Minum Kopi di Bulan Ramadhan

Akhirnya tiba juga bulan Ramadhan. Saatnya kita berpuasa selama sebulan penuh.

Saya ingin selalu ngopi saat berpuasa tapi banyak yang bilang minum kopi pada saat berpuasa dapat membuat dehidrasi. Sempat beberapa hari di awal puasa saya tidak ngopi karena takut merasa haus saat berpuasa, tapi akhirnya saya tetap tergiur untuk minum kopi dan mulai tetap ngopi pada saat sahur dan buka. Dan yang saya rasaan saya malah merasa lebih segar saat berpuasa, tidak merasa haus dan dehidrasi. Bahkan saya bisa lebih semangat dalam beraktifitas dan beribadah. Saya pikir, mungkin bisa jadi ini ada pengaruhnya dengan sugesti.

Yang saya tahu memang ketahanan tubuh akan kafein berbeda-beda pada tiap orang. Ada orang yang bisa merasa kalang kabut jantung berdebar kencang, sulit tidur, pusing, mual, sakit perut walaupun baru minum sedikit kopi. Tapi ada juga yang baik-baik dan tenang-tenang saja walaupun sudah minum kopi robusta 4 gelas dalam sehari. Wowww, saya pun tidak sampai sekuat itu minum kopi. Walaupun saya pencinta kopi, tapi saya selalu berprinsip lebih baik minum kopi tidak berlebihan tiap hari untuk merasa sehat,segar dan bugar daripada minum kopi berlebihan hingga sakit dan tidak dapat minum kopi lagi dalam jangka waktu yang cukup lama. Dan memang sesuatu yang berlebihan itu tidaklah baik.

Karena penasaran saya mulai mencari tahu, aman tidak sih minum kopi saat berpuasa. Dan ternyata banyak penelitian yang membuktikan hal yang berbeda-beda. Ada pula yang membuktikan bahwa konsumsi kafein tidak signifikan mempengaruhi jumlah urin yang dikeluarkan. Ini juga disebabkan karena efek kafein pada tiap orang berbeda-beda. Terdapat juga penelitian lain yang mengatakan bahwa jumlah kafein yang berlebihan (lebih dari 360 mg, yaitu kira-kira sekitar 4-5 gelas kopi) baru akan mempengaruhi jumlah keluarnya urin. Terdapat juga penelitian lain yang mengatakan bahwa kafein dapat meningkatkan laju urinasi pada seseorang tergantung kondisi per-orang apakah kafein dikonsumsi secara rutin atau sesekali tapi banyak. Jika orang tersebut mengkonsumsi kafein secara rutin, tubuhnya akan lebih beradaptasi dengan efek yang dapat disebabkan oleh kafein.

Jadi kesimpulan yang dapat saya ambil. Tidak perlu khawatir minum kopi saat berpuasa, asal jangan berlebihan. Selamat berpuasa. :)

Kopi Joss Lek Man (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)

My Java Coffee Tour (Part 1, July 4th - 10th 2012)

Every day is holiday for me. I do what I like, full time. Beberapa waktu lalu saya memutuskan untuk melakukan perjalanan di sekitar pulau Jawa, Indonesia. Walaupun saya pergi seorang diri, itu sama sekali tidak memupuskan semangat saya dalam melakukan perjalanan untuk mengenal kopi lebih jauh lagi. Perjalanan ini saya namakan "My Java Coffee Tour"

Dari Jakarta, saya meluncur ke Yogyakarta dengan kereta. Seperti di tiap daerah, kopi selalu punya cerita, begitu pula di Yogyakarta. Dan yang paling unik yang tidak boleh terlewatkan adalah Kopi Joss Lek Man, yang terletak di dekat stasiun Tugu. Di sekitar Kopi Joss Lek Man ini banyak juga pedagang yang menjual Kopi Joss. Tapi jika ingin yang benar-benar otentik dan original kopi joss nya, jangan mudah terkecoh, Kopi Joss Lek Man inilah pendahulu yang paling asli.



Lek Man yang bernama asli Siswo Raharjo merupakan putra Mbah Pairo, pedagang angkringan pertama di Yogyakarta yang berjualan sejak tahun 1950-an. Warung berkonsep angkringan yang dulu disebut 'ting ting hik' diwariskan kepada Lek Man tahun 1969. Sejak itu, menjamurlah angkringan-angkringan lain.



