A take a look at the town’s evolving specialty-coffee scene + 3 distinctive cafés on the forefront of the motion.

BY TIGGER CHATURABUL
FOR BARISTA MAGAZINE

Featured picture courtesy of Frequent Grounds

I had no thought what to anticipate once I booked a flight to Jakarta, Indonesia, for 2 weeks, aspiring to spend time shadowing 2024 World Barista Champion Mikael Jasin for a undertaking we had been engaged on collectively. Throughout that point, I not solely bought to know him extraordinarily nicely (the hours in visitors are nice for bonding), however I additionally bought to expertise a lot of the town by means of Mikael’s eyes.

Jakarta was dwelling to Indonesia’s first World of Espresso (WoC) occasion final Could, which additionally occurred to be the primary WoC commerce present in a producing nation—a mirrored image of how far Indonesia’s specialty-coffee trade has come over the previous decade. As we speak, we’ll discover the historical past of espresso manufacturing in Jakarta and spotlight three standout outlets on the forefront of the town’s specialty-coffee motion.

From colonial espresso commerce to main espresso hub

Most individuals image Jakarta as a bustling metropolis with heavy visitors, tropical climate, and a dense, various inhabitants. However for espresso folks, it’s additionally a serious hub between Sumatra and Java, and a historic gateway to the worldwide espresso commerce.

For over 300 years, from 1619 to 1949, Dutch colonists renamed the town “Batavia” and designated it because the capital of the Dutch East Indies. Through this bustling Southeast Asian port, the Dutch East India Firm (VOC) exported a wide range of money crops like espresso, grown underneath the enforced Cultivation System. The Netherlands reaped monumental wealth from this agricultural coverage at the price of famine and epidemics that unfold all through the Javanese inhabitants.

Now, 400 years later, Indonesia has reworked its espresso trade and made monumental leaps to realize world-class standing in a extremely aggressive worldwide market. Jakarta is teeming with espresso outlets for each type of client, from these grabbing a fast road vendor drink to discerning connoisseurs searching for the most recent beverage improvements.

Climbing the ranks

When Daryanto Witarsa co-founded Frequent Grounds in 2014, the demand for espresso in Indonesia was simply beginning to take off. In response to the USDA, there have been fewer than 200 Starbucks shops within the nation, and home consumption was round 2.7 million 60-kilogram luggage yearly.

Frequent Grounds celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2024, and people numbers have grown to 581 Starbucks shops and over 900 retailers for Kopi Kenangan, an area chain that entered the market in 2017. In 2025, Indonesia is forecasted to devour 4.8 million luggage of espresso domestically. That’s over 126,000 tons greater than in 2014.

In fact, not all of it’s specialty espresso. However the latest rise in reputation of gradual bars and guide brewing displays the rising curiosity in one thing greater than the standard kopi susu (milk espresso) or iced latte.

“Once I turned president of the Specialty Espresso Affiliation of Indonesia in 2021, I had three missions: 1) Indonesia wanted to win the World Barista Championship; 2) host World of Espresso; and three) run the Cup of Excellence,” says Daryanto. And in simply three quick years, all of that has occurred and extra.

Indonesia boasts not one however two world championship winners—2023 World Espresso Roasting Champion Taufan Mokoginta and 2024 World Barista Champion Mikael Jasin—and its entrants in different World Espresso Championships competitions are not any strangers to the finals.

The primary Indonesian Cup of Excellence was held in 2021, and following Indonesia’s first World of Espresso occasion final 12 months, the longer term appears to be like vivid for Indonesia’s espresso provide chain. “What’s subsequent? I need to see my baristas develop in order that they can assist folks,” says Daryanto. “Then they’ll make an influence on others and the group will stand up and set the usual.” The bar is already set very excessive in Indonesia, and with so many achievements already in hand, it’s solely going to proceed to soar.

Whereas there are various espresso outlets in Jakarta value visiting, listed below are three must-see cafés I visited on my journey.

Frequent Grounds Terra

A double-shot iced black with the Main Tom mix of Colombia Aji Bourbon and Indonesia Aceh Pantan Musara was my each day wake-up whereas I used to be in Jakarta. For lunch, the bebek goreng cabe ijo, crispy duck leg on cassava leaf and kaffir lime rice, is a bestseller. However in the event you’re vegetarian, the mushroom rendang on the identical rice combination is a scrumptious plant-based approach to expertise Indonesian flavors. Whereas each Frequent Grounds café shares the identical base menu, some places provide unique specials and even serve cocktails.

