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A Visit to the Kopi Bali Coffee Factory

The moment we walked into the Kopi Bali Coffee Factory, a charming young woman came out to welcome us and show us around. She was impressive: an overseas Chinese who had grown up in Sumatra, Indonesia, and spoke fluent Chinese and Indonesian. Because the factory receives many Korean tour groups, she spoke Korean as well.

She told us that Bali has only two kinds of coffee tree: Robusta and Arabica. One has broad leaves, the other slender leaves, and their caffeine levels differ. We were puzzled and asked about all the varieties on the market. It turns out that origin, climate and roast level are what produce the many different coffees available today.

Coffee trees like cool, misty conditions, typically at altitudes between 1000-2000 meters. In Bali, most are planted in the Kintamani region, with 1-2 harvests a year. The two trees here had unfortunately been transplanted to the lower-altitude city area for tourists to see, so they bear no fruit and stay small; careful cultivation has brought them to their present size, but they are still not large.

The Famous Luwak

Here is the legendary precious "cat poop" cat — or, to be precise, the famous civet. It was rather unremarkable and slept the whole time. It doesn't look much like a cat; its other name, "palm civet," may give you a better idea.

I took two photographs of the civet. It is actually quite cute.

The civet, called "Luwak" in Indonesian and "Asian Palm Civet" in English, became famous because civet coffee is named after it. Yes — the world's most expensive civet coffee is in fact its droppings. Wild civets choose the most fragrant, ripest coffee fruits (which look a little like cherries, hence "coffee cherries") as their food. As it happens, their digestive system can break down only the fruit's skin, not the hard bean inside. The beans that pass through the civet's digestive tract are therefore, in effect, pre-selected premium beans — and that is how cat-poop coffee is made.

I once had civet coffee at a friend's house. At the time I had no idea it was cat droppings, but it was indeed delicious and aromatic. Honestly, though, none of the coffee I have had at that friend's house was bad, so I can't say whether the cat poop was special or his brewing was first class. As for why civet coffee is so expensive, beyond the taste there is one timeless principle: scarcity creates value. Because production is limited, the price is very high.

Coffee Processing and Equipment

Unfortunately we visited on a Sunday, when the factory was not running. We couldn't see the machines in action, but on the bright side we avoided the large tour groups, and there was still plenty to see in the exhibition hall.

The machine on the left is the earliest coffee roaster, operated entirely by hand, which is why its roasted beans were often uneven. The one on the right is the current roaster — a very large machine that roasts beans evenly and consistently.

Our guide also told us that coffee beans have genders. Generally the flat beans are "female," accounting for about 95% of production. The rounder "male" beans — what the trade elsewhere calls peaberry — are only about 5% of production, which makes them rarer and more expensive.

The factory also has an exhibition hall with paintings made from coffee grounds.

The Coffee Tasting Experience

After the exhibition hall, the guide took us to the tasting room. The moment we walked in we were met by the rich aroma of coffee. The first cup offered was iced coffee; in such hot weather, cold coffee was a real pleasure. It already had sugar and milk added, so the original flavour of the coffee was hard to taste — it was simply a delicious drink.

Next came black coffee brewed from female beans, with sugar and milk on the side. Accustomed to drinking coffee unsweetened, I decided to appreciate this one properly. It was neither sour nor bitter, with a sweet aftertaste and a rather light body.

Finally we tried coffee from male beans: also neither sour nor bitter, with a sweet aftertaste, but a richer flavour and a more complete finish. I don't know whether male and female beans really differ that much, or whether the brewing differed. Either way, the male-bean coffee made the stronger impression, so I bought some as souvenirs.

FrontStreet Coffee is a roastery in Guangzhou with a small storefront but a wide range of bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known lots. It also offers online store services.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Indonesia's best growing regions are Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi, and between them they have given rise to three distinct coffee traditions. Sumatra is where Mandheling comes from — a coffee with moderate acidity and an especially heavy, rich aroma, traditionally wet-hulled, which is why it carries those characteristic grassy and spice notes. FrontStreet's Mandheling comes from the Lintong area around Lake Toba, roasted medium-dark to bring out the classic profile: low acidity, a full body and generous aromas of caramel, dark chocolate and toast, with a long sweet finish. It is a natural choice for anyone who likes their coffee strong.

At the top of the range sits FrontStreet's PWN Golden Mandheling. PWN buys only high-grade Mandheling green coffee, screening it hard for defects by density, size, shape and colour, then running one machine pass plus hand sorting on top, so the beans come out complete, even, large and bright, with the muddy, grassy edge muted. Freshly roasted, it shows sandalwood, herbs, spice, roasted hazelnut, caramel and dark chocolate, with a clean, sweet, full-bodied cup that is as good for daily drinking as it is for a gift. And for espresso, FrontStreet's classic blend follows the old Mamba recipe — Mandheling with Brazil — to which a little Robusta is added for crema, with a dark roast that pushes the dark chocolate, nut and caramel notes to the fore; even a beginner can pull a convincing Mandheling-style shot with it.