Words I Wayan Juniarta Photos Courtesy of Basanta Agro Organic

The tantalizing fragrance of coffee beans being roasted in a wood-fired clay stove embraces visitors as they enter the gate to the newly opened Basanta Agro Organic in Sebatu, Tegalalang, Gianyar.

The vast coffee plantation offers a chance for a leisurely walk in the refreshing air and guests who love healthy food will find Basanta restaurant a good place to enjoy a hearty lunch. It has an array of vegan dishes, such as Amerta Relish (red rice wrapped in pickled vegetables with pickled coffee bean dressing) and Ananta Element (vegetable decks and coffee bean balls served with dragon fruit sauce), and all are made from organically grown ingredients.

Those who simply want to stop by for a cup of hot coffee will not find Basanta disappointing. It has many coffee varieties, from the usual Arabica and Robusta to vanilla, cocoa, ginger and ginseng. Pair a hot coffee with a plate of traditional Balinese sweets '€” Basanta offers, among others, godoh (banana fritters) and laklak (rice flour pancakes) '€” and guests will have a perfect afternoon break.

Basanta refers to '€œspring'€ in Sanskrit, reflecting the establishment'€™s mission to preserve local plants and cultivate the best agricultural products, as well as providing visitors with a fun and informative education.

Currently, it offers two main activities: a cooking and coffee roasting class, and an organic garden tour. The first is offered at US$79 per person and is a reservation-based, three- to four-hour educational package carried out in an outdoor kitchen. Participants are taught how to cook simple Balinese dishes and have the chance to bring home their own roasted coffee.

In the organic garden tour, participants are taken on a guided exploration of Basanta'€™s 4,000-square meter plantation estate and witness first-hand the organic farming methods employed there, which include crop rotation, composting, recycling and organic fertilizers. The participants traverse the narrow path through the coffee plantation before making a first stop at the outdoor kitchen, where locals roast coffee in the traditional way, and then head to the nursery area, where the sprouts and newborn plants are nurtured.

In the near future, Basanta will also offer yoga classes with a stunning view atop a sheer cliff, while its natural attraction is to be further enhanced by a butterfly garden and an orchid garden.

Basanta lies on the left side of the road, some 20 minutes'€™ drive north of Ceking, a tourist attraction in Tegalalang famous for its terraced rice fields.

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