Merdeka Coffee was established in 2001 as a micro-roasting company focusing on the glorious array of wonderful Arabica coffees that are available in the Indonesian archipelago. We felt that our initial clientele, the coffee connoisseurs of Jakarta and Indonesia, were missing out on the best bean in the world….. their own!
Our passion for great Indonesia and coffee has taken us all over the archipelago in search of the best and most flavoursome cherries. From North Sumatra and Java through Flores and East Timor and across to Irian Jaya, we have and continue to visit our partners on a regular basis. We believe in buying directly from the estates and the small holders we deal with- thus insuring they receive a fair price for their beans whilst we can benefit from being able to have a consultative role in the quality of the green beans we purchase. Our company philosophy is to encourage economic and social development of our partner communities through fair and equitable trade.
Robusta vs. Arabica
There are four main sub types of Arabica found in Indonesia. These sub-varietals are- USDA, Kartiki, Lini-S and ABG-III. Of these the most widely grown are Lini-S and Kartiki. We buy all of these types of beans; the differences are mostly in the yields on the tree and sometimes in the size of the cherry. We only use Arabica beans, although we do use a small amount of a high quality local washed Robusta in our Espresso blend.
Robusta is a hardier tree. The beans from the Robusta plant have a higher level of caffeine than that found in those from Arabica plants. Robusta is often used in instant coffee and has half the chromosomes found in Arabica. Robusta makes up the bulk of the coffee exported from Indonesia, but it is the regional Arabica's that make the archipelago famous.
