Although there are several different processing methods used, Indonesian coffee is most often associated with the wet-hulling process in which the coffee cherry is removed from the seed and the seed still coated in the sticky mucilage is stored before being dried. This process creates the quintessential Indonesian coffee attributes of a lower acidity and full body.

Wet hulling may be the most common coffee processing method in Indonesia, however, kopi luwak is the most unique. Kopi luwak processing occurs when the Asian palm civet, akin to a mongoose, eats coffee cherries and digests them, leaving the seeds behind. The seeds are washed and sold, prized for their sweet and mild taste, sometimes selling for as much as $600 per kilogram.

As in most coffee producing countries, most Indonesian coffee is exported, however, there is a rich coffee culture in Indonesia. Those in large cities and in rural villages have distinct ways that they enjoy local Indonesian coffee. In cities, street vendors serve a variety of beverages to passersbys such as kopi tubruk, strong coffee brewed in a cup with sugar. In some Western Sumatran villages, people enjoy coffee beverages brewed from steeping coffee leaves in water.

At Westrock Coffee Company, we love what Indonesian coffees can bring to the table to round out our blends as they are most often known for their earthiness and heavy body. They also often will carry notes of spice, cedar, leather, and tobacco due, in part, especially in Sumatra, to their wet-hulled processing. If you can’t make it to Indonesia to try kopi tubruk for yourself, enjoy a Westrock Coffee blend to experience what Indonesian coffee has to offer.