A hidden gems was discovered during the ongoing KKN (Kuliah Kerja Nyata) community empowerment activities of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (www.umy.ac.id) in Karangsari village, Wonosobo, Central Java, January to February 2021. It is a delicious coffee. No, not only delicious, it has absolutely special taste. Yes, it is the Premium Robusta coffee in Karangluas Hamlet.
Coffee fans can easily tell the difference between the flavors of Arabica and Robusta coffee. Generally, Arabica has a slightly sour taste, while Robusta has a bitter one. Of course, the taste of coffee is not as sour and bitter as this life, isn't it? All right, I’ll be a little more serious. The sensation I mean here is the experience of KKN students in Karangsari when they are served to enjoy a local and original Arabica-flavored Robusta coffee. Yes, Robusta but sour-tasted. What a surprise! What’s the secret? We will directly find it out from the manager.
He is Pak Untung (in English means Mr. Lucky), a coffee “artist” of Karangsari Village. He is a complete figure: a companion to a coffee peasant, a coffee bean processor, and a coffee businessman. Even so, he remains humble that in brewing and serving coffee, his son is much more proficient.
Robusta coffee harvest is seasonal. Its fruits could be harvested two months per year, July to August. In that limited time, as consequence, the quantity is also limited. Thus, Mr. Untung really wanted to maintain the quality. So he gave his Robusta the title “premium coffee”. The claim is: made from selected coffee beans with a strong and distinctive aroma of Robusta Wonosobo (cultivated at) an altitude of 750 meters above sea level.
Even the trade name is odd: OLWWISE. At first glance it likes an invitation to “always” enjoy it all the time. In fact, it stands for OLahan (farm) Wonosobo Wilayah (area) Selatan (south), Farmed in Southern Wonosobo (!). Yes, the location of Karangluas Hamlet is in the Southern Wonosobo district area.
Mr. Untung guarantees the high quality of his premium Robusta coffee. He, now the Chairman of the Association of Coffee Farmer Groups throughout Wonosobo Regency, is very proud of his products, confident in its quality, and still wants to continue the innovation. Partnering with KKN students under the supervision of Drs. Bambang W. Nugroho, M.A. from UMY, in February, 200 Robusta coffee seedlings were rejuvenated. The seedlings are planted in a special field where they will be properly cared for and watched as they grow strong and healthy until they bear fruit later. Mr. Untung hopes that this partnership program with UMY will continue until the results can truly empower the coffee farmer groups he fostered.
And then, back to the secret of Robusta’s sour taste. Luckily, Mr. Lucky didn’t keep it a secret. He openly said that the sour taste of OLWWISE premium Robusta coffee was obtained from the soursop trees which was used as stands. The sour aroma of soursop colors the taste of the coffee cherries it produces. According to Mr. Untung, Robusta which uses soursop stands technique is still very rare, maybe even the Robusta Karangluas is the one and only! Mr. Untung was not exaggerating. Robusta Karangluas Wonosobo is apparently still missing from the mapping of the taste of Indonesian coffee made by Kopiranin in its site rumahkopiranin.com.
Voila!