Coffee Tasting in Bali

I’ve heard coffee called “java” several times, but it took going to Indonesia to actually make the connection (I’m clearly not a coffee expert). Java is technically coffee from the Indonesian island of, you guessed it, Java. My time in Java was spent only in the airport, but when I was in Bali I jumped at the opportunity to go to a coffee “plantation” and sample coffees and teas… twice! Because even though I’m no expert, I’m definitely a coffee-lover.

QUICK TIPS FOR YOUR COFFEE TASTING IN BALI

» MOST OF THESE TASTINGS ARE FREE – The tour of the grounds along with the basic tasty are often totally free. This makes this a spectacular stop for any type of traveler, but especially budget travelers.
» COFFEE LUWAK COSTS EXTRA – This is where they get your money. You have to pay for extras, like the coffee luwak and, of course, any coffee or tea you wish to take home with you.
» COFFEE LUWAK HAS SOME BLURRY ETHICAL LINES – Coffee Luwak started out with people collecting the poo from wild luwaks, but this has changed because some places have captured luwaks. This effects the luwaks and, honestly, the quality of the coffee. You can read even more about that below.
» DON’T FORGET YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE – This may seem silly for a coffee tasting + tour, but we believe that travel insurance is important on any international trip because accidents can happen anywhere! We love World Nomads!

Here Are a Few Things You Should Know About Kopi Luwak

WHY ARE THE THE BEST BEANS? The coffee is said to be the best because of the berries that the luwaks select. They choose the cherries by smell, so they pick only the ripest berries which means the very BEST berries.
WHY THE POOP? The luwaks digestive systems break down the cherry, but don’t digest the coffee bean inside, which comes out completely intact. The digestive process is said to lower some of the acidity of the beans, though, and give it a smoother flavor.
DOES IT TASTE LIKE POOP? The poo doesn’t touch the actual beans. They’re still in their shell, so the poo is rinsed away and after that process, the shell of the beans is pulled off.
IS IT ETHICAL TO DRINK KOPI LUWAK? While traditional methods had people searching for luwak poo in the wild, some plantations now have luwaks in cages and force-feed them coffee cherries just to produce as much poo, and therefore as many coffee beans, as possible. In fact, both of the tasting plantations we visited had one luwak on display. They said it was so people can see the animals, and even if that’s the case, those luwaks can’t have a very enriched life for these little guys. So be aware, if you’re buying an $80 cup of coffee that it was more than likely from a force-fed luwak and that’s not something we like to support. Again, as I’ve said in many other posts from this trip, I learned a lot after coming home about animal ethics. These are definitely things I would ask about before visiting now that I’m aware of these ethical issues. It’s tough to navigate when you don’t know. Read more about animal ethics while traveling here. Definitely ask the people where you’re getting your coffee samples where they get their luwak coffee from: the wild or captivity.

Our Experience at Dewi Coffee

The first coffee tasting we did was at a place called Dewi Coffee. Here they grow different kinds of coffees, spices and other edible plants and our guide gave us a guided tour pointing out the different plants there. For example, the photo above is a cocoa plant, chocolate comes from!

Something people all over the world is the “poo coffee”. Properly known as Kopi Luwak is one of the most expensive cups of coffee that you can have in the entire world, typically selling for between $35-$80 USD per cup!

We also saw how Balinese coffee is traditionally roasted – over a fire and constantly being stirred. I had to have a go at it, of course.One of the coolest things about a coffee stop is that it’s free to tour and free to taste everything except the luwak coffee (which is about $3.50 to try). 

So, for $3.50 we had 8 tea & coffee samples, a snack, our cup of luwak coffee, a relaxing & beautiful view and a tour of the plantation. What a deal, huh? 

I was so impressed by this presentation. 

Seriously, what a place to have coffee?!

We did purchase a cup of the Kopi Luwak to split during our coffee tasting in Bali. Here’s what we had to say:

» I didn’t taste anything special about this coffee. In fact, it was my least favorite of the multiple coffees that we sampled [all of which we tried black to get the true flavor].
» Stacey said it was good, but nothing fantastic. What’s interesting is the process.
» I think that all of the hype & expense is the idea that these beans are acquired in such an unusual & interesting way.
» This could be because these beans aren’t from wild luwaks

Our Experience at Bali Pulina

Visiting Bali Pulina was extremely similar to Dewi Coffee. We had essentially the same tour & of course we roasted the beans again (this time with a nifty hat truly marking this as a “tourist photo”). The big difference with this plantation is the view. It was unbelievable. Our tasting area overlooked a series of rice terraces and made for an even more relaxing place to sit and have a cuppa.

Seriously, this experience was free. It doesn’t get any better than that.

I highly recommend doing at least one coffee tasting in Bali. Both Dewi Coffee & Bali Pulina are places that I would recommend. The coffee was essentially set up the same, the tours were the same but that view at Bali Pulina is pretty hard to beat. These visits are completely free unless you buy a cup of Kopi Luwak or something in the gift shop, and nothing is better for a backpacker’s budget than that.

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