Unlike more famous coffee regions in Indonesia-- like Java and Sumatra, coffee growing in Bali was not developed by the Dutch. Traders from the nearby island of Lombok introduced coffee in the early 20th century. Balinese coffee is generally produced by smallholding farmers in the fertile volcanic area in the Kintamani region. The origin and development of small batch farming in Bali is partially owed to a tragic natural disaster-- the eruption of the Gunung Agung volcano in 1963. This was one of the largest and most devastating eruptions in Indonesia's history and killed an estimated 1,000-1,500 people. Arabica coffee planting in the Kintamani Highland was severely disrupted, and in response, the government enacted programs to grant coffee seedlings to small-scale farmers.
All coffee in Indonesia is picked by hand and in Bali, the use of pesticides is prohibited, and all fertilizers are 100% organic. When mechanical harvesting is used, under-ripe cherries can give the coffee a thin aroma and harsh profile. In Kintamani, because coffee cherries do not all ripen at the same time, farmers harvest by hand every 10 days over a period of 5 to 6 months. This allows them to pick only red and ripe cherries which yield the highest quality coffee in appearance, aroma, and taste. Balinese coffee farmers generally use the most traditional method of dry processing-- they simply dry their coffee cherries in the sun. This imparts fruity, fermented, or sweet earthy flavors to the beans as they dry.
Many coffee farmers in Kintamani are members of a traditional farming system called Subak Abian which is based on the Hindu philosophy of Tri Hita Karana. According to this philosophy the three causes of happiness are good relations with God, one's community, and the environment. The Subak Abian system is hence ideally suited to the production of fair trade and organic coffee production. The island of Bali is an exception to the otherwise Islamic Indonesia, as 83% of residents identify as Hindus. Balinese Hinduism is distinguished from other branches of Hinduism by incorporating animism and respect for Buddhist saints, or Bodhisattava.
The coffee is pungent, earthy, and has an aromatic-wood character with undercurrents of chocolaty, prune-like sweetness. You may also detect hints of orange and grapefruit and most tasters describe it as medium to full body.
Sir Hippo's Balinese coffee is Blue Moon- a rare and unique Arabica specialty coffee.
