Our 7 Best Moments in 2014

Photo by Rendy Anugrah Mahesa / Instagram: @renansa

2014 was filled with so many blessings. We would like to recollect and record some milestones here. There were more beautiful moments than the seven mentioned below. We believed that the impression they have left will be our encouragement to face more challenges in 2015.

01. First Class for SOS Children’s Village

December 17-19, 2014. We welcome four talented youngsters from SOS Children’s Villages or Desa Taruna in Lembang and Cibubur to join our “from zero to cappuccino” experience. We commit to give four free seats for SOS Children’s Villages every month in ABCD Class. Our objective is to generate new, talented baristas, and surely to equip our friends from SOS Children’s Villages with a new skill.

02. Charity Brew with Matt Perger and Jamie Thompson

We are humbled to welcome world champion baristas to brew in our humble coffee bar. On September 18, from 12.30 to 13.30, Matt Perger and Jamie Thompson from St. ALi took command of our place, and brewed non-stop, finishing more than a kg of Kenya – Nyeri Hill PB from Sensory Lab. Coffee lovers eagerly waited around our bar an hour before the event started.

03. Gesha at the Pasar

On August 22 and 23 we brought Panama Gesha beans from Hacienda La Esmeralda to Pasar Santa. Rated among the best and most expensive coffee in the world, we served 11 grams of Gesha in cupping style, and snobbishly slapped a price tag of Rp65,000 a cup. We were wondering whether people would actually show up for that kind of price. To our surprise, we could not stop brewing. We welcome four coffee lovers for every round of presentation – where we told a story of Panama Gesha and why they have become so delicious and expensive. We finished around 4 kgs of Panama Gesha so quickly people were begging for more. Our humble gratitudes for all of you who enjoyed this Gesha affair with us!

04. Introducing Kopi Pahlawan with Baraka Nusantara

Picture by Dicky Lesmana / IG: @dickylesmana

Photo by Dicky Lesmana / Instagram: @dickylesmana

October 26, 2014. Our Red Appreciation Jar was the happiest to receive so many donations to help the works of our friends from Baraka Nusantara, particulary Maryam Rodja and Reman Murandi. They brought Kopi Pahlawan from Desa Sembalun – a village in Lombok Island in needs of educational and social facility. Together we introduced this beautiful specialty coffee to Pasar Santa, and all money went for Desa Sembalun. The amount that we received was far beyond our expectation. It was such a great pleasure to see so many kindhearted coffee lovers around us.

05. The Trip to Semarang with Filosofi Kopi The Movie Team

End of September 2014. Piala Citra 2014 winner Angga Dwimas Sasongko will produce and direct Filosofi Kopi – a movie adapted from Dee Lestari’s popular short story. He entrusted ABCD School of Coffee as the training ground for the cast, including Julie Estelle and Chicco Jerikho who also won Best Actor in Piala Citra 2014. More than joining our class, we also had a trip with them to coffee plantations and factory in Semarang, Central Java. The trip took us to understand more about coffee, and bound us as newfound family. Some of our closest friends like Datin Soraya Hamid, Aily Chendra and Wien also joined the trip.

06. Phat Uncle Joining Coffee Science Class in Melbourne

On December 3-4, 2014, Phat Uncle Hendri Kurniawan a.k.a. @kulikopi – our founder and coffee guru – was back as an almost clueless student in Coffee Science Certification Level 1 class held by Coffee Chemistry in Melbourne, Australia. This class aims at building a technical foundation of coffee as a raw commodity, exploring coffee science, sensory analysis, and addressing issues related to quality. The mind-torturing class took Phat Uncle back to the chemistry lab, and proved that the more we learn the more we realize that we know so less. Yet, whatever Phat Uncle has gained in the class will be incorporated in ABCD School of Coffee training moduls and materials.

