Home is now the new headquarters for many people. It is the place to conduct our daily activities, from studying to working.

While staying at home is convenient because it spares people from being stuck in traffic, for example, the confinement can spark cabin fever. And in order to overcome this cabin fever, people will indulge in leisurely experiences such as consuming certain foods and drinks and trying new hobbies.

Coffee is among the most sought after during large-scale social restriction (PSBB).

People order various kinds of coffee-based beverages through delivery service providers, and as they become used to have the drink delivered to their doors, the coffee-ordering habit remains, even when PSBB measures have been relaxed. Meanwhile, coffee shops strive to provide their customers with an improved coffee-drinking experience at home.

Coffee shop Kisaku recently launched a do-it-yourself (DIY) kit for customers wanting to create their espresso-based drink at home. In collaboration with global houseware brand Bodum, Kisaku named its offering the Kisaku x Bodum Home Kit, comprising espresso in a 160 milliliter bottle, chocolate ganache in a 180 ml bottle, arenga sugar in a 180 ml bottle, a Kisaku recipe book and a 250 ml Bodum Assam glass.

Unleash the barista in you: Kisaku coffee shop offers a DIY kit in collaboration with homeware brand Bodum, which aims to provide customers with a more pleasant coffee-drinking experience at home. (Kisaku/File)

Cofounder and managing partner of Kisaku, Catherine Halim, said using the DIY kit, customers could make iced or hot black (coffee), iced or hot chocolate and iced or hot mocha.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced coffee shops to think of alternative ways to sell, considering that the daily [coronavirus-related] death rate is still increasing,” Catherine said.

Offering food and beverage DIY kits has become a common practice for restaurateurs and coffee shop owners these days, and Indonesia’s renown restaurant groups such as Union Group and Ismaya Group have also jumped on the bandwagon.

Union Group’s Cork&Screw Country Club and Benedict, for example, have introduced their Feast at Home series that includes a DIY taco set. The group’s marketing and communication manager, Wibi Hananto, told The Jakarta Post that Union Group was aware of how people were still staying at home and frequently ordering restaurant meals.

“[We want to] offer a variety of meals that our customers can enjoy at home together with their families,” said Wibi, referring to the DIY taco that serves up to four people.

He went on to say that the response from customers had been positive, as they were happy with the activity of preparing the meals at home.

“At least 50 percent of the preparation is done by us [at the restaurant], and [customers can] assemble the taco right before eating without troubling themselves in the kitchen to cook from scratch,” Wibi explained.

Meanwhile, Ismaya Group has set up Ismaya Gourmet Shop at e-commerce platforms Tokopedia and Blibli and is cooperating with delivery service GoFood to sell its DIY series Chef’s Signature Meal Kit.

The meal items available range from Black Angus cheeseburgers with truffle fries, truffle mushroom (pizza) to Balinese cuisine-inspired spaghetti ayam betutu aglio olio. Although each kit includes a recipe card, cooking instructions are also available on the e-commerce app.

For those who want to start baking like one of Jakarta’s top bakers, Beau bakery on Jl. Panglima Polim, South Jakarta, has the kit you need.

Beau offers “pre-made” brownies and chocolate chip cookie mix that customers could bake at home with the addition of eggs and butter.

Now that the Jakarta administration has imposed PSBB measures once again, the food and beverage DIY kits may become one of the most appealing things to buy for food-loving urbanites confined to home quarantine.