As the third largest coffee producer in the world, after Brazil and Vietnam, Indonesia has no shortage of specialty coffee shops, warung (alleyways’ food stalls) coffee shops and Kopitiam (Chinese influenced coffee shops)….and Starbucks. The first Starbucks was opened in May 2002 at Plaza Indonesia.
The coffee drinking culture is not new in Indonesia. For years, since the Dutch introduced coffee beans to Indonesia, the locals have been having their morning sips of coffee. Every island throughout the archipelago has its own coffee culture.
These days in Jakarta, coffee is not just a simple cup at the warung or Kopitiam, folks are gathering in specialty coffee shops for espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, long blacks and the list goes on. To top it off, they can choose the various sweets, muffins and sandwiches to pair with their coffee.
Coffee shops are places to hang out, work or meet up with friends and business associates.
Here are 3 coffee shops we visited to show you the different types of coffee cultures. For health reasons ( and just to be cautious), we did not try the warung coffee.
My Kopi-O! Kopitiam
“Kopi” in Bahasa Indonesia means coffee. My Kopi-O! has over 10 shops throughout Indonesia. The way coffee is made and presented at My Kopi-O! is the same as those sold in Malaysia and Singapore’s local coffee shops. The word ‘kopitiam’ means coffee shop in the Chinese Hokkien dialect, a common dialect in Singapore and Malaysia.
Coffee is brewed with sugar, margarine and oil and sieved with a cloth coffee sock. Noodles or rice dishes are usually served with the coffee at My Kopi-O!
1/15 Coffee – The Specialty Coffee Shop
This must be one of the buzziest spot for coffee in Jakarta. To 1/15 Coffee, coffee making is a daily ritual that is continually refined. The shop’s name is derived from the formula of making the perfect cup of coffee.
1:15 coffee to water ratio!
Coffee at 1/15 isn’t cheap for the majority of Indonesian locals.
We spent over $20 for 4 specialty cups of coffee shown below including affogato (single espresso and a scoop of ice cream) and one dessert.
Panino Café – Neighborhood Coffee Shop
In Jakarta’s Pondok Indah upscale neighborhood, you can find coffee shops like Panino Café located at the apartment’s main lobby. Panino Café is perfect to hang out with friends or neighbors for a special brew of coffee-avocado shake, also known as es alpukat.
These are just a tiny fraction of what makes Jakarta a great place for coffee. Have you been to any coffee shops in Jakarta Indonesia? We would love to hear from you.
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