07. Strangers in the Market

August 16, 2014. A week before this date we started a visual campaign on our Instagram account titled Strangers in the Market. We took shots of the first generation who actually worked hard and creatively to help reviving the dying Pasar Santa. There was Chef Oka Diputra from Mie Chino, and Babby Febrilia from Dai Vintage among many. The message of the campaign was simple: come to Pasar Santa as strangers, and let’s reunite like old friends. On the date, we actually served coffee from Strangers’ Reunion – a cool roaster based in Singapore. We received many testimonies from those who came saying that they indeed made conversations with strangers and found new connections during the event. Strangers in the Market remained our favorite #ngopidipasar day until now because it captured the true spirit of #AnakPasar. And, we hope to see that spirit to keep burning in 2015.

ABCD’s Fixed Opening Hours

For a long time we had been having no fixed schedule. We are never “open”, nor “close”. Now we are thinking to change this! But first, let us tell you why all this time we had been “random”, and our doors were mostly rolled down during the weekdays.

Because we are not a coffee shop. We are not a café. Referring to our own About Us page: we are a playground, a workshop, a kiosk, and a pop-up coffee bar. (By “pop-up” we mean “not permanent” in terms of timing.)

In ABCD we learn the A-B-C of coffee through many ways. We pop-up our coffee bar almost every weekend not to sell anything, let alone cute cups of cappuccino. #ngopidipasar is all about sharing and appreciation. We want to give true coffee lovers a chance to try excellent coffee beans that are usually not available in coffee shops in the city. We want tell the stories of those coffee beans. We want to share tales about Gesha, El Injerto, or even some Fine Robusta.

And, we wish you could give some appreciation.

The “appreciation” that we are talking about is more than just how much you put in our Red Appreciation Jar. Your appreciation should go for the coffee itself. The coffee as in the big, big world of coffee.

Through our #ngopidipasar pop-ups we hope you get to be introduced to the many, many kinds of coffee. We hope you could have a true “coffee experience”, not “café experience”. (There is no AC, there is no sofa, there is Instagrammable corners, sometimes there is no pretty latte arts. There is nothing but the coffee itself to experience.)

And, we can’t do it every day. We do not want to do it every day even if we can. Why? We give you two reasons.

First, there are enough great coffee shops in town where talented baristas work their magic with specialty coffee beans. For so long they have been mistaken as waiters. Many times they have to spend a whole day making Iced Lychee Tea for customers who use one single glass of it as a reason to sit for hours and use the free wifi to update their Facebooks. How often you see customers entering a posh coffee shop, and the first thing they ask is, “What’s the wifi password here?”

Please, go to those coffee shops, and make a change! Build a communication with the baristas. Allow them to use their magnificent talent to brew you some great caffeine fix. Challenge them to raise their standards. Ask them about where did the beans come from, the roasting profile, the tasting notes, etc. Stop asking “what’s in the menu?”, and start asking “what is the best cup that you can offer me today?”

Our baristas improve themselves when customers challenge, respect, and appreciate their talents properly. In fact, be more than a customer. Be a friend who support and encourage them. You know what? Indonesia is among the biggest coffee producers in the world, yet none of our baristas have ever made it to the Final Round in World Barista Champioship. Not even Top Twenty! You can make a change by being a respecting customer who appreciates and supports them!

Second reason of why we cannot pop-up our coffee bar every day is very practical: the beans. How could we get super premium and expensive beans every day? Or, do you want us to serve the same coffee that coffee shops and cafes in Jakarta have? Then, why bother coming to our place where there is no AC, comfortable couches, and wifi? And, how can it be fair to the coffee shops when we serve the same coffee with them, but with no fixed price?

That’s why our main objectives remain the same: sharing, and appreciating.

We share through our ABCD School of Coffee. We share through our #ngopidipasar pop-up coffee bar events. We appreciate great coffee. We appreciate those who come to us as friends, not demanding customers.

Phat Uncle Hendri Kurniawan says, “Coffee unites people, but the business sometimes tear them apart.” That’s why we want to keep ABCD as a fun playground, and not a place with opening and closing hours.

Yes, we were thinking to change this. But, we decided not to.

We always inform our next #ngopidipasar pop-up event in our Instagram account @abcd_coffee. Meanwhile, programs of ABCD School of Coffee can be seen HERE. For updated schedule of ABCD School of Coffee and the Registration Form, please email to abcd.courses@gmail.com.

Pasar Santa is Getting More Caffeinated!

