Coffee History; Origin, Distribution, Culture & Trade in Indonesia
Various past records state the history of coffee starting in the 9th century on the plains of Africa, to be precise from the countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea. More specifically, the name of the area of origin of the coffee plant in ancient times is Abyssinia.
However, it is not known exactly how the Abyssinians made use of the coffee plant. Because at that time the coffee plant was probably only a commercial commodity brought by Arab traders from Abyssinia to Yemen. Meanwhile, the use of coffee as a drink was first popularized by Arabs.
History records that the coffee bean trade was controlled by Arab traders. The monopoly was carried out by trading through the port of Mocha in Yemen and then being traded to Europe. At that time Mocha was the only door to the coffee trade, even today we know the term mocha coffee.
In the 17th century the Europeans began to develop coffee plantations. However, because the climate was not suitable for coffee plants, the Europeans tried to cultivate coffee plants in their colonies. Until in the end, the results of coffee plants by Europeans in various colonies were able to shift the dominance of coffee from the Arabs.
The Dutch also planted coffee plants at that time, especially on the island of Java, which was used as the center of coffee plants by them. Even the “Cup of Java” or coffee originating from Java was popular at that time.
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The term Coffee
William H. Ukers in the book he wrote said that the word “coffee” entered European languages in the 1600s. In the book “All About Coffee” (1922) it is said that the word “coffee” or “coffee” is taken from Arabic “qahwa” which is absorbed into the Turkish language “kahveh”.
In Arabic, the word “qahwa” does not mean coffee plant, but instead refers to the name of the drink. It can be said that “qahwa” is the name for a drink made from seeds and brewed with hot water.
Another opinion in the Symposium on The Etymology of The Word Coffee in 1909 agreed that the word “coffee” refers to the term “qahwa” in Arabic which means “strong”. But there is also another opinion, that “qahwa” means a type of drink from wine or wine.
In addition, there are other opinions that say the use of the term coffee does not come from Arabic and but rather is taken from the Abyssinian language which is the area of origin. According to this theory, coffee is adapted from the word “kaffa” which is a city in the Shoa area, located in the South Southwest of Abissynia.
However, this opinion is refuted because it is not supported by strong evidence. Because there is evidence to show that coffee cherries or coffee beans are referred to as “bun” or “bunn” and do not refer to drinks.
Derived from the word “qahwa” in Arabic, then absorbed into Turkish “kahve”, Dutch “koffie”, French “cafe”, Italian “caffe”, English “coffee”, Japanese “Kehi”. Chinese “kia fey” and Malay “kawa”. All these names have the same sound as the word “qahwa”.
Meanwhile, the word “coffee” which we know today to refer to a drink made from coffee beans is an uptake of the Dutch word “koffie”. This theory is considered accurate because the Dutch government opened the first coffee plantation in Indonesia. However, it does not rule out that it is also absorbed directly from Arabic and Turkish because Indonesia already had relations with them before the Europeans arrived.
Early Coffee Cultivation
The first coffee plant to be cultivated was Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica). Because, history records that coffee was originally brought from Abyssinia to Yemen and then cultivated in the highlands of the region.
The estimated time for coffee cultivation was carried out in 575 AD. Despite its slow development, coffee cultivation continues to be an exclusive commodity for the region, and is traded through the port of Mocha in Yemen.
To protect the exclusivity of coffee plants, Arab traders deliberately boiled coffee beans before trading with the aim that the beans could not grow when planted.
Spread of Coffee Plants
From the map of the distribution route of coffee below, it can be seen that the origin of the coffee plant is from Ethiopia, then spread to other countries in Africa, Yemen to other continents.
a. Spread to South Asia
Although efforts were made to keep coffee so that it could only be traded by Arab traders, these efforts were unsuccessful. In 1616 the Dutch succeeded in bringing coffee plants through the port of Mocha to Holand, Holland. Subsequently, the Dutch tried to grow coffee crops in Sri Lanka.
In addition, coffee plants have also been tried to be planted in Dijon, France. However, the coffee plant could not grow and this attempt failed.
Apart from the distribution of coffee through the port of Mocha, which at that time was considered the only trade route for coffee, it turned out that coffee could spread through other routes. One way is through pilgrims who come to Mecca and Medina for Hajj.
One of the people who succeeded in bringing coffee beans was a pilgrim from India, namely Baba Budan. He managed to bring coffee beans that can be planted and cultivated in Chikmagalur, southern India.
b. Spread to Southeast Asia
During the colonial period in Indonesia, the Dutch VOC government imported coffee plants from Malabar, India. The origin of the type of coffee that is brought to the island of Java comes from Yemen which has been cultivated in Malabar. The coffee plants brought were planted in Kadawung, but this cultivation failed due to flooding.
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About 3 years later, the Dutch returned to bring in coffee plants in the form of cuttings which also came from Malabar. This coffee plant cultivation effort can be said to be successful and reached its peak when it succeeded in shifting the dominance of coffee from Yemen. In fact, at that time the Netherlands was the largest coffee exporter in the world.
c. Spread to America and beyond
The coffee plant reaches the American continent and the surrounding islands through two routes of entry. First, when in 1706 the Dutch brought coffee plants from Java to the Amsterdam botanical garden, then the coffee plants were brought to Suriname as a gift to King Louis XIV in Paris.
