffee drinkers. Just think about it, the slang word for coffee, java, is the same name as the main island in Indonesia, Java... a coincidence, I don't think so. Wikipedia just told me that Indonesia is the fourth largest coffee producer in the world. Besides the whole Java thing, I love Sumatran coffee. As we have learned from Sophia's trivia, Sumatra is one of the main islands in Indonesia. There has to be amazing coffee in this country. When I took my first sip of coffee in Indonesia, it was amazing. I thought to myself, "I am home". However, the next day, the coffee was watered down and never met my expectations. I have set out for the perfect cup of coffee, and a month has past, and I have yet to find another amazing cup of coffee. Usually, when I ask for coffee, I will see them open up the little package of instant coffee and just add hot water. Really!?!?! Instant coffee on the island of Java, this can't be happening. I decided that maybe I just needed to go to the supermarket. I found the aisle of coffee and it was big, real big, this must have the delicious coffee I have been craving. I start searching...instant coffee, instant coffee with cream, instant coffee with sugar, even premixed 3 in 1, instant coffee with sugar and cream, but no coffee beans. Where are the whole beans? I saw the coffee plants covering the mountainsides as I took the train from Jakarta to Bandung...it has to be here someplace. Where are you, oh delicious coffee beans? You must be here somewhere. My search had gone on long enough, it was time to ask for outside help. I asked my language teachers and they said oh we export all our beans and just drink instant here. My heart broke just a little bit. I will not find the perfect cup of java on the island of Java... it is all in the US. I have changed my quest and am now searching for my favorite instant type of coffee, I will let you know when I find it.
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Who would have predicted no coffee beans in Indonesia? Maybe next time you are in Jakarta you can modify your search and begin seeking out the nearest Starbucks!
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly the same thing that happened to me in Kenya! Instant coffee was everywhere and real beans nowhere. Which is why, when I finally found it, about once a week I started going down to the Christian Retreat Center (and got the evil eye for being a monkey researcher) and splurged on a huge pot of REAL coffee, then came home and did all my work really really fast!
ReplyDeleteI feel bad now, that we didn't or don't have a fountain inside.
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm Indonesian, and.. well it's true, coffee to Javanese are not like coffee to Italian. instead brewing coffee bean, we prefer drinking instant coffee or canned coffee. the real coffee is only available at certain (expensive) coffeeshop
ReplyDeleteby the way the real coffee bean available at the famous old shop, called "kopi aroma". it's in Bandung. most coffee-lover love the coffee there. but the thing is, it's only sell the raw coffee, not the ready to drink coffee