Tempat ini sangat sederhana, layaknya angkringan-angkringan di pinggir jalan. Peralatan-peralatan memasak, baik teko, piring dan lainnya pun sangat sederhana. Namun pengunjungnya sangatlah ramai. Itu pun saya datang lebih awal sekitar pukul 16.00 wib, dimana angringan-angkringan lainnya di sekitar angkringan Lek Man ini masih belum dibuka. Namun pengunjung angkringan Lek Man sudah sangat ramai. Angkringan ini akan lebih sangat ramai lagi pengunjungnya ketika malam hari.



Kopi yang dipakai Lek Man adalah kopi Robusta yang Lek Man beli dari penjual kopi langganannya di pasar. Dan arang yang dimasukkan ke dalam kopi ini adalah arang yang benar-benar membara yang dibakar di peralatan sederhana miliknya.

Kopinya dibuat dengan cara sederhana, kopi bubuk dan gula dicampur bersama dengan air panas lalu diaduk. Arang yang diambil dari tempat pembakarannya, ditiup terlebih dahulu guna mengurangi abu dari arang dan membuat arang menjadi lebih membara, kemudian langsung dicelupkan ke dalam kopi.





Begitu arang membara tadi masuk ke dalam kopi, otomatis air dari kopi yang telah diseduh akan mematikan bara dari arang sehingga menghasilkan kepulan asap kopi joss yang khas.



Tak perlu ragu dan takut sakit perut bila meminum kopi bercampur arang membara ini, karena ternyata ide memasukkan arang ke dalam kopi ini sudah ada sejak jaman nenek moyang. Konon katanya Raja-Raja Jawa sangat menyukainya dan biasanya diminum untuk mengobati sakit perut karena dipercaya mampu menyerap racun-racun di dalam perut. Katanya,jika kita mencelupkan arang ke dalam air berkaporit tinggi, kaporitnya akan segera terserap oleh arang. Dan menurut penelitian mahasiswa Universitas Gadjah Mada(UGM),ternyata arang mampu menyerap kafein yang ada pada kopi.



Di kalangan pencinta kopi international, Kopi Joss sudah dikenal melegenda karena Kopi Joss ini pun sering hadir di kompetisi-kompetisi barista international.
Jadi bagi Anda yang belum pernah mencicipi bagaimana uniknya Kopi Joss, jangan lupa mencicipinya bila berkunjung ke Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Guess Someone's Personality Through Their Coffee

Coffee is not just the smell and taste of pleasure that contained in it, but we can guess a person's personality from their favorite coffee.

This is of course only as entertainment because each person has a very complex personality, but it's a great of fun. As entertainment, I often try to guess my friend's personality when in the coffee shop.

The espresso drinker :
They are usually a moody people, hard worker, good leader and quick in completing their works. Those people are stubborn. They are adventurous and they are a new experiences hunters.

The black coffee drinker :
They are usually a quiet people, prefer to be alone, simple, minimalism, and to the point. They are someone who is rather difficult to approach but they can become a good friend, sincere, and loyal.

The latte drinker:
The latte drinker usually people who have a good sense of fashion and very concerned about his/her appearance. They are friendly, cheerful, a little bit childish, and they usually have a good sense of humor.

The cappuccino drinker:
I think they are usually people who pay attention to detail. They have a lot of imagination, and they love the beauty and art. They are a strong person but able to demonstrate their strength in softness. They always able to enjoy the situation, whatever happens in their lives.

The instant coffee drinker:
They are usually a cheerful, relaxed, simple, do not like to bother with difficult things. They like the surely things, and do not really like to take risks. They do not like ostentatious people. In their careers, they usually prefer a definite career rather than try something which is uncertain.

The decaffeinated coffee drinker :
They are usually people who have a high discipline, meticulous, picky and very concerned about health. Particularly concerned with the opinions of others. Have a high vigilance. They like the safe enjoyment. They do not like taking risks and strictly avoid regret.

The frappuccino drinker :
They are the ones who really follow trends and like to be a trend setter. They always up to date. They are really enjoyed to be the attention of others. They are cheerful and always in groups with their friends who are frappuccino drinkers if going to somewhere.

*image latte and frappuccino at the top right corner were taken from the internet

Get Beautiful Skin With Coffee

Coffee comes with myriad of benefits that are good for health and beauty. Start the day with a cup of coffee can increase spirit, better concentration at work, and I even believe that coffee can increase my confidence. We can also use coffee as ingredients for beauty. Such as Hawaii, Bali, and South America for many years ago have been familiar the benefits of coffee and use it for their beauty treatments. This is due to the research content is found in coffee is very good for the skin.

