During the Dutch colonial period in the 19th century, the Dutch introduced European coffee beans to Indonesia, which has a history of at least more than 200 years. Indonesians of all classes like to drink coffee. No matter how busy life is, they must remember "Ngopi yuk", which means let's drink a cup of coffee first. Interestingly, whenever stress strikes and problems pile up in their minds, Indonesians believe that enjoying coffee time can relax the mind and all worries will disappear. At the same time, more than 90% of the Indonesian population is Muslim, and drinking is not encouraged locally. Therefore, coffee shops or roadside stalls are the best choices for Indonesians to relax and socialize.



A half cup of coffee represents the life philosophy of Pontianak people
Located in Kota Pontianak, West Kalimantan, it enjoys the reputation of the coffee city. The specialty of its Pontianak black coffee is that it tastes heavily roasted and burnt. The most popular local coffee is Kopi Pancong. You may be curious, why do Pontianak people have this habit?



Because the serving size of half a cup of coffee is smaller than normal, the price is also very cost-effective. You can buy it for only Rp2.000 (approximately HK$1), making it affordable even for the middle and lower classes. A half cup of coffee also represents the Indonesian philosophy of life, which is an attitude of both ordinaryness and enthusiasm. Even under limited resources, people can still enjoy life and gain satisfaction. More importantly, for Indonesians, coffee does not distinguish between race, class, high or low, and does not need to be distinguished by occasions and etiquette. Drink it whenever you want. Bringing everyone together through coffee creates a unique Indonesian style!

The power of a half cup of coffee cannot be underestimated. Pontianak music composer Hazairin Achmad created "Kopi Pancong" to reveal the social phenomenon that Pontianak people cannot do without drinking coffee. Drinking half a cup of coffee, tasting pastries, and listening to lively songs, it feels like a unique style. Especially sitting in an old building, enjoying the healing energy full of Nanyang style!


Internet celebrity coffee shop in Pontianak shows half-naked barista with great momentum
Speaking of the most popular Internet celebrity coffee shop in Pontianak, it is none other than Warung Kopi Asiang. The owner, Asiag, became famous for making coffee while topless. Some customers even flew in to check in and take photos, giving them a glimpse of the domineering boss. The owner's spirit of dedication and hard work never lies to others, and he does everything by himself, working more than ten hours a day. With his down-to-earth character, he has become one with the neighbors in Pontianak, and has even successfully attracted a group of regular customers who have returned from other places to patronize.

When it comes to the process of brewing coffee, there is a rare sense of casualness. Indonesian coffee does not come with latte art or gorgeous coffee cups, which is completely different from the slow and meticulous work of baristas in elegant cafes. Asiang first poured the black coffee powder into the filter cloth, then soaked the coffee bag in the coffee pot to brew, and filtered it repeatedly. He raised the coffee pot and poured it into the small glass coffee cup from top to bottom. The whole scene was amazing. Shocking. As a result, the coffee shop attracted a lot of media coverage, and some groups even invited Asiag to teach classes in person.




It turns out that Indonesians like to have fried food with their coffee?
For Indonesians, in addition to cakes, coffee will taste better with snacks and fried food (gorengan). They believe that this can remove the greasy feeling of the fried food itself. Pontianak people also like to have half a cup of coffee with fried banana (pisang goreng), fried cassava (singkong goreng), or pudding cake (bingke). Its rich taste is more suitable for pairing with Indonesian coffee. This taste was confirmed by Claire Super match!



The habit of drinking coffee has been integrated into the life of every Indonesian, and it unconsciously expresses a sense of comfort in enjoying life. It can be said that this is one of the unique Indonesian cultures. If you travel to Indonesia next time, you might as well try the black coffee here!