Holla! Long time no reports here. Apologies! We have been crazy busy brewing and … sharing!

Yes, our School of Coffee is up and running. Phat Uncle Hendri Kurniawan has been sharing his knowledge, and learning how to do PowerPoint. Appreciation, Brewing, Cupping, and Definitive Espresso classes are on the roll. We have received many inquiries regarding our programs and schedule. As of this moment, we are still focusing on sharing about coffee during weekdays. So, the classes are actually for those who are truly eager to be professional baristas, or who want to start and run a coffee shop.

It’s not that we don’t want to run weekend classes. We will. That’s our promise! We just need to look for a new space so that during weekends we could have classes and pop-up the coffee bar at the same time!

For details of ABCD School of Coffee, please see our previous post here. And, for schedule and Registration Form, please email abcd.courses@gmail.com

For the last two weeks, we have been blessed with crazy good beans from the most excellent roasters in Bangkok and Manila.

From Bangkok, our dear friends in Roots sent us their research coffee. These are precious beans fron Ethiopia, El Salvador, Brazil and many more roasted in different profile by Master Roaster Korn “Elmo” Sanguankeaw and Picolo Folk Vento. Roots is home for Thai Barista Champion 2014 Varatt Vichit-Vadakan. From Manila, EDSA Beverage Design Group sent us their hot Summer 2014 Blend, Dark Matter Theory, and Kenya Karimikui beans. Biggest, biggest thanks to these lovely friends of ours!

The response were crazy! Pasar Santa has been crowded with caffeine junkies who did not mind sipping hot cups in a setting that has no air conditioner, no wifi, even not enough seats! Our bar could not stop brewing, and our nerve system nearly broke down. Coffee ran out very fast, and our hearts really broke when we had to let down people who came but no coffee left to brew. Not even a single bean.

Yet, we are happy, we are ecstatic to welcome more, and more caffeine junkies! We truly appreciate all the support. We are challenged to brew even better, and better.

In the meantime, neighbours have been popping up as well. After the cool SubStore and Laidback Blues Record Store, Dai Vintage is already open, and Lomonesia celebrated their 10th Anniversary in their new store around the famous big stairs of Pasar Santa upper level. Snoke Indonesia store (providing German e-cigarettes), Miechino (yes, noodles!), and Ketan Pasar (sticky rice!) are also shaping up. More, and more hip stores are filling up the spaces that were once empty. Pasar Santa will very soon be the. it. place!

So, the next time we pop up our coffee bar and invite you to #ngopidipasar … don’t miss the chance to experience the hottest spot of Jakarta – Pasar Santa, that is! – while celebrating good coffee together!

#coffee4kids Charity Brew for the Kids of Pasar Santa – Our Gratitudes!

Last weekend our humble abode was flooded with good will and generosity. Our gratitudes to beloved friends who participate in Charity Brew: Coffee for Kids #coffee4kids – where we brew and serve coffee to collect money to give Lebaran / Hari Raya goodie bags to the children of the sellers and tenants in Pasar Santa.

The event was supported by Orkide & Coffee Adorers who supplied the magnificent beans. This neighbour of ours roasted Simalungun Silimakuta Tiga Raja Peaberry for espresso. As the label mentioned, these triple picked screen 17 peaberries coming from the district of Simalungun, sub-district Silimakuta, North Sumatera. The carefully selected beans are grown up on 1,400-1,600 meters above sea level (masl.), and washed wet hulled at Tiga Raja mill on 1,460 masl. Beans for filtered coffee came from the Middle Mountain of district of Dogiyal, up on 1,600 masl. in Papua. Papua Dogiyai Modio beans are also lovingly known as Mace coffee as an homage to women who grow and take care of the coffee.

Once again, premiere soy milk Bonsoy also supported us. Our patrons were really spoiled with some crazy good cups of soy cappuccino they might not get anywhere else in Jakarta. Honestly, we will be more than joyful if every coffee shop in Jakarta could provide Bonsoy as well. Bonsoy makes drastic difference!

