Coffee stalls brewing habit among Malang students

Wahyoe Boediwardhana ,  THE JAKARTA POST ,  MALANG, EAST JAVA   |  Sun, 05/17/2009 1:37 PM  |  Discover

Are you a university student? Do you like coffee? Have you ever been to Malang? If the answer to all three questions is yes, then you must try the coffee from two cafes in the "education region" of East Java.

Both located near university campuses where students live in budget rooms, the AGP and Warung Kuning have their own regulars who stay for hours drinking coffee and chatting with friends.

AGP, short from the Javanese idiom arek gak payu (lovelorn boy), is located on Jl. MT Haryono, inside Market Dinoyo.

The owner, Deni Nanang Arif, 30, opened the caf* in 2002, and offers Gresik-style brew as its specialty.

"Gresik style is hot, black and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Our consumers are coffee addicts, they get headaches if they miss a day without drinking coffee Gresik style," Deni said.

The recipe, he said, had been passed through his family in Gresik for generations. His mother Nur Fathonah handpicks, roasts and grinds the coffee beans herself to keep up the quality of the coffee.

A cup of coffee at Deni's caf* costs Rp 2,000 and Rp 2,500 with milk. A big glass of coffee costs Rp 3,000, making it affordable for students.

The caf* opens every day from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

"Our profit from the caf* can reach Rp 5 million a month," Deni's wife Iim Shoimah said.

Syaiful, 23, a Muhammadiyah University student whose parents live in the neighboring Bojonegoro region, said the caf* is a favorite hangout for his friends.

"I like how the coffee tastes . and it's cheap, you know I don't have a lot of money," he said.

A different style of coffee brew is offered by Warung Kuning on Jl. Gajayana, owned by Heru Mulyono, 85.

Since 1992, the caf* has provided Blitar-style brew, a light, smooth and sweet Java coffee.

"We filter-brew coffee twice, and we heat the coffee beans in the oven instead ofroasting them," said Nur Rohmad, 31, a grandson of Heru who now manages the daily operation of the caf*.

He said the name of the warung (food stall) was taken from the name of his great-grandmother Kuning.

The regulars, mostly students from Brawijaya University, Merdeka University, National Institute of Technology, Malang State University and Malang Islamic State University, pay Rp 2,500 for a cup of coffee and an additional Rp 1,000 for milk.

Despite the differences in their coffee brewing styles, both caf* owners keep the premises simple.

With so many student customers, the owners have shunned bigger profits by not installing Wi-fi or Internet hotspot in their premises.

"Our customers specifically want us to keep our traditional style," said Nur Rohmad.

Deni said his customers were not interested in going online while they were in the caf*.

"They come just for the sake of good and affordable cup of coffee," he said.

If you come to visit when the new academic year starts, be prepared to sit on the floor or outside the door because both cafes are usually full.

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