Like mushrooms in the rainy season, coffee shops in Mataram city are appearing everywhere. Enjoying a cup of coffee is now one way of getting better acquainted with the capital of West Nusa Tenggara province.
By
ISMAIL ZAKARIA
·5 minutes read
ISMAIL ZAKARIA
The Acibara Coffee barista team in the Jalan Jenderal Sudirman area, Rembiga, Mataram City, West Nusa Tenggara, tested the quality of the tools they will use to mix coffee Thursday (20/10/2022).
Jalan Selaparang in the Cakranegara area, Mataram city, is never quiet. All day long, traffic and human movements keep going without ceasing, especially at the western end of the road, where Cakranegara Market, one of the largest traditional markets in Mataram, is located.
During market hours, the hubbub gets intense. On Saturday (22/10/2022), for instance, from morning, the sound of car and motorbike horns, the whistles of parking boys, the screams of workers loading and unloading goods, the bustle of traders and buyers entering and leaving the market can all be heard.
It’s a very nice place, the coffee is also flavorful. Besides, as a student, its coffee price is affordable.
However, the situation fails to deter people from visiting Kopihyang, one of the coffee shops on Jalan Selaparang. It is precisely located near the northern entrance of Cakranegara Market.
From 10 a.m. central Indonesia time (Wita) till evening, visitors to the coffee shop come and go. The noisiness outside does not disturb them. They can stay up to several hours at the coffee shop that is less than two months old.
“I’ve been here only once. I noticed it on a friend’s Instagram. It’s a very nice place, the coffee is also flavorful. Besides, as a student, its coffee price is affordable,” said Apriani Hidayati, 20, a college student in Mataram.
The owner of Kopihyang, Zippo Istifar, 33, said customers of his coffee shop come from all circles, young and old, including students. Kopihyang sells black coffee from Rp 5,000 (32 US cents) per cup. The other items on the menu, like milk coffee and frothy milk tea, cost less than Rp 20,000. Cakes produced by home industries are also served as snacks.
Coffee shops on alternative roads amid residents’ settlements are also sought after by coffee lovers. Harmos Brew on Jalan Pramuka, Karang Medain, for example, is never deserted by visitors.
From 8 a.m. Wita, customers start coming to drink coffee. From its initial presence, the hashtag #yakaligakngopipagi? was launched for promotion. Since it opened in early 2021, Harmos Brew has chosen to offer a full arabica menu with all basic ingredients using arabica coffee. The coffee comes from West Java, East Java and NTB. According to Lalu Wiliandi, 31, one of the owners of Harmos Brew, the choice is intended to present quality coffee to visitors.
“We want some value in every business. If it’s just ordinary trade, we can do it. But we want to maintain quality and educate visitors. Harmos is indeed on an alternative road. But as we offer an appetizing product, we will be sought out,” said Wiliandi.
KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA
Visitors enjoy coffee at the Kopihyang' shop on Jalan Selaparang, Cakranegara, Mataram City, West Nusa Tenggara, Saturday (20/10/2022)..
Everything is given due attention, ranging from the coffee beans used and the roasted fresh coffee prepared for visitors to the way it is served.
Yet not all coffee shops in Mataram are like Kopihyang and Harmos. Many other coffee shops not only serve coffee but also other menus. Acibara Coffee on Jalan Sudirman, Rembiga, for example, offers local cuisine.
Everything typical of Lombok can be found here. We have coffee and other food. We’re also preparing to offer some gifts.
The Acibara Coffee owner, Ibnu Sofyan, 28, said he relied on the local menu of Lombok. Labeled coffee plus street food, the shop also sells roasted spiced chicken cilok (balls of tapioca and beef or chicken) and satay.
“We actually want to become a one-stop shop, a sole tourist destination for visitors from other regions. Everything typical of Lombok can be found here. We have coffee and other food. We’re also preparing to offer some gifts,” said Ibnu.
Culture
Fahim Aufa, 26, who owns Rota Kopi Roster on Jalan Catur Warga, said coffee shops constitute culture. “Those who come to Rota may feel it’s the coffee they love most. So, don’t worry. We even want to keep expanding so that there will be many more coffee lovers’ communities,” he added.
An adviser to the Indonesian Coffee Association (Aski) of NTB concurrently a digital business intelligence (DBI) consultant on coffee affairs, Giri Arnawa, indicated that by viewing the journey of coffee, it was now entering the third wave that started in around 2000.
“The development of coffee begins to be felt now. It becomes an interesting movement. Formerly, coffee was brewed in a conventional way. Hot water was poured into a glass of ground coffee. Today contemporary types of coffee are appearing through various innovations of the brewing technique as well as the use of ingredients,” said Giri.
A lecturer of the Economics and Business Faculty in Mataram University, M. Firmansyah, noted that sitting at coffee shops was now not only for drinking coffee, but it had served as a space to relieve the longing to get together, have discussions and meet others while enjoying coffee.
Head of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) division at the Office of Industries, Cooperatives and MSMEs of Mataram, Mamlu Atur Chair, said coffee shops had become part of the 7,000 MSMEs in Mataram city, with an ever-rising trend.
The presence of coffee shops in Mataram is so real that they enhance harmony and create job opportunities in NTB. Come on everybody, let’s enjoy coffee in Mataram!
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