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

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 School of Coffee X SOS Children’s Villages + Toffin Product

LatteArtBandit™ Izman is monitoring Nina as she is learning to tamp. Dayat and Ilham observe.

December 17-19, 2014 were important dates for us. ABCD Class Batch 018 was held, and the participants were Nina, Dayat, Nugie, and the 16-years-old Ilham. They were the youngsters from S.O.S. Children’s Villages, or Desa Taruna – an international NGO to protect and to meet the needs of children all across the globe. Ilham and Nina came from Desa Taruna in Lembang, while Nugie and Dayat came from Desa Taruna in Cibubur.

The objective of ABCD School of Coffee has always been to breed more, and more young and talented baristas. Most of the participants of our classes – who immediately become members of ABCDEF (ABCD Extended Family) – are actually owners of coffee shop, or willing to open one. So, how should we generate new baristas if everybody wants to run the coffee shops?

16-yo Ilham looks like a professional Q Grader as he is learning about Cupping.

Phat Uncle Hendri Kurniawan has been long eyeing to do something with S.O.S. Children’s Villages. Long before we made contact with this honorable institution, Phat Uncle has been studying their mission and programs. It was only natural that when we started ABCD School of Coffee last August 2014 he initiated AngryBrewer™ Ve Handojo to send the first email to S.O.S. Children’s Villages.

After a series of email correspondence, and a visit to S.O.S. Children’s Villages in Tabanan, Bali and Lembang, Bandung, we finally executed this plan. Starting December 2014 we want to commit four seats in ABCD Class every month for the children raised in and/or supported by S.O.S. Children’s Villages.

The first batch was a great experience for us all. Apparently Nina – who is completing her study as a pastry chef! – has a very “expensive” taste. She could not bear sipping low, commercial grade coffee, but she does enjoy gulping Think Tank’s Ethiopia Nekisse N2! And, the young Ilham was so talented he could already formed a heart shaped on a cup of cappuccino the first day he learned how to steam and pour the milk!

Thank you, Toffin Product!

We believe that it was not a coincidence that at the same day we finished this ABCD Class Batch 018 for Nina, Ilham, Nugie and Dayat, some new toys arrived to occupy our new classroom in Pasar Santa 2nd floor, Room G. Our friends in Toffin Product have decided to show full and generous support for our programs. They have sent and placed not less than three espresso machines, and six sets of Hario manual brewing equipments! Two more espresso machines are on their way!

This is why we believe that blessings should be kept flowing. Never keep them for our own’s sake. Let them flow.

Left to Right: Nugie, Dayat, Nina, Ilham, Phat Uncle, and Mr. Roby from S.O.S. Children’s Village.

After completing the 3-day ABCD Class, Nugie displayed his manual brewing skills in Goethe Haus on December 21, 2014 in an event to commemorate the tsunami disaster in Aceh in 2004. Nugie fluently explained the basic principles of manual brewing to his audience.

From the very bottom of our hearts we want to express our huge gratitudes to Toffin Product for this huge support. And, we owe it so much to S.O.S. Children’s Villages who have been very committed in carrying their missions to protect and to meet the needs of children in Indonesia. It is such a big honour for us to work hand-in-hand with S.O.S. Children’s Villages to equip those who have been under their care with barista skills.

To learn more about ABCD School of Coffee programs, please click here.

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!

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.

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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Official Hashtag: #ngopidipasar
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