Extraordinary Coffee in Yogyakarta, New Experience

Charcoal coffee in Yogyakarta named Kopi Joss

How one man revolutionized coffee in Central Java by adding a little something from the fire

Groups of men gather in the early evening to chat and grab a snack before heading home for dinner

It is 11pm on a Sunday night, but a strip of road north of Yogyakarta’s main railway station is abuzz with youths nibbling sate and tipping back glasses of thick, smoky coffee. Late-night coffee conversations are popular around Indonesia, but this particular venue is famous for another reason -- a charcoal infused-brew that helps soothe upset stomachs.

The wood, still red-hot, makes its way

toward the glass, where it will bubble

in the coffee as it infuses the brew with flavor

The Pak Man

A man known locally as Pak Man, or Mr Man in literal translation, started making kopi joss in the 1960s. Like most coffee from this region, it starts with a coffee powder and four heaped spoonfuls of sugar. Hot water is added from a heavy, metal kettle followed by the key ingredient -- a red-hot piece of charcoal from the stove’s fire.

Charcoal helps neutralize stomach acid and has long served as a remedy for gas and bloating. Nowadays packaged tablets are sold over the counter, but 50 years ago coffee seemed a far more pleasant way to digest a seemingly unpalatable cure for gastrointestinal trouble.

Some brewers say the drink helps revive one’s strength, but it is popular largely because of its novelty. On most nights tea is the beverage of choice, or a fermented cassava drink called tape. And from 5pm until the early morning hours people gather on mats along the café’s front and chat, a favorite pastime in this quiet city known for its proliferation of universities.

The crowd varies depending on the hour. Businessmen often stop by after work for a snack of fried tempe, spring rolls and individual portions of rice wrapped in newspaper. Couples come later in the evening to flirt and groups of friends gather to play music.

The lively environment is what draws most customers back and though the place has gained a small tourist following after catching the attention of travel bloggers, the vibe is as slow and friendly as most local haunts in Yogyakarta.

Even at the ripe age of 80, Pak Man still shows up at his coffee station on occasion to man the kettles and lead conversation. In his absence, which is often, several young men take orders and Pak Alex makes the daily brew. The café -- a collection of tarps and wooden planks that have been assembled into benches -- only sets up in the evening, so the stove is part of a movable kitchen connected to a bamboo pole that Alex slings over his shoulder and carries away after closing.

A glass of kopi joss sits smoking

just after the charcoal has been added.

Imitation as flattery

In the years since Pak Man first started producing kopi joss, three other stations have popped up along the street, and the corner draws in rotating bands of street performers, beggars and bicycle rickshaw drivers.

Lek Man’s Kopi Joss
Jl. Wongso Dirjan, just to the north of Stasiun Tugu
Price: US$0.20 per cup
Hours: 4pm onward