Our friend Raynia a.k.a. @sepotongkue did not only bring cheerful mini fruit choux, but also managed to bring along Puput – the Top 8 Contestant of the First Junior MasterChef Indonesia – who baked Red Velvet Cupcakes for our Charity Brew. Meanwhile, the popular Honestly Muesli also brought Overnight Oats and Granola Bars to add the joy in the evening. Celebrity food blogger Natasha V.L. completed the “dining table” with her homebaked quiches.

Inside the kiosk, our B.A.P.s – Baristas with Attitude (Problems)™ – namely Cecil, Izman, plus Til also gained great help from fellow baristas and brewers. We had faithful friends Joni, Lydia, and Ken, and we have Team Tanamera in the house, too! Besides Mr. Ade Ivan – the Certified World Barista Championship Cup Washers and Purchasing Manager* – there were Aga, Wahyu, Wahid, and Audy, too! What a bunch of jumpy people!

We managed to collect a sum of Rp3,679,000 from that night alone. The following night – which was not planned as a Charity Brew event – Honestly Muesli contributed another Rp190,000. Four friends who could not make it to the event still transferred a total amount of Rp1,250,000 – many, many thanks! So, in total we collected Rp5,119,000.

We handed the amount to Fetty Pratiwi who will conduct an event for the kids of Pasar Santa this Saturday, July 19, 2014. Fetty will gather up to 40 kids in a storytelling and drawing activity, and will hand out the Charity Brew goodie bags. This event will take place around our kiosk. So, come along to #ngopidipasar this Saturday in our Coffee No Kiasu weekend, and witness how your own generosity has drawn smiles to the children of Pasar Santa.

Charity Brew – #Coffee4Kids

How to make a cup of coffee taste better? By adding goodwill into it.

Hari Raya is coming and we want to give goodie bags to around 40 children of the sellers and tenants of Pasar Santa. On Saturday, July 12, 3-9 PM we will brew for charity. The coffee comes from our dear neighbour Orkide Coffee & Adorer, a humble nano-roaster that does not compromise with quality. We will have mini fruit choux and other food as well – all contributed by kindhearted friends.

Everything we serve in our pop-up coffee bar will be on “pay as you like” basis. Be extra generous with your tip as everything will go for the children of Pasar Santa – The Real #AnakPasar – for them to celebrate Hari Raya.

Even our baristas will try their best to adjust their attitude. (Yup, once in a year they actually can be good kids.)

See you in our #ngopidipasar Pop-Up Coffee Bar, Pasar Santa, Level 1, Block AL.01-BKS No. 75-77, Jl. Cipaku I, South Jakarta, Saturday, July 12, from 3 to 9 PM.

A Weekend of Spontaneous Collaboration

Josh serving his signature Shaken Cold Brew.

Once again, we’ve had a great weekend with fellow coffee enthusiasts in Jakarta. We witnessed how our humble kiosk has brought us to many new collaborations.

On Saturday, July 5, Josh Estey, the Daddy of Bear&Co. Pop-Up Coffee Bike, became our Guest Brewer. He brought his awesome custom-built bike to our kiosk, and a tank of cold brew. His signature cold brew was shaken for 45 seconds, creating a foam on the top. It almost looked like a cold stout instead! His cold brew was a big hit.

Moreover, Josh performed his hidden magic skills. He charmed us by juggling a crystal-clear ball with his hands. Meanwhile, his kickass wife Dian and their children Diva, Xenia and Nic also came by bringing free homemade apple crumble for all. They also brought the cool Bear&Co. jerseys to sell. The lovely Esteys truly added strength to the family-bond we always felt in the pasar.

Overwhelming love and enthusiasm for some good coffee!

The Bruna Blend with Bonsoy created a very delicious Soy Cappuccino.

Another unpredictable surprise was the visit of our friend Til from Bonsoy Indonesia. Yes, Bonsoy the magical soy milk! Til, a.k.a. @eetil on Instagram, also became our Guest Barista. Coffee lovers were spoiled by the loveliest Soy Cappuccinos ever! (Oh, if you’re wondering how a Soy Cappuccino could taste good, you should really try using Bonsoy. Bonsoy changes e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!) Please give a five to @BonsoyID on Instagram, too. We are so damn proud to collaborate with Til and Bonsoy!

