LOCAL PROFILE
COFFEE CULTURE: A SPICY TALE
C
offee. The most consumed beverage in the world. It’s estimated that over 400 billion cups of coffee are drunk each year. Considering that, in 2019, Earth had only 7.7 billion human inhabitants, the coffee tree must have done very well in terms of evolutionary dominance. But how did a fruit-bearing tree so successfully intertwine its evolutionary survival with ours? Coffee shares a similar tale with many of our other photosynthetic partners. Our demand for it drives us to plant and protect its offspring at all costs, often to the detriment of its less fortunate cousins. Still, that doesn’t answer the question: how has coffee become so powerful? The answer is that it’s latched onto more than just our short-lived desire for a dark roast espresso – it’s woven itself into our cultural web. In the west, our morphing coffee culture has given birth to newfangled concoctions that are far distant from our coffee-drinking ancestral roots. A Starbucks sugar-free caramel latte macchiato might cause most traditionalists to wince, but examples like this offer an insight into the melting pot that is western culture. To explore further, try to simplify the relationship between coffee and human beings, we need to delve into a place where coffee consumption is more like it was in days of old. One such place is Lombok, located in the equatorial archipelago of Indonesia. Here, coffee is a traditional element of daily human life. INDONESIAN COFFEE Indonesia is the fourth-largest producer of coffee in the world. You might have heard the term 'java' as a pseudonym for coffee blends. This name originates from the Dutch colonial era, when the Dutch East India Company planted and exported coffee from Java, now the world’s most populous island. In bringing coffee to Java, the Dutch set in motion a powerful wave that would sweep through ancient cultures and customs throughout the archipelago.
30
Although starting late, in historical terms, in Indonesia coffee is now regarded as Indonesian as nasi goreng. And with its distinctive flavours, preparation methods, and customs, coffee types have become unique to individual islands and their peoples. THE SASAK PEOPLE OF LOMBOK The Sasak of Lombok are a testament to indigenous perseverance. Many native populations in Asia and throughout the world have experienced segregation, but the Sasak today still make up a strong 85% majority of Lombok’s inhabitants. That’s not to say that the local peoples of Lombok haven’t experienced historical hardships. They have borne the burden of several decades of foreign occupation, both by the Dutch and subsequently, the Japanese. Although history hasn’t 'played nice', traditional Sasak culture, with its vibrant celebrations and traditional clothes and food, has remained steadfast. Perhaps that’s why many locals prefer traditional practices to corporatised western ideals, even when it comes to something as simple as a cup of coffee. One such example of tradition is the inspiring story of Mamiq and his son Gunter. TRADITIONAL LOMBOK COFFEE Mamiq, known also as 'Henry' is an inspiring story of local entrepreneurship. Growing up in Ampenan, the old port capital of Lombok, he was forced to make ends meet at a very young age. Mamiq’s father was a tobacco salesman, who had crafted a unique spice mixture that he sold to local Chinese businessmen and Dutch soldiers on the busy port streets of the then central capital, Ampenan. One day, with what could be considered a stroke of child inquisitive ingenuity, Mamiq decided to test his father’s special spice mix in a cup of local Lombok coffee.
