Hi- this is Takuya, head roaster at Kurasu.
In late May 2025, I visited Java, Indonesia. While Kurasu now has four cafés across Indonesia, this was actually my very first time visiting the country. Indonesia feels a little special to me—not only is it a coffee-producing nation, but it’s also home to our colleagues and friends who run our cafés there.

During this trip, I had the chance to visit Frinsa Estate, the farm behind one of our spring releases this year. I’d like to share a little of what I saw and learned there.

Frinsa Estate is located in Bandung, West Java, about a 30-minute train ride from Jakarta on a high-speed line- a bit like shinkansen (bullet train) in Japan. Bandung is cooler than Jakarta and known as a popular getaway spot in summer, with a thriving café and roasting scene shaped by a vibrant youth culture.

We attended a cupping event in Bandung where many local roasters gathered, exchanging opinions and ideas—it was clear how much energy and passion there is for coffee here. From central Bandung, a two-hour drive took us to Frinsa’s office and warehouse, where we stayed in a villa right next door.

Frinsa Estate was founded in 2010 by Wildan Mustofa, who studied soil science in university and had long been concerned with Indonesia’s environmental issues. He knew that coffee plants grow deeper roots than most vegetables, which can help stabilize the soil against landslides and floods—serious problems in West Java at the time.

Wildan began his project in Weninggalih, an area where many farmers had abandoned their land, by offering coffee seedlings on credit. Through proper farming practices, soil conditions and farmers’ incomes improved dramatically, and many young people have since returned to the area.

Wildan’s farming philosophy is visible everywhere on the estate. For example, between each coffee tree is a square hole about one meter wide.

“In Java, when the rainy season starts, the rain comes all at once. On dry soil, that water can’t be absorbed quickly—it just washes nutrients away. These holes help capture and make better use of the rain. Think of it like the blooming stage in pourover coffee,” Wildan explained.

His soil expertise is directly applied to coffee farming, and it shows in the cup quality.

On this trip, Wildan’s son Fikri Raihan Hakim guided us around as the current representative of Frinsa Estate. Among the farms we visited, Weninggalih stood out for its size—about 60 hectares.

Most of what they grow here are local Indonesian varieties: 35ha of their land is dedicated to Ateng Super variety, and the rest, 25ha, embraces varieties like Lini S, P88, and Sigarar Utang. They value Ateng Super especially for its floral character; in fact, a mix of Ateng Super and Lini S won a Cup of Excellence award in 2023.

In the past, Sigarar Utang variety was grown primarily on this land- however, unfortunatly, since the variety proved to be highly susceptible to nematodes, many trees had to be replaced. They now focus on resistant varieties like P88, Lini S, and Ateng Super. They also practice a three-year pruning cycle, carefully rotating branches to reduce pest risks and encourage healthy growth.

The lot we purchased last year was a washed blend of Borbor, Lini S, Andung Sari, P88, and Ateng Super—so clean and complex that we knew we had to bring it in.

But through cuppings on this trip, we were struck by the distinct character of single varieties. After discussing with Fikri, he agreed to offer us single-variety lots from next year onward—something we’re very excited to share with you.

At the estate, after the harvest, cherries are delivered to the wet mill within 24 hours, depulped, washed, and dried in greenhouses for about a week.

During the season of harvesting and drying, every step is planned against a 45-day forecast to ensure consistency- the workforce tends to be relying on temporary workers during this time of the year, and the unpredictable Java climate often brings mists and rains despite it being its dry season. 

After drying, parchment is processed at their own dry mill—hulled, sorted by size, density, and color, then finished with meticulous hand-sorting before being bagged and shipped to roasters like us.

While quality control is fully managed at their own estate, maintaining the same level among collective farmers remains a challenge. Recently, they’ve begun collaborating closely with trusted partner farmers to create single-farm lots.

One such partner is Bakti, who runs a farm in Garut.

After working in Jakarta’s finance industry for 3–4 years, Bakti returned to his hometown in 2021 to start farming, wanting to give back to his community. At first, heavy investment in fertilizer and equipment meant running at a loss, but now, four years later, the farm is nearing profitability.

Today Bakti supports 10 local families, empowers women in the community, and promotes coffee farming on social media. His words left an impression on me: “Farmers can be creative.”

It’s inspiring to see young people like Bakti returning home to farm, motivated by community impact. It feels like a new movement is reshaping the coffee landscape of Java.

Throughout this trip, I was struck by how close the relationship is between farmers and roasters here. That closeness seems to be driving young people back to production areas, fueling the dynamism of Indonesia’s coffee scene.

Indonesia is a country to watch—not only as a producing origin but also as a rapidly evolving consuming market.

This time, we purchased around four lots from Frinsa Estate, including Bakti’s coffee. They’re all exceptional, and we can’t wait to share them with you. Stay tuned for their release!