We brought 500 gr of Bruna Espresso Blend by Roots Bangkok for our first edition of Bangkok Dangerous, and they were finished to the very last bean. Our place went really crowded at the Buka Puasa (breaking the fast) hour, and we were overwhelmed by the love and enthusiasm for coffee shown by our friends. We even ended up running out of water and milk! Luckily, we ran out of them right on the time we planned to roll down the doors.

Til from Bonsoy Indonesia as our Guest Barista.

On Sunday, July 6, we were scheduled to open at 3pm. Yet, first couple of friends already showed up at 1.30pm! They were none other than Movie Geek Rusli “Sly” Eddy and his friend Edwin. Old friends Adinda Simandjuntak and her husband Edwin – the director of award-winning The Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly quickly joined us with their cute little boy Jiri. Soon, we have more friends coming by, including the beloved Honestly Muesli (@honestlymuesli on Instagram).

The day went rather slow as the rain fell quite hard. Our Baristas With Attitude (Problems)™ had a relaxing and quiet day at the pasar, finishing Ceresia Coffee Roaster‘s Colombia Finca La Falda, and trying out Mecca Espresso‘s Darkhorse Blend, and Coffee Alchemy’s Goodness Galileo. Yet, at around 7.30pm, coffee enthusiasts returned to flock. We finally wrapped up the weekend with a cheerful bunch of friends.

Also blessing our weekend were Fruit Choux-es by @sepotongkue (on Instagram). At Rp7,500 only, this piece of heaven made a great companion for the coffee we serve.

Heavenly Fruit Choux!

These are collaborations made not out of business meetings but some blending of passions and friendships. In the name of Coffee, we say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

SYDNEYSIDERSUNDAY – 1st Edition

This Sunday we bring Sydney to the pasar!

Excellent Mecca Espresso’s Darkhorse blend will be on the hopper for espresso-based beverages. The notes are berry, jasmine and choc chip cookies. We’d say your piccolo would taste like Oreo.

Meanwhile, we will also mischievously brew Coffee Alchemy’s Goodness Galileo blend on our Hario V60 pourover. It is a gentle drink with beautiful floral notes and very clean finish.

We will open the bar starting from 3pm until 9pm this Sunday, July 6, 2014. We’ll have some snacks to share as well. Generally, we have no fixed price for the coffee. We will brew your coffee as best as we can, and you can fill up our Red Tip Jar as generous as you can be.

Find us inside Pasar Santa, Jl. Cipaku I, South Jakarta. Let’s close this crazy week, and welcome the coming Election Week with some great cups of coffee!

#CoffeeForMom – Our Charity Brew

Last month – before this blog was even born! – we popped-up our coffee bar for charity. The mother of a barista who’s a close friend to us was falling sick and hospitalized. So, we aptly called this program #CoffeeForMom.

Back then, a roasting class held by Master Roaster Manuel Diaz from Mexico was taking place in Kelapa Gading. The event was held by Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI). The class roasted a lot of Bali Kintamani beans. SCAI was kind enough to donate so many bags of roasted beans from that class, and we used them in this charity. We sold the best roasts in bags, and we brew the rest in our humble abode. We sold out all the bags in a flash. Everything went for this charity.

This Lego coffee-tray was among the auction items for #CoffeeForMom.

Meanwhile, our other friends also gave a lot of cool stuff for some online auction – from Lego bow-tie to a branded bag! During the pop-up, so many came and fill our infamous Red Tip Jar that surely went for the medication of our mother’s friend as well.

It’s overwhelming to witness how real friendships were proven in real acts. In result, we collected Rp8,625,000. From the very bottom of our hearts, we thank all who had participated in this charity event. We have proved together that goodness exists, even in the darkest colour of coffee.

Weekend with World Barista Championship Coffee

On Saturday, June 21, rain fell quite heavily just minutes after we rolled up our door. Friends who wanted to enjoy our loot from World Barista Championship 2014 told us that they were stuck because of the rain. We – Caecil, Izman, Ve, and Hendri – were worried that the day would went slow. Nevertheless, the very second after the rain stopped, our loyal friends came around, one by one, and finally it’s a big party.

