Food & Clubs

The same old label/Photo: Adji SoedibjoBandung, the capital of West Java Province, is the fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan. During the colonial period, the Dutch nicknamed it Parijs van Java (Paris of Java) for its resemblance to Paris and for its European flair. Indonesians know it as Kota Kembang, or Flower City, for its many flowers.

Situated at 768 meters above sea level, Bandung is surrounded by the lush and beautiful Parahyangan Mountains, which keep the climate pleasantly mild. The city is traditionally known for some of the nation's best universities as well as a robust apparels industry. Nowadays, Bandung has become a popular weekend getaway for Jakartans who flock to the city on weekends and on national holidays.The backyard for drying coffee/Photo: Adji Soedibjo

Bandung is also a wonderful place for gastronomic adventure. One of the many legendary places worth visiting is Kopi Aroma, an old coffee factory, storage room and retail shop located at No. 51 Jalan Banceuy, in the center of the city. The late founder and owner, Tan Houw Sian, established Kopi Aroma in 1930 and the shop has since maintained its consistent quality, observing an old tradition of coffee production and processing. Kopi Aroma sits at the corner of a block amongst various automobile spare part stores, and has been at the same old building since inauguration.

The late Tan's son, Widya Pratama, inherited the enterprise and since 1971 has continued his father's legacy of conducting business with integrity. Being simultaneously owner and managing director, Pratama always welcomes visitors and never hesitates to give personally guided tours of his family's business. Despite his high position, Pratama wears the same uniform as his employees. Pratama explains, "We still use everything from 1930 such as roasting machines, quality control equipment, just to name a few, and they are well-maintained and cared for, without using any chemicals. All the equipment here came from Germany but was brought to Indonesia by the Dutch. We have provided organic coffee to our customers from the very beginning."

Pratama does roasting process/Photo: Adji SoedibjoUpon meeting Pratama, one is immediately drawn to his simplicity, honesty and friendliness. He emphasizes, "I am doing my business based on my father's advice and guidance. My business is executed with integrity and wisdom and I always try to do it right yet do good for others so that it will bring God's blessings for everybody."

"I know many people think that my business is inefficient. In my opinion, when you do business, it's not simply about profit and the bottom line. Whatever we do in our life, we will be asked for accountability in the afterlife. I always try to do it the right way, aboveboard and observing proper conduct at all times so that our product is safe and benefits our body, without the slightest negative impact."

Kopi Aroma truly makes excellent quality coffee, from both Arabica and Robusta coffee varieties. Its Arabica hails from Aceh, Medan, Toraja and Java, while its Robusta comes from Bengkulu, Lampung and Java. Pratama shares, "As soon as the coffee is delivered to us, we dry it for several hours under the sun in our backyard to lessen water content. When it rains, we use blowers for drying. We then store the coffee in burlap sacks for a certain period of time. Burlap sacks are preferred because they provide better ventilation than plastic sacks. The long periods required to store the coffee beans in the storeroom are intended for the reduction in acidity and caffeine."Cracking beans after years of storage/Photo: Adji Soedibjo

He adds, "Here we provide Arabica and Robusta coffees for customers who come from all walks of life, including foreign diplomats, businessmen and small scale entrepreneurs. For Arabica, we store the beans for eight years, while for Robusta only five years are required. After this long period of storage time, the coffee beans will crack, as you can see. By having no acidity, coffee lovers can enjoy a cup of Java free from gastric problems."

Kopi Aroma roasts its coffee everyday except on Sundays. Roasting usually starts at 4 am with a total of 7 roastings per day, well into sunset. The roasting process itself takes 2 hours and utilizes a round roasting machine that runs on rubber wood waste for fuel. Pratama comments, "After it's done, we let the roasted coffee cool for a while. Then we select the coffee beans in a filtering machine to separate coffee bean from its ground and bad beans. The next step is the grinding process to make coffee powder, then we're ready to package it and sell directly to the consumers in our shop."

Old bicycles in the factory/Photo: Adji SoedibjoFor coffee aficionados, Kopi Aroma has different packages to choose from: quarter kilogram, half kilogram and one kilogram. The quarter kilogram of Arabica costs 17,500 rupiahs, while for the same quantity of Robusta you can expect to pay 12,500 rupiahs (1 US$ = 9,000 rupiahs). The packaging is still in the old-fashioned style, displaying information using the traditional spelling of Indonesian as well as Dutch languages. Pratama advises, "It's better to buy a small package and after you run out, buy some more. It's the best way to have fresh coffee all the time." He adds, "Robusta provides such light coffee flavor, quite a nice aroma that won't disturb your sleeping pattern. Meanwhile, Arabica is the strongest in terms of aroma and flavor, and you may have difficulty sleeping, with possibly an increased heartbeat."

Pratama reiterates, "The best way to serve coffee is with a cup or a mug as it's thicker than glass and the coffee won't cool too quickly. First you brew coffee using only boiled water and let the coffee steep for 2 minutes until it's dissolved. After that you may add sugar if you so choose."Retail shop/Photo: Adji Soedibjo

Kopi Aroma's Robusta is recommended for increased vitality as well as for those who suffer from diabetes and low blood pressure. Based on research conducted by Dr. Hendro Sudjono Yuwono MD, Ph.D.at Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung, Robusta coffee is not only safe for consumption by people with diabetes, the coffee powder can even be spread on wounds, depending on the wound's condition – since it's very effective in draining wounds. Robusta coffee is also gentler and is therefore highly recommended for those who have high blood pressure.

Outside of retail shop/Photo: Adji SoedibjoPratama also teaches Operations Management and Entrepreneurship at his alma mater, Padjadjaran State University as well as at Maranatha Christian University. He has also adopted 46 orphans with disability. "In our life, we must be sincere so when it's time to die, it's comforting", he says. He concludes with this comment, "My advice is, after you open our coffee from the package, immediately store it in a closed jar so that your coffee stays fresh. Just follow the instructions written on our package."

Unfortunately, Kopi Aroma no longer has enough room for you to enjoy your cup of coffee on the premises. They have since had to covert that room into another storeroom. According to business tycoon, Sandiaga Uno, in an article that appeared in Detik Finance on March 9, 2010, Starbucks' owner Howard Schultz visited Kopi Aroma and really liked the coffee there. So, the next time you're in Bandung, you too should make it to Kopi Aroma!