Today, coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. In fact, it’s estimated that over 400 billion cups of coffee are drunk each year. Considering that in 2019, the earth is home to roughly 7.7 billion
Today, coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. In fact, it’s estimated that over 400 billion cups of coffee are drunk each year. Considering that in 2019, the earth is home to roughly 7.7 billion humans, it’s fair to say that the coffee tree has so far done very well in terms of evolutionary dominance.
But how did a fruit-bearing tree so successfully intertwine its evolutionary survival with ours? Coffee shares a similar tale with many of our other photosynthetic partners. Our demand for the fruit infatuates us to plant and protect its offspring at all costs, often to the detriment of its less fortunate cousins.
Still, that doesn’t answer the question of how coffee has become so powerful. The answer is that it’s latched onto more than just our shortlived desire for a dark roast espresso – it’s weaved itself into our cultural web.
In the west, our morphing coffee culture has given birth to newfangled concoctions that are far distant from our coffee-drinking ancestral roots. While a Starbucks sugar-free caramel latte macchiato might cause most traditionalists to wince, these examples offer a distinct window into the melting pot that is western culture.
To explore deeper, and in attempts to simplify the relationship between coffee and humans, we’ll need to delve into a place where coffee consumption is much more akin to the days of old. One such place is Lombok. Located in the equatorial archipelago of Indonesia, coffee here is much more of a traditional element of daily human life.
Currently, Indonesia is the fourth-largest producer of coffee in the world. You might have heard the term “java” as a pseudonym for coffee blends. This name originates from the Dutch colonial era, whereby the Dutch East India Company planted and exported coffee from Java, now the world’s most populous island.
Through delivering the infectious beverage to Java, the Dutch set forward a sweeping wave that would once again, carve its way through ancient cultures and customs throughout the archipelago.
Though delayed in terms of a historical standpoint, especially in contrast to Africa and the Middle East, coffee in Indonesia is now regarded as Indonesian as Nasi Goreng. Yet, in Indonesia, coffee has spread itself deeper again, with distinct flavors, preparation methods, and coffee customs becoming unique to individual islands and their peoples.
The Sasak People of Lombok
The Sasak of Lombok are a testament to indigenous perseverance. While many native populations in Asia