What is Bali coffee all about? Satu-Satu Coffee Company in Canggu is trying to be the living answer to this question. It’s the place to go if you want to experience locally grown coffees. Driving this mission is the Sudana family. They’re renowned for their coffee plantations throughout Bali and only use traditional Balinese methods to produce their coffee. The Indonesian Government has recognized this as something unique and is now giving support to help further the Satu-Satu mission. However, it should also be said that we at Daily Drink do not consider this cafe to be a Specialty Coffee destination.
While visiting Satu-Satu, we ordered traditional Indonesian coffees during our visit: the Bali coffee and the Luwak flat white. The Bali coffee is different because you have to wait for the sediments to settle at the bottom for a smoother cup– it’s made by mixing hot water with powder-fine coffee grounds. The method is similar to coffee cupping and the resulting cup is full bodied with complex earthy flavors.
The Luwak flat white is made from the Luwak cat coffee, the local version of the infamous civet cat coffee, where coffee cherries are fed to the animals to be fermented in their digestive system before being collected from animal’s defecation and processed further. It was naturally sweet and low in acidity with a subtle nuttiness.
Skip the Luwak coffees. They cost more, aren’t that good to begin with, and it’s difficult to be sure that the animals are treated humanely. Order the Bali coffee instead for a more pure representation of the island’s coffee flavors.
