Indonesia, being far separated from many other growing regions and sharing no common language, can be a tangled thicket of idiosyncratic terms and customs in coffee as well as in much else.  Here’s a starter guide to get you oriented.

Most Indonesian coffee comes from Sumatra with the Lampung area in south Sumatra providing the majority of the robusta crop which itself comprises 75% of the coffee produced in Indonesia.  The majority of the Arabica crop is grown in the Gayo region but Sulawesi and Kalimantan, the Lesser Sunda Islands of Bali, Sumbawa and Flores as well as the country’s easternmost region of Papua all contribute to national output. The numerous coffee-growing regions in the country produce beans of distinct flavor profiles, and a number of highland Arabica coffees from Indonesia are recognized by aficionados the world over.  Read more on the regions here.

 

Indonesian Organizations

There are several relevant trade organizations:

SCAI is the main trade association for anyone involved in specialty coffee in Indonesia.

ICCRI (pronounced ick-ree) is the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute.  We also call it “Puslitkoka”. They have a lot of helpful training and research going on.

AICE is the association specificially for importers/exporters of coffee.

“Remarkable Indonesian Coffee” is the Indonesian government’s web site intended to advertise Indonesian coffee more  globally.  

SCOPI is focused on improving the sustainability of the Indonesian coffee industry.

Terminology

  • Asalan– unsorted green coffee beans. Sometimes the coffee is traded as Asalan, then the exporter does the final processing.
  • HS (pronounced Ha-Es) – dry or washed processed coffee still in parchment (stands for Hard Shell).
  • Giling Basah– the wet hulled process, also known as semi-washed locally. Not to be confused with a semi-wash dry hulled process which is essentially honey processed.
  • Gabah wet coffee parchment, not yet hulled. 
  • Grade 1– used locally as term for basic lower grade.
  • Kopi Tubruk- traditional method of coffee preparation where very finely ground coffee is placed in a cup and hot water is poured over it. The coffee is consumed once the grounds start to settle.
  • Kopi Luwak- a form of animal cruelty where luwak or civets, a nocturnal catlike omnivore, are captured and force-fed coffee cherries. The resulting coffee parchment that passes through the digestive tract of this animal is prized by some and captures exorbitant prices thus increasing the desire for people to exploit more of these animals.    
  • Labu just wet-hulled coffee, like 35% – 40% moisture. Labu means pumpkin / squash.
  • Linie-S – S795 cultivar, a coffee varietal popularized by the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI)
  • PTPN- Perseroan Terbatas Perkebunan Nusantara which is translated as Limited Company Archipelago Plantation.  State owned agro enterprises of all commodities.  PTPN 8, 9, and 12 specialize in coffee. These companies were to the go-to producers for large buyers for years.
  • Sorton a gravity sorting table.