Story of Java Coffee

COFFEE comes to Java on 1696 during colonialism era of Netherlands in Indonesia. Indonesia at that time named as Netherlands East India.

The coffee come to Indonesia bring by man of Adrian Van Ommen, the Dutch colonial commander at Malabar beach of Ceylon.

And the coffee planting at the outskirt of Batavia (this time named Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia), at Kedawoeng area. The plantation has never success because of the flood.

One year later the Dutch send again the coffee to Batavia, and the plantation is success. Year 1706, the coffee delivers to Amsterdam Botanical Garden, Netherlands for analyzing. The result is better, since then Java coffee has a good market in Europe, and it makes the Governor General Willem van Outhoorn happy and instructed to increasing the plantation at West Java, following by East Java.

The plantation under control of Dutch company named VOC (Verenigde Oost Indische Compagnie). Because the VOC does not have enough sources to expand the plantation, they make an unfair agreement with the local authorities. The agreement called as koffiestelsel (coffee system) that the citizen must plant a coffee, and the coffee will remain belongs to the VOC.

When the Dutch VOC dismissed and the authority in Netherlands East India in mid 18th century, Dutch government takes over the authority, the Queen send appointed Herman Willem Daendels (1762-1818) as Governor General for Netherlands East India.

During this time the Java people more sorrow than koffiestelsel era. Daendels has a new role that create by Johannes van den Bosch called as cultuurstelsel that more unfair. Beside coffee, the people of Java must plant another three i.e. sugar and nila (indigo).

Beside that Daendels also instructed a people to work for road construction without payment from Anyer in the corner of West Java to Panarukan at the end corner of East Java. The situation in Java later on write on the book title Max Havelaar (The Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading) by the Dutch writer named Eduard Douwes Dekker (writer name is Multatuli). The book as an eye witness of Multatuli tells a story of Javanese sorrow under the Dutch colonialism on coffee trading and plantation.

The Dutch government later makes an agrarian reform in Netherlands East India that is liberalism politics. This new liberal policy permitted a personal to least a land for a long period of time. This makes a private plantation spread out in Java, Sumatra, Bali, Timor, and Sulawesi. And Java coffee becomes more popular.

Java coffee goes to United States of America on 1893. From May to October 1893, some wealthy businessman from Java participate the 400th celebration anniversary of the discovery of the United States of America by Christopher Columbus. There is a fairground sponsored by the Netherlands East India business people called as “Java Village”. The “Java Village” promoted some product and culture from Java, including Batik cloth, wayang (puppet) and gamelan (music) performances.

At the Java Village the visitor served a cup of pure Java coffee as part of a promotion and marketing of Java coffee. And it is success, since then Java coffee become famous in the United States of America, and the words “Java” has been synonymous with coffee.

A popularity of Java coffee falls on 1878 when the plantation infected by the germs called as Hemileia vasatrix. This disease has killed all the Arabica coffee plant that grew at the upland plain (1000 meters up of sea level). The fall of Java coffee at the market replacing by another type of Arabica coffee from Brazil and Colombia, that both are still at the higher rank of Arabica coffee in the world until now.

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