The latest Frequent Grounds outlet can be a tennis membership and homes a totally outfitted tennis court docket connected to the café. The secluded oasis, cloaked in sporty aesthetics and heat terracotta tones, is nestled amongst historic vintage outlets that dot certainly one of Jakarta’s many little canals.

Not solely are you able to e book a two-hour tennis session at this Frequent Grounds location, however it’s also possible to take pleasure in an omakase espresso expertise upstairs within the Trophy Room, the place all of the awards received by Frequent Grounds crew members shine on show. The espresso menu is totally different within the Trophy Room, and you’ll select from a few of the most unique beans on this planet.

Omakafé

Though Omakafé is exterior of Jakarta in BSD Metropolis, Mikael’s omakase-style espresso bar is definitely worth the journey. The espresso menu at Omakafé is basically molecular gastronomy, bringing improvements usually seen on the WBC stage to the buyer. It’s very far faraway from the typical specialty café or gradual bar, and seeing a lot effort being put into analysis and growth was thrilling.

Georgius Audrey Teja—Odi to most individuals—began working with Mikael underneath the official skilled title of “Something Espresso Associated.” Over time, he discovered himself gravitating towards recipe creation and experimentation, which is how he turned the R&D specialist when Omakafé opened in 2023.

“Miki all the time despatched me to good eating places and bars so I may study one thing from them,” says Odi, referring to his boss by his broadly used nickname. “I accumulate loads of information, together with their strategies, how they put together substances, how issues are eaten, and the way they obtain sure flavors. I additionally do loads of on-line analysis earlier than I strive something in our kitchen.” This isn’t a typical kitchen, by the best way. The counter tops are occupied by a centrifuge machine, a lab-grade distiller, Thermomixes, a dehydrator, and different intriguing objects.

The seasonal menu options espresso, matcha, and cacao-focused degustation units, every with three drinks: one showcasing the pure ingredient “As Is,” one with Mikael’s WBC-winning “M*lk/Combine,” and one creatively “Reimagined.” I attempted the Indonesian espresso and Gesha units, which included distinctive drinks like a “Soda Charged Clarified Iced Latte,” a distilled “Espresso Hydrosol,” and a heat “Arroz Con Leche.”

I may barely wrap my head round consuming a clarified “iced latte” that was fizzy and translucent, or sipping on a hydrosol that seemed like plain water however had all of the aromas of an espresso separated from the solids. The expertise was mind-blowing and challenged the ceiling of how excessive we will elevate espresso for the buyer.

Tanatap Espresso—Matraman

For a getaway from Jakarta’s metropolitan chaos, you could find refuge within the hidden gardens of Tanatap’s cafés. The higher stage of their Matraman location is unimaginable. It will be a disservice to easily name it a terrace, as a result of the combination of city structure and dwelling design transforms the house into seamless expertise of tropical creativity.

Tanatap’s co-founder, Tika Dwi Putri, calls the café a espresso backyard as a substitute of a espresso store, and the immersion into the plush greenery feels such as you’re getting misplaced within the mountains of Indonesia. All it wants
is a number of espresso bushes.

I loved their iga bakar garang asem, braised ribs in soup with sambal and rice, with an iced latte made with roasted cashew milk, proper subsequent to a mini jungle rising out of the middle of the café. As I labored on my laptop computer, I often felt like I used to be sitting outside—till the cool, air-conditioned local weather jogged my memory how lucky I used to be to take pleasure in nature from the consolation of the town.

Unity in variety

Jakarta’s vibrant espresso tradition, wealthy historical past, and heat hospitality make it an unforgettable vacation spot, and I’m grateful to have skilled it alongside Mikael, his spouse, Yessylia, and the So So Good crew. I may simply write one other “Discipline Report” simply on the unimaginable meals they launched me to, however which may belong in a special journal!

Editor’s be aware: This can be a condensed model of the unique article, which appeared within the April + Could 2025 print subject of Barista Journal. Click on right here to learn the total piece.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tigger Chaturabul (she/her) tried to be a barista for 2 years till she realized she was higher suited behind the enterprise than behind the bar. She now runs her personal copywriting and design studio, Curious Storm Studio, that serves F&B and different small companies in Hong Kong. Her free-range inventive way of life permits her to spend all her time in espresso outlets in all places.

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