Then in 1720 the coffee plants from Paris were brought in and then in a garden in the Caribbean area which was a French colony. According to the story, coffee plants that were brought alive and across the oceans were still alive thanks to the watering carried out by the crew. This coffee originating from Amsterdam is known as the Typica cultivar.
The second route the coffee plant can enter America is via the Island of Bourbon, now known as La Reunion. Coffee beans originated from the envoy of the Sultan of Yemen to King Louis XIV in 1715. The number of coffee beans received was 60 coffee seeds which were then planted in French colonies on the American continent. This type of coffee became known as the Bourbon cultivar.
Typica and Bourbon cultivars are Arabica coffee plants which are currently believed to be the origin of coffee plants in various plantations.
Coffee Drinking Culture
There is a note from the seasonal scientist Al Razi (850-920) which is considered the oldest regarding coffee. Al Razi, who is also a medical expert, wrote about a drink called bunshum which has similar characteristics to coffee.
In addition, other records were also obtained from Ibn Sina (980-1037) who was also a medical expert. In his notes, Ibn Sina described the existence of seeds that could be brewed and had the power to cure a stomach disease. The information from these notes refers to the characteristics of coffee as we know it today. The drink is called bunshum and the seeds are called bun.
In Islamic trading, coffee is a very important economic commodity. Although it was declared a forbidden drink, coffee is very popular and popular among pilgrims in the city of Mecca. Not without reason, because coffee drinks can keep you awake when worshiping at night.
During the period of the Ottoman Caliphate, coffee drinks became increasingly popular. Coffee is the main drink served at every celebration in Istanbul.
Coffee spread to Europe when in the 1600s traders from Venice bought coffee from the port of Mocha in Yemen. Then it spread to colonies of other European nations, such as New York which became a Dutch colony in 1668.
History of Coffee in Indonesia
The origin of the Indonesian people knowing coffee cannot be separated from the Dutch colonial period. In 1969, the Dutch brought coffee from Malabar, India and brought it to Java. At that time, coffee was first cultivated in a plantation area near Batavia, namely Kedawung. This attempt failed because the coffee plant died from the flood.
Furthermore, the Dutch government in 1699 returned to bring in coffee seeds from coffee cuttings from Malabar. This effort was successful, in 1706 coffee samples from Java were sent to the Netherlands to be researched at the Amsterdam Botanical Garden, the result was that coffee from Java was of very good quality.
During its development, the coffee plant was used as a commodity for plantation crops developed throughout Indonesia, such as in Sumatra, Sulawesi, Bali, Timor, and other islands.
But in 1878 there was a coffee plantation disaster, where coffee plants, especially in the lowlands, were damaged by leaf rust disease or Hemileia vastatrix. Coffee plantations in Indonesia at that time only planted Arabica coffee, which was concluded to have no resistance to leaf rust disease.
In contrast to now, at that time Liberica coffee had the same price as Arabica in European trade. However, it turns out that Liberica, which is expected to be resistant to leaf rust, also experiences the same disease. Then in 1907 the Dutch brought another species, namely robusta coffee, to be planted in Indonesian coffee plantations which until now is more resistant to leaf rust disease.
After Indonesia’s independence, all existing coffee plantations were nationalized and since then, the Netherlands is no longer the world’s supplier of coffee.
Coffee Trade
Globally, there are 4 types of coffee that are traded internationally. Based on ICO or International Coffee Organization records, these types of coffee are Arabica coffee, Robusta coffee, Liberica coffee and Excelsa coffee.
Although there are 4 types, the 4 types of coffee are actually produced from 3 coffee species, namely:
Arabica coffee comes from the Coffea arabica species
Robusta coffee comes from the Coffea canephora species
Liberika coffee comes from the Coffea liberica var species. Liberica
Excelsa coffee comes from Coffea liberica var. Dewevrei
a. Early Era (17th century)
At this time, coffee was only known around the Arab peninsula and the people who came to that place. Coffee began to be traded outside of Arabia via the port of Mocha, in Yemen. At that time, Arab traders had a monopoly on the coffee commodity for a long time.
Continued in the 18th century, Europeans began to cultivate coffee outside of Arabia. Then in 1920 the Netherlands succeeded in replacing Yemen as the world’s main coffee supplier.
The Netherlands is a world exporter of coffee originating from plantations in its colonies, such as Java and other regions in Indonesia. Indonesia has become the world’s largest coffee producer for about a century. Furthermore, Brazil managed to rank first as the world’s largest coffee producing country, displacing Indonesia until now.
b. Modern Era (early 20th century)
At this time, coffee has spread and grown in more than 50 countries around the world. Currently, the largest coffee producing countries in the world are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer, dominating one-third of the world’s total coffee production. Brazil produced 2.5 million tonnes of coffee beans in 2015, which consisted of 80% Arabica coffee and the rest is robusta coffee. In the coffee trade, arabica has a higher price than other coffees.
In the same year, Indonesia was ranked fourth in the coffee producing countries. Data from GAEKI or the Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters, stated that around 83% of Indonesia’s coffee production is robusta and 17% arabica. Apart from these two types of coffee, coffee plantations in Indonesia also cultivate liberica and excelsa coffee, although prices for these types of coffee are not too high.