Izman and Caecil took turns working our Rocket machine to make cups of cappuccino, latte, magic, piccolo, and macchiato. Ve almost could not stop grinding manually using his Porlex Mini Grinder to brew some Bali Kintamani, Columbia San Agustin, and Ethiopian beans. There were bananas, and local snacks to enjoy together, too.

Mr. Ade Ivan and Kirun lent their hands doing the dishes and taking orders. They were our most loyal volunteers. Mr. Ade Ivan is proud to be called World Barista Championship Certified Janitor. He has the perfect look and style.

Our dear friend Mr. Ade Ivan helps serving cappuccino for coffee buddies.

Izman religiously pouring a latte art on a cappuccino.

Caecil pulling two shots of Ugandan espresso from our Rocket, while Ve brewing Bali Kintamani beans on V60.

Our little buddies, Stella and Athalla, posing before finishing their Green Tea Latte and Hot Valrhona Chocolate with Marshmallow.

We called it a day at 7pm as Ve and Caecil felt beat-up already, and Izman had to leave for his actual job since 3pm. Our last friends who came by were the Rangkotos; Agnes and Ade, and their lovely son Athalla, and Athalla’s cousin Stella.

Chapter Two of Championship Coffee Weekend started slow, yet it did not mean nothing exciting happened.

The second day of Championship Coffee Weekend, a scorching June 22 afternoon, started rather slow. Jakarta was celebrating her birthday, and there was a festival in The Old Town, plus a huge, huge, huge rally to support the Presidential candidate, Joko Widodo, in Monas. Again, we kinda thought that it was gonna be just a relaxing day in our pop-up coffee bar.

Yet, friends came to hang out with us, play some silly games, and tasted coffee from Guatemala, Uganda, Australia, and Ethiopia. The Baquelito Guatemala No. 1 was used by Barista Champion from Greece, Christos Loukakis, in World Barista Championship 2014, and brought him to win 3rd Place. He was also World Latte Art Champion in 2011, and 3rd Place Champion in World Brewers Cup Championship 2012.

Besides boasting championship coffee, our rabbit hole had spacious room for nano-roasters. Our lovely friend Lidya Japar Halim came by with Sunda Arumanis beans that she roasted herself, then brewed them on V60 for us all.

Our neighbours, and our friend Lidya with the beans she roasted herself, ready to brew.

But the real treat was an impromptu visit of Yoshua Tanu – Indonesian Barista Champion 2014 who just got back from competing in World Barista Championship 2014! His visit really made our Championship Coffee Weekend came to a full circle. And, yes … we asked him to do the dishes, too.

Indonesian Champion Barista 2014 – YOSHUA TANU – had to beg to us for a chance to show off his skill behind our humble bar, and he ended up doing the dishes instead. Kidding.

That’s all for this weekend, Buddies. Yes, we don’t have any pop-up coffee bar activity next weekend because it will be the beginning of the fasting month. But, we have plans for next weekend, and also finalizing our moduls for barista course. Wait for our announcement, please. We will let you know detailed information about private and semi-private barista course with Hendri Kurniawan (World Barista Championship – Technical Judge, World Latte Art Championship – Visual and Technical Judge, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship – Taste and Technical Judge – GEEZ! HE HAS MORE TITLES THAN DAENERYS TARGARYEN!)

Championship Coffee Weekend

Coffee Buddies,

Our own Phat Uncle, a.k.a. @kulikopi, a.k.a. Hendri Kurniawan just got home from his mission as one of the judges in World Championship Barista 2014 (WBC 2014) in Rimini, Italy. And, guess what he brought back to our humble abode in Pasar Santa? No, not just coffee. It’s a bunch of championship coffee. Coffee used by the barista champions! The highly, carefully selected beans that compete in the world stage! And, now … those beans will be available for us all in ABCD, Pasar Santa, this weekend. A truly rare opportunity for the geekiest coffee junkies!

So, here are the schedule and menu for our Pop-Up Coffee Bar this weekend:

As usual: we brew as good as we can, and you fill up the Red Tip Jar as generous as you can.

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