Growing in a Coffee Farm Family - This is how we make coffee tubruk

I am Indonesian Citizen, my name is Roy.

My parents did coffee farm, But They also Grow rice and Haminjon (Benzoin gum) . 

I have four old sisters and one young brother. It was a culture in my hometown that the very first priority for parents are their children educations. that's why my parents did everything to earn more money to feed us and also to pay our school fee. 

My parents put us study until university although they are just poor farmers.

Sometimes, i wonder how they did it?

Where did they got all the money to pay for their children living.

I have been 28 years old now, and i can't even imagine of how to pay my children educations later.

Talking back about Indonesian Coffee.

It is Sumatra Coffee that i mean. Or usually called Toba Coffee or Coffee Tobruk and also called kopi robusta in my village. 

There are so many and large coffee fields in my village. Coffee tree is not really high, usually it is only 2 to 3 meter of high. 

coffee tree or usually called Kopi Robusta 

Coffee farm is the most easiest farm to do, because it isn't need too many attentions. I mean, coffee will grow even without fertilizer.

Coffee can grow and beat wild weeds, they will still grow even if the fields isn't touch for months. that's why my parents and some folk in my village can farm many things in the same times. 

Coffee only need our attentions when it shows some red been. we have to harvest it before Weasel do. Weasel live happily in my village. Weasel will jump from one coffee to another coffee, they don't even afraid although we are there. Even the baby weasel that can't run faster. 

When i was a kid, there was a moment i hide in the bush, only when i am too tired to pick the coffee been. and i also saw a baby weasel did the same, he stared at me and i stared back. He looked so sad and a red coffee bean skin was in his nose. i though that he wanted to say something or asking me about human family things. 

Oh...forget about the baby weasel.

Coffee farm has no certain harvest period. It is fruitful all the time. Coffee farm job did in the morning it is only for one or two hours before breakfast. 

After Breakfast, Parents would decide whether they would do Benzoin farm or rice farm. That's why coffee is just like stepson, only needed when it make profit.

I tell you this to show that it is really easy to farm coffee, just plating the seeds and wait. 

How we Produce Coffee Bean Into Coffee Tobruk

It was always 6 PM, my parents arrived at home after have worked in rice farm or benzoin farm. Then, my father would clean or separated Benzoin Gum from its skin. 

My mother and my sister would take the coffee bean and washed it. After that, they will separated coffee bean from its skin with traditional coffee grinder. It is called losung in my village.

traditional coffee grinder (first grinding)

  There are three times of coffee grinding  process.

The first grinding process is to separate the outside skin with bean.

But then, there is another thin skin stick in the bean and it has to be thrown away before the cooking process. 

so after my mother did the first coffee grinding process, she would dry the bean for one to three days. after dry enough, she would grind it again to separated the thin skin. 

the second coffee grinding process

After the thin skins is separated, my mother will fry it without oils.  and let the bean gone burnt and become so black. 

Coffee burning process

The burnt coffee bean have to be ground while it is still hot, to make it easier.

The last coffee grinding process  

So thats how we made coffee and i really miss my hometown right now. Because after graduating from my university in 2011 i never have chance to go back home.

It is so frustrating to live in a big city if you were growing in beautiful lonely village.