Kopi joss is a specialty coffee that originated in Yogyakarta. What makes this coffee unique is the addition of burning charcoal that is added directly in a cup of brewed coffee. The addition of charcoal is believed to have health benefits, and many also find that burning charcoal neutralizes acidity and provides a subtle caramel flavor to the brew.
The drink allegedly first appeared in the 1960s as an invention of a local street vendor. Nowadays, several coffee vendors, located mostly in tourist areas of Yogyakarta, prepare and sell this specialty. Interestingly, the name joss is believed to stem from the onomatopoeic sound that occurs when the burning charcoal is dropped in the glass.
Ginseng coffee is a beverage that combines coffee with ginseng, a root that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries.
The origin of it is elusive, but the first commercially viable blend was produced and marketed in 1994 in Indonesia by the Citra Nusa Insan Cemerlang company. This combination has become popular in various parts of the world, particularly in Italy, where it is served in most cafés.
Indonesian kopi luwak is often cited as the most expensive coffee in the world. It is made from coffee beans that are digested and excreted by the civet (luwak)—a catlike mammal that is native to Southeast Asia—before they are washed, ground, and roasted.
It is believed that when the coffee beans pass through the animal’s digestive tract, they lose their astringency, which makes the coffee softer, smoother, and less bitter. The coffee was allegedly discovered in the 19th century during the Dutch colonial rule when the local farmers were forbidden to harvest coffee for their personal use.
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