Coffee also has a wonderful benefit for your skin because it can lighten and brighten you skin. It also has anti inflammatory factors and you can use the coffee as a body scrub even at home. Caffeine can tighten your skin that is perfect to reduce occurrence of wrinkles and skin sagging. It is also by several spa treatment centers as an overall facial treatment. It can firm cellulite and reduce skin pigmentation. Coffee can really makes a person beautiful. Aside from making your day brighter, you can also brighten up your skin by using coffee as a beauty secret and regimen.

How to use :
- Mix the coffee powder with warm water / rose water / honey
- Add olive oil if necessary
- Add avocado if necessary
- Add a teaspoon of salt, if necessary
- Rub the coffee scrub with a massage, then let stand for 15 minutes to make the dead cells and dirt lifted.
- Rub gently then rinse with warm water and take a bath as usual.
- Do this treatment at least twice a week to get the optimal results.

It is good to know that there are a lot of benefits that people can get on their cup of coffee. It is a very good beverage that people enjoy every day but you can also use your coffee to treat many skin conditions as you enjoy a cup of coffee every morning. Make your skin glow and bring back the beauty of your skin by having a coffee mixture.

Get ready to have glowing beautiful skin. ;)

The Best Satisfaction of Single-Origin Coffee

What usually people looking for a cup of coffee in addition to the positive effects of caffeine? For me, I'm looking for the satisfaction of a sense of pleasure that coffee can give to me. Aroma, flavor, acidity, body taste , after taste of coffee that come together in a cup of coffee.

If you want to experience the joys of the various types of coffee, just try Indonesian Coffee, because Indonesia has so much kind of single-origin coffee which have the best taste.

Single-Origin Coffee means coffee beans from a specific location. Indonesia is internationally well known as one of the best coffee producing country. It is the best to drink the coffee without sugar as each one has its own unique characteristics, flavor, aroma, and taste.

Some examples of several types of single-origin coffee in Indonesia (taste in medium-dark roast):

- Toraja Arabica Coffee :
Single-origin coffee beans from the Toraja highlands, South Sulawesi.
Aroma : Rich Caramelly
Flavor : Deep, Lemony, Full Flavored
Acidity : Mild
Body : Creamy & Heavy-Bodied
Aftertaste : Strong, Lasting

- Mandheling Arabica Coffee :
Single-origin coffee beans grown in the highlands of the Mandheling tribe in North Sumatra.
Aroma : Spicy, Chocolaty
Flavor : Smooth, Dark-Chocolaty
Acidity : Mild
Body : Creamy
Aftertaste : Rounded, Long-Lasting

- Bali Kintamani Arabica Coffee :
Single-Origin coffee beans from the Kintamani highlands, Bali.
Aroma : Rich Herbal and Floral
Flavor : Lemony, Wild and Eclectic combination
Acidity : Bright
Body : Thick
Aftertaste : Lasting

-Aceh Gayo Arabica Coffee :
Single-Origin coffee beans grown in the Gayo highland, Central Aceh, Northern Sumatra
Aroma : Distinct
Flavor : Natural, Deep, Rich
Acidity : Light
Body : Heavy
Aftertaste : Velvety Chocolate

- Lampung Robusta Coffee :
Single-Origin coffee Bukit Barisan Highland, Lampung Southern Sumatra.
Flavor : Good robusta flavor, Earthy, Nutty
Body : Delicate Strong
Taste : Mild Bitterness

- Wamena Arabica Coffee :
Single-Origin coffee grown in the Wamena, Papua area which is still surrounded with the exotic jungle.
Aroma : Burnt chocolate with a tad of liquorice and apricot
Flavor : Sweet, Butterscotch, Fruit (Mixed ripe berries),Hints of chocolate and tobacco
Acidity : Low
Body : Huge, Heavy
Aftertaste : Good Lasting

There are many others Indonesian Coffees that can give you the best satisfaction and I might describe further in subsequent writings of this blog.
Prepare your taste acuity and feel the varied pleasures of the best Indonesian coffees.

*The review about these coffees are made based on existing coffee at the time. As the other natural products, coffee character will change unless it is a blend of coffee and very good roaster. The author is not responsible if the character of coffee that you drink is different from the results of the author trials. :D