Coffe Lover, Arabica Coffee Muria "The Cup of Java" Hidden Treasure on Mount Muria

Coffe Lover, Arabica Coffee Muria "The Cup of Java" Hidden Treasure on Mount Muria

There is always a story behind coffee, both when it is still a plant, wet seeds, dried beans to be powdered and then processed into drinks or food.

In the world of coffee, every grain of coffee beans there is a hidden story about the localities, mountains, sweat, nature, citizens, farmers, cultures and local customs. Something valuable behind the coffee itself. There is a distinctive taste in a cup of coffee. For the layman, it looks like all the coffee looks the same. But for coffee lovers, each coffee has its own story.

Coffee is included in the Coffea Genus of the Rubiacea family and originally from Africa. Indonesia includes the world's coffee producers with a contribution of 3-4 percent, while South America is at the top, followed by Africa, Central America and Asia. Indonesia has a lot of coffee that has been recognized in the world enjoyment.

Call it Kopi Gayo Coffee, Mandailing Coffee, Sidikalang Coffee, Tana Toraja Coffee, Kopi Bajawa Flores, Robusta Muria Coffee, Liberia Muria Coffee, Arabica Coffee Muria, Coffee Keling, Coffee Damarwulan, Jolong Coffee, Colo Coffee, Kopi Jetak, Kopi Kintamani and many more. Different coffee-producing areas, also different characteristics. Each has unique characteristics such as flavors like chocolate, orange, or spice.

Choosing the coffee according to taste, only be noticed is usually the body of coffee (viscosity), flavor (flavor), and acidity.

Arabica Coffee Muria also called Java Coffee is arabica coffee that was present in Java in the time of the ancestors. Until now still attached to farmers that coffee that grows on the slopes of the mountains of Muria only in the know with Java coffee. There are still some farmers do not know arabica coffee or robusta until now.

Arabica Coffee Muria has been hereditary planted in the Dutch colonial era around the year 1699 at an altitude of 500 meters from sea level, then replaced with the type of Liberika. But both are susceptible to pest leaf disease or Hemileia vastatrix to replace new Robusta varieties from Congo in 1900.

A hidden treasure in the Mountains of Muria. The name is appropriate for the typical Arabica Muria coffee. Arabica coffee Muria spread in three regencies Kudus, Jepara, and Pati. The land of coffee plantations in Kudus and Jepara is managed by local farmers, while in Pati is managed by PTP Jolong.

For the Kudus area, Arabica Coffee Muria is grown in 795.3 hectares of coffee plantation on the slopes of the Muria Mountains spread in the villages of Japan, Colo, Ternadi, and Soco. The 795.3 hectares coffee plant in the eastern slope of Mount Muria and administratively owned by Perhutani Kesatuan Pemangkuan Hutan (KPH) Pati, is a hidden treasure that has not been properly managed and transparent.

From 795.3 hectares of coffee plantation area covered by Semipa Gajahbiru (94.8 ha), RPH Pangonan Regaloh (96.6 hectares), RPH Medani Ngarengan (554.3 hectares), and RPH Ternadi Muria Patiayam (49.6 hectares), specialized in Ternadi RPH had a problem since the 1920s.

Local farmers had asked the government, so that the land and coffee plants belong to the local people. But eventually all the land and coffee plants are owned by Perhutani KPH Pati, while the people as a cultivator. In the future, it will be handled by implementing the Joint Forest Management and Community Forest Village (LMDH) program.

Arabica Muria Coffee in Jepara is 3.059 hectares with 4,000 farmers. The plants are scattered in the mountains of Muria, namely in Damarwulan, Tempur, Watuaji, Kunir (Keling), and Sumanding (Kecamatan Kembang).

The history of Arabica coffee from Muria is very long, beginning in 1825 when the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies Johannes Graaf Van Den Bosch applied the forced cultivation rule throughout Java. In 1860 he divided all the forest in Java in 13 forest areas.

Johannes graaf van den Bosch was born in Herwijnen, Lingewaal, February 1, 1780 and died in The Hague, January 28, 1844 at the age of 63).

He was the 43rd Indies Governor-General of the Netherlands. He reigned between 1830 and 1834. During his reign the Cultivation (Cultuurstelsel) began to be realized, after previously only a concept of study made to increase the cash of the colonial government and the country of the Netherlands who ran out of funds because of war in Europe and colonies (especially in Java and Sumatra Island).

In 1910 the colonial government abolished the forced cultivation program and set the forest section on the slopes of Muria as a forest area. After the decree was issued, from 1920 every farmer who owned a coffee field on a state-owned estate was granted the right to collect the proceeds for 5 years, known as Koffie Met Plukrecht (KMP).

In 1925 KMP should be removed, but the facts in Colo and Japan still exist. In fact, starting from 1942 the coffee plantations became wider so that there was a dispute over forest land in the two villages. In the era of independence, in 1972 issued a decision of the Governor of Central Java to determine the new function of the region.

The Governor's decree says the forests in Colo and Japan serve as protected forests. The cultivators of coffee land after 10 years since the decree was enacted must leave the forest. And in those days the coffee plant has become the breath of life of Colo residents and surrounding villages.

The peasants' coffee garden that wide is not necessarily cleared out because it is considered not a kind of conservation plant, taken a policy of inserting the coffee plant with resin. Now new in the process of making a grand design because there is one factor inhibiting the rate of growth and development of the coffee plant, which is not classified as a type of plant for conservation.

Arabica Muria coffee naturally has good quality no steknya or sambung when planting. Characteristics of Arabica Coffee Muria in general tended to be a coffee plant of lush, typical of herbs spices and sweet aroma. Arabica coffee Muria typically has a tasty good taste as well as diverse, and at the time of the Dutch East Indies colonial for the European population more likes the arabica.

From plantation agencies often provide training and counseling on maintenance and processing coffee plant from the planting period until after the harvest can perform in accordance with the SOP of cultivation and coffee processing by looking for innovations that can be given to coffee farmers on the slopes of Muria.

Training and counseling provide a lot of knowledge and understanding that means for farmers to get to know about the world of coffee. Previously many farmers actually can not process coffee properly and correctly, they need a lot to learn how to process from the experts of coffee.

The harvesting process done by farmers on the slopes of Muria mountain mostly picked it gratuitously by threshing all the coffee that appeared on twig branches without sorting the red ones.

The coffee garden requires maintenance three times a year. With training and counseling that has been given related service, coffee farmer Arabica Muria to picking red coffee fruit slowly by sorting the red coffee  only when the coffee fruit is mature.

Post-harvest process is done by dry or natural method. After picking the red coffee fruit, drying for at least a week until it is completely dry like a blackened raisin is continued in tutu (tumbuk) to produce green coffee beans.

The harvest of the coffee beans is traditionally processed by roasting  above the cauldron made of soil. Some coffee that has been processed sold to the collectors or wholesalers, in part in their own consumption and sometimes given to the family, especially during the big day of Islam.

Farmers have no direct relationship to wholesalers. The collectors or middlemen go to the farmers' garden that have been picked, so farmers do not lose their operating costs.

By providing training, instructor and understanding of the management of Arabica Coffee Muria starting from planting, care and post harvest so it is expected to increase the quality of taste of Arabica coffee Muria so that impact on the increase of selling price, also can be absorbed by market in various cities in Indonesia.

This expectation is still far from predicted, but we will continue to struggle and always side by side with farmers in order to create delicious coffee and distinctive aroma.

  

I hope Arabica Coffee Muria not only can be consumed by the people of Indonesia, but can be worldwide. Have you had some coffee today .......