Ever since its initial introduction in the 17th & 18th century era, Indonesians have been attached to coffee. Drinking coffee has become a tradition and part of everyday life of Indonesian people that can not be skipped. In major cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Medan, numerous International coffee shop chains and cafes operate in shopping malls and office buildings. But the genuine coffee culture is observable on the street level. 

Street vendors sell coffee candies to instant coffee for those who missed out on their morning coffee routines. Almost in every street corner, roadside "stalls" or warung kopi are often packed with visitors. They serve unrestrained brewed coffee in a glass. Most Indonesians prefer to drink black coffee with sugar. Besides this plain coffee, people also serve coffee with herbs and spices.

Some areas in Sumatra, the villages community like West Sumatra, drink coffee from coffee leaves - brewed with hot water - creating a subtle coffee flavor in a cup. They call it Kopi Kahwa. In Aceh, served in a manner that is filtered by the filter length or so-called coffee attraction. They call it Kopi Tarik or Coffee Pull. Below is some examples of Indonesia's coffee culture. May this be an inspiration for coffee connoisseurs to bring Indonesia's coffee culture into America. 

Kopi Tubruk (Plain Brewed Coffee)

This is the most popular brewed coffee in the country. To make this it is best to use 3 teaspoons of ground coffee for each glass of boiling water and add 3 teaspoons of sugar. Nowadays, several big national companies produce and offer ready-made mixtures in sachet, enough for one cup of coffee. It is a tremendous success in local market and even exported to several Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, China and Saudi Arabia.

How to make Kopi Tubruk: 

1. To make a cup add two teaspoons of fine or medium ground coffee (sugar is optional) into a cup
2. Boil the water and then add it to the cup at the boiling temperature
3. Stir so the water and the coffee grounds mix well
4. Let it stay and cook with the coffee for a few minutes until most of the ground coffee has settled in the bottom
5. Enjoy your coffee but leave the "mud" at the bottom alone. Don't drink it

(this recipe is inspired from Thei Zervaki's blog on "Crushed Beans: Aroma of Heaven" article)