Coffee Fans Have a New Thamrin Hotspot

Tanamera in Central Jakarta is one of the latest additions to Jakarta’s growing coffee shop scene. (Photo courtesy of Tanamera)

The cup rattled lightly in the saucer as it was placed on the table, but the rich cream atop the espresso remained unperturbed. A man behind a laptop looked over expectantly. In one fluid movement, he raised the cup to his lips, threw his head back and returned it to the table, an oily film in the bottom of the cup the only telltale sign of its prior contents.

“Well?” asked the barista, his batik shirt buttoned to the collar and backwards flat-peak befitting his profession.

“Pure dark chocolate, it’s all I ask for,” the man said, swinging to shoot him a slightly sardonic smile. “ Satu lagi, pak” [one more, sir] .

This is not an uncommon exchange at Tanamera, a new addition to Jakarta’s burgeoning coffee scene in Tanah Abang.

As a first timer, you will walk in and feel like a regular. The space is industrial and yet intimate. It is hard not to feel a sense of involvement — perhaps a result of the knowledgeable staff that will happily engage you in an animated discussion on coffee lore, or perhaps due to the proximity with the roasting process itself, taking place only a few meters away behind a glass partition.

Some are calling it a new era of coffee connoisseurship where beans are sourced directly from farms instead of countries and roasting is about underlining rather than incinerating the unique characteristics of each bean. It is exactly this that Aidan Broderick and his team at Tanamera are trying to achieve.

Aidan, originally from Western Australia with an extensive background in hospitality and roasting, was no stranger to the caliber of Indonesian coffee prior to his arrival. But he admits that his knowledge was limited.

“Before I came, I was only using Sumatran beans — so I thought that all coffee tasted like a particular region of Mandolin and that’s what I believed all Indonesian coffee to be.”

Indeed, it is the Sumatran variety, typically full-bodied with earthy and foresty notes that appears to be flying the flag for Indonesian coffee worldwide. A misconception that has required some flexibility on Aidan’s part.

“My mind has been blown by the variety — there are hundreds of different growing regions that I know very little about so it’s a bit of a back to the drawing board scenario.”

Aidan is not alone in his experimenting. Among a talented local team are two that he has taken on as his proteges, Wayhu Nazar and Surya Lesmana. Both have extensive training as baristas but are very eager to explore the roasting part of the process.

When asked about the main blend, the three smiled.

(Photo courtesy of Tanamera)

“It’s called Tiga Dara,” Surya eventually admitted — a name directly translated to mean ‘Three Virgins’. “But it’s a polite way to say that,” Wayhu assured. The virgins in this case are three coffee beans sourced from three different regions; Papua, Flores and Aceh.

And it’s an excellent blend. The butterscotch notes on the nose are balanced with a citrus bite and clean finish. It is ultimately intended for wholesale — beans are sold by the kilo and can be ground for you on site — but the location itself, resting unassuming just behind the batik-laden warren of Thamrin City, is proving popular.

“The cafe is sort of a display — a workshop — a laboratory,” Aidan clarified. Having roasted in an isolated environment before, he believes having direct contact with the consumers is crucial.

“I put a high emphasis on asking the general punter rather than just a coffee dude.”

While not quite there yet, Tanamera intends to source all of its beans directly from farmers. Unfortunately, Aidan admits, unscrupulous dealings in the coffee market are still very much prevalent.

Aidan hopes that by promoting the previously undervalued local Arabica — particularly to the Indonesians themselves — people will begin to favor the superior produce on their doorstep to that imported from overseas.

“If we grow as an industry, we could provide better incomes for the farmers and create something groovy and sustainable.”

Coffee is far from the mundane morning necessity it once was. If nothing else, it deserves respect purely for the logistical feat of transforming if from seed to beverage.

Appreciation for this process, and the result, is growing. Some are passing it off as New Age blather. But others are hooked and welcoming the opportunity for countries like Indonesia to reap the benefits of their primary produce. It’s this raw product, Aidan admits, that deserves most of the credit.

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