Kawa coffee a traditional Indonesian coffee from West Sumatra is a coffee drink made from the coffee leaves.
When we say the word coffee bean, most of the time we only think the two classifications which are the Arabica and Robusta, though there are more varieties of coffee beans, but little did we know that the whole coffee tree can be made as coffee from roots to its berry.
In the Western region of Indonesia, in West Sumatra, they use the coffee leaves as their coffee, and it is called the Kawa Coffee. This practice had begun during the Dutch Colonial Era, where throughout that period all the coffee beans were taken away by the Dutch to drink and trade for their advantage thus all was left for the people of Sumatra are the coffee leaves.
Though Indonesia is well known for its high-quality coffee beans like their Java Arabica to Toraja Kalosi, and its the country were you can taste the most expensive coffee in the world, the history of the homeland of the world’s most delicious coffee was nevermore bountiful for the coffee farmers.
During the Dutch colonial period, Governor General Van den Bosch a Dutch officer and politician decided to till the land in Minang, West Sumatra for his coffee plantation were the tribals of Sumatra are being used as slave laborers. His iron-fist restrained the coffee farmers that there shall no coffee beans spilled on the way, not giving a chance for the slave laborers to taste the precious coffee beans. That is why instead of picking the most priced coffee berries the tribals decided to pluck the coffee leaves and dried them up. All thanks to the cruel history because of that a new product has been born and known as the Kawa Coffee.
Well, this might be your first time hearing Kawa Coffee or the coffee leaves, but this is also a coffee coming from the coffee tree thou it is not the coffee beans, but it is made out from the coffee leaves.
You might be wondering the taste of the coffee leaves, does it taste like coffee, is it caffeinated or decaffeinated?
Well, in all honestly my coffee lover friends the first time I heard about Kawa coffee made from coffee leaves I get too curious, and excited to know about this coffee. Because here in America all I know is my latte, espresso and sometimes my brewed coffee which is from coffee beans.
Kopi Kawa or Kawa coffee is a unique traditional Indonesian coffee from the coffee leaves that is traditionally served in a coconut shell. This coffee looks like tea whereas it is lighter in color from a brewed coffee.
When it comes to aroma, coffee beans have rich flavorful aroma ones brewed, but Kawa coffee has an odd smell like tea which has a stronger aroma.
And talking about its taste kawa coffee is bitter, but milder in taste than the brewed coffee. Thou you may get surprised for it’s after taste because Kawa coffee may give you a strange astringent flavor in your palate.
As compared to normal coffee Kawa coffee has relatively lower caffeine level, and the taste is a little similar to tea. Some coffee lovers may find this coffee drink too bold for their palate, but you can add almond milk or sweetened milk to this drink to counteract its strange taste.
