Spanning 5,150 kilometers from west to east, Indonesia’s archipelago offers a vast and varied landscape for coffee cultivation. From light, bright profiles to full-bodied brews, the diverse conditions across the islands have blessed the country with an abundance of flavors and varieties. But the story of Indonesian coffee is as complex and layered as the beans themselves.

The nearest coffee plantations to Jakarta are nestled in the scenic mountains of West Java, the birthplace of Indonesian coffee. It was here, in 1696, that the Dutch East India Company (VOC) first introduced coffee to the archipelago. From West Java, the industry expanded eastward, reaching Bali, and by 1711, exports to Europe had begun—marking the moment when the phrase “a cup of Java” entered the global coffee lexicon.

However, this prosperous trade faced a major setback in 1876 when a coffee rust disease devastated plantations across Indonesia. In response, many farmers turned to other crops, including tea, quinine, and vegetables. West Java’s coffee industry, once thriving, lay dormant for more than a century.

In Bali, however, coffee is quietly experiencing a revival.

Generally, Bali’s coffee industry is largely split between two regions: the highlands of Kintamani, known for its Arabica beans, and Pupuan in the west, which specializes in Robusta.

Pupuan, located in Bali’s western reaches, is one of the island’s lesser-known coffee-growing regions. Its high elevation, tropical climate, and volcanic soil create ideal conditions for cultivating Robusta, a variety that thrives in lower altitudes. Robusta from Pupuan is known for its strong, full-bodied profile and higher caffeine content, characteristics that make it an essential component of many coffee blends.

Putu, a 40-year-old farmer in Tabanan’s Batungsel Village, is part of this resurgence. After losing his office job in 2020 that was affected by covid-19, he returned to a long-neglected coffee plantation he had purchased years earlier in Pupuan. He wanted to be a farmer. Through a blend of community involvement, government training, and self-directed research, Putu is breathing new life into the land, experimenting with innovative farming methods to nurture his crops.

But the journey hasn’t been without challenges. Despite his enthusiasm and fresh perspective, Putu faced resistance from more senior farmers in Pupuan. As a newcomer to the coffee industry, his attempts to introduce new methods for maximizing bean growth were met with skepticism. The older farmers, set in their traditional ways, viewed his modern techniques with doubt. Yet, Putu remained undeterred. His dream was clear: to make Pupuan coffee recognized not just as a blend filler, but as a distinct and celebrated variety in its own right.

Putu’s efforts are supported by his mother and relatives, who help him with the labor-intensive tasks of taking care of the plantation and harvesting the beans. Together, working tirelessly to improve each crop and experiment with different techniques. Every harvest brings a sense of curiosity for Putu. He wonders how coffee aficionados would rate his beans and what unique characteristics they might discover in his Robusta. His commitment to quality drives him to continuously refine his process, always seeking to understand the full potential of his beans.

Putu is still a small-scale farmer in Pupuan, meticulously tending to small batches of Robusta beans. He sells his harvest as cherries—unprocessed beans still encased in their fruit—to buyers who ship them to regions such as Sumatra, Surabaya, and Jakarta.

Step out of the shadows

Yet Bali’s coffee, particularly from Pupuan, remains an understudy in the broader Indonesian coffee scene. Much of Pupuan’s harvest is blended with more established varieties, like Sumatra’s famed Gayo beans, to increase volume. A common practice is to use one-quarter Bali coffee and three-quarters Gayo, allowing sellers to extend their prized beans while maintaining competitive prices.

The coffee industry in Pupuan is still developing. Most farmers work on small-scale, family-run plantations, using traditional methods. They harvest by hand, selling their beans in the form of cherries to buyers across Indonesia. While Pupuan coffee is often used to bulk up other varieties, its full potential remains largely untapped. Farmers are continuing to refine their techniques and improve their harvests, with hopes of one day establishing Pupuan’s coffee as a distinct variety, with its own identity and flavor profile.

Recent efforts by local coffee communities and government programs aim to bolster Pupuan’s coffee industry, providing education on sustainable farming practices and improving processing methods. As Bali’s coffee industry gains more attention, Pupuan is slowly earning recognition for its contribution to Indonesia’s coffee culture.

Still, this practice of blending raises an important question: Is Bali’s coffee being overshadowed by its more famous counterparts, its unique potential yet to be fully realized? As the industry continues to develop, Pupuan’s farmers are learning to perfect their harvests. The identity of Bali’s coffee—its distinct flavor, its story—is still emerging. The question remains: Will Bali coffee one day step out of the shadows and earn the recognition it truly deserves?