Coffee And Tea Tasting in Bali

Are you a coffee or a tea lover? If yes, coffee plantations is something you must visit in Bali. 

I generally visit a new place without much expectations. So, most of the times, I return with happy memories. Similarly, I didn’t expect much from the Coffee Plantations except for some coffee plants and green spaces. But this little green paradise charmed us with it’s variety of plants, huge trees and an experience of a lifetime. These plants included cocoa, ylang-ylang, vanilla, lime, pineapple, ginseng, coriander, turmeric, cloves, ginger and many more. Our host was a lovely lady who explained how these plants are planted and harvested. All the herbs and spices they use in their coffee and tea is grown in their own backyard. 

One of the major attractions of the Coffee Plantations is Luwak. Luwak is a hyperactive nocturnal civet cat who is the producer of world’s most expensive coffee ‘Kopi Luwak’. Our host explained the process of making this coffee.

Luwak snacks on the best coffee berries, but it is unable to digest the seed, which is the coffee bean and excretes it in its poop.  This poop is then collected and the beans are washed, cleaned, roasted and then ground into a fine coffee powder.

 What makes Kopi Luwak the most expensive coffee is the selection of best coffee beans by the civet cat and the natural fermentation of the coffee beans in its digestive system that softens the bitterness of the coffee and endows it with a musky flavour. 

Although we found this entire process quite amusing, it was disheartening  to see the caged Luwak. Our host told us that there are only a few Luwaks that are caged to educate people. The rest of them roam around freely in the wild. Well, that was just an explantation that still didn’t suffice to cage an animal. 

Returning to the good things, we enjoyed learning about their harvested and dried spices that were ready to be ground. I tried my hands on roasting and grinding some coffee beans in a traditional way. 

After a lot of learning stuff, we were seated for the much awaited experience – the coffee and tea tasting. Now, this was way above my expectations. A tray was presented before us that contained cups filled with a variety of tea and coffee. The tea selection included lemon, rosella, ginger, lemongrass, coconut, ginseng, mangosteen and turmeric. The variety of coffee included Bali Mocca, ginseng, Balinese Coffee, coconut, ginger and vanilla. There was also a cup of spiced chocolate – quite a unique and delicious combination. 

I was surprised to see so many varieties of tea and coffee. Our host explained the health benefits of these different beverages. Moreover everything was organically harvested from their own plantations. I liked mangosteen and lemon tea, but I absolutely loved coconut coffee. It was so delicious that it left me craving for more. There is no charge for this entire experience. The coffee and tea tasting is complementary except for if you want to try the Kopi Luwak. It costs you approximately $3.5 for a cup – world’s most expensive coffee as mentioned. I didn’t taste this coffee because of two reasons – the process felt a little repulsive, and I didn’t want to support animal abuse.

I bought a few packets of coconut coffee and some bars of orange chocolate. We thanked and bid goodbye to our host and returned happily with an experience of a lifetime. 

Spices, Coffee, Chocolate, Nature and Freshness – I wouldn’t have asked for more.

There’re a number of Coffee Plantations in Ubud and all of them offer an equally experience.

Few Tips: 

1. While I highly recommend visiting the coffee plantations for that fresh and unique experience, I leave the decision to taste Kopi Luwak to you. 
2. Make sure you carry cash if you plan on buying something from their gift shop. Not all cards are accepted here- American Express is one of them.
3. The gift shop, although worth visiting, is quite expensive. So, please keep an eye of the price tags as well.