Archive for the ‘drinks’ Category
October 2nd, 2010 | 
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Kopi Luwak – Revolt in the Coffee Corner
You may not have heard the name of the Kopi Luwak coffee that comes directly from the islands of the Indonesian islands. There in the forests is found a strange animal named luwaks. These animals reside on the tree tops and go on searching for ripe cherries. The cherries are the favorite food of the little animals. The little cherry beans go through a process of indigestion in the stomach of the animals. In due course the beans are evacuated by the animals. The beans that are not digested come out. The beans that remain intact are collected from the forest floor. Then the beans are cleaned, roasted and ground like other coffee beans.
How To Prepare A Superb Cup of Sumatran Coffee
Coffee of the Sumatran origin has been in production in Indonesia since the eighteenth century. The coffee beans grown in that part of the world are recognized worldwide as some of the heaviest and smoothest. Coffee connoisseurs agree that Sumatran coffee exhibits complex characteristics, making it one of the most interesting cups in the world.
Great Coffee Origins – Indonesian Coffee
Coffee came to the Dutch East Indies archipelago in the late 17th century. The legend of coffee itself makes fascinating reading (Kaldi and his dancing goats!), but for Indonesian purposes coffee arrived here in an organized and less mythical fashion on VOC (the Dutch East Indies company) trading galleons, via Yemen and the Dutch enclave of Malabar. These first coffees introduced were Arabica, direct descendents of 6 coffee trees the Dutch managed to smuggle out from Yemen and plant in the Botanical gardens in Amsterdam. The trees were well suited to the tropical conditions found on Java and quickly thrived and produced cherries. The first plantations were located close to Batavia (modern day Jakarta). Later plantations were established in Sulawesi, Maluku and Sumatra. Independently Colonial rivals Portugal planted Arabica in East and West Timor as well as in Flores. Coffee, along with nutmeg, cloves and other spices, became the backbone of the VOC economic machine. Infrastructure to get crops out of plantation areas led to development of port and later rail and road systems that still exist today. After the demise of the VOC the Dutch colonial government took over many of the business activities in Indonesia. At one stage sale of these commodities made up almost 30% of the entire Dutch GDP.
Sumatra Coffee – A Bean That Packs a Punch
Coffee is an important part of the Sumatran culture and the region is famous for producing some of the most unique and complex coffees in the world. In general Sumatra coffee tends not to be sold by region like many other countries but instead guidelines are used, and these guidelines are based around the picking preparation and processing of the beans. There are a number of different brand available, beans that are grown in the Sumatran west is usually known as “Gayo Mountain” and this coffee tends to be sweeter than many of the other varieties, but easily the most common and well loved of Sumatran coffee is Mandheling. This coffee is produced just inland from the south coast and has taken its name from Indonesian people that were once responsible for the production of that coffee.