Kopi Jitu comes from the Javanese word “Kopine Siji Jagunge Pitu”. The sentence means, “Coffee is one corn seven”.

The name Kopi Jitu refers to the mixture of each gram of coffee beans with 7 grams of corn kernels. The corn flavor in Kopi Jitu tends to be more dominant. Thus, the taste of coffee becomes savory.

Nowadays, Kopi Jitu has become rare in big cities. However, some people still make their own at home.

History of Coffee in Indonesia

Coffee entered Indonesia from Dutch colonialism. In 1696, the Dutch first brought coffee seeds to Java Island.

The Dutch governor in Malabar (India) sent coffee seeds from Yemen to Indonesia. It was the Dutch governor in Batavia who received the shipment.

Although the first planting experiment failed due to the impact of earthquakes and floods. In 1699, they conducted a second experiment. The first coffee harvest was taken to the Amsterdam Botanical Garden. After conducting research, the coffee planted on Java Island had excellent quality. The coffee was worth exporting to the rest of the world.

Since 1706 with the first harvest, the Dutch expanded coffee plantations in Indonesia. From Java, the plantation expanded to Aceh, Bali, North Sumatra, Sulawesi to Papua.

Unfortunately, in 1878 the coffee plant was attacked by rust disease (Hemileia vastatrix). The disease attacked the leaves of coffee plants in the lowlands.

The Dutch brainstormed, then brought another type of coffee, Liberica. This type of coffee is considered stronger against leaf rust pests than the Arabica type.

Arabica and Liberica coffee types have good selling points in the European market. However, Liberica coffee plants experienced crop failure due to leaf rust pests. So, in 1907, the Dutch brought another type of coffee, Robusta. Sure enough, Robusta coffee can survive the attack of leaf rust pests.

After the colonial period in 1945, all coffee plantations became the property of the Indonesian government. Later, Robusta coffee became the country’s largest commodity.

Origin of Kopi Jitu

Kopi Jitu was originally created because Indonesians during the colonial era found it difficult to buy their own coffee. People were looking for ways to enjoy the coffee they grew.

Then came the idea of processing coffee from civet feces. Apparently, this type of coffee has a unique flavor with lower caffeine levels.

Not only that, but palm sugar coffee has emerged again. They add palm sugar to a cup of coffee as a sweetener. Palm sugar has a low calorie content, making it healthy to enjoy.

During colonial times, the colonial government exported coffee overseas. Sometimes there was some leftover coffee that didn’t fit the criteria.

The most widely produced coffee at that time was Robusta coffee. Planting this type of coffee is cheaper than Arabica.

People roast coffee beans together with corn, then grind them into powder. The collaboration of the two ingredients creates the right blend with a mild coffee flavor.

Jitu Coffee is Starting to be Abandoned

Kopi Jitu is not a high-standard type of coffee like kopi luwak. Therefore, it has now begun to be abandoned.

In the 90s, the price of corn was cheaper than the price of coffee. So, people started mixing corn to lower the manufacturing price.

However, in the 2000s, the price of coffee beans and corn were almost equal