BALI DIARIES - COFFEE.

Going GlobalTravel

23 Apr

Written By

I’m not a coffee drinker. In fact, I’ve consumed all of one cup in my entire 25 years on this planet. I just don't like it. Until I visited Bali, that is.

Truth is? Laura and I were doing a trip around the island, were about half way through and feeling absolutely shattered. We needed a boost.Eddie (our awesome driver for the day), suggested we stop off at one of the local coffee plantations – SPOILER: they walk you around and then give you ALL the free coffee to ‘test’. We didn’t need asking twice.Turns out it was actually pretty magical.Our tour guide greeted us at the entrance - explaining about all the different coffee beans and tea plants, how they’re grown and the process they go through to make the purest, tastiest drinks. Twisted, narrow paths lead the way with the most luscious green plants framing the walkways.He also explained how their most special coffee, Kopi Luwak, was one pooped out by a palm civet – yep that’s right. Pooped out by a tiny little animal and roasted for your enjoyment…The luak, that's a small catlike animal, gorges after dark on the most ripe, the best of our crop. It digests the fruit and expels the beans, which our farm people collect, wash, and roast, a real delicacy. Something about the natural fermentation that occurs in the luak's stomach seems to make the difference – says Wikipedia.See the black stuff around the beans in the picture above? That's poop. Tasty.At the end were multiple coffee stations where we were asked to take a seat and got to sample every single coffee and tea they produce (apart from the animal poop one, that was too special to try for free but it's meant to be incredible).But guys, it didn’t taste like regular coffee. It tasted good. A super creamy, delicious texture that left the most incredible taste in your mouth. Coconut, Chocolate, Hazelnut, so much goodness. And the teas, THE TEAS, let's just say Rosela Tea and I now have a thing going on.Considering we were there for less than an hour it was one of my favourite spots we visited on the island. It was amazing to experience some of Bali's culture and sample local produce at the same time. And despite being a hot tourist spot, it did feel like we'd stumbled across a hidden treasure. We left feeling refreshed and peaceful - I mean, what a beautiful location, right?Plus, I think I quite like coffee now.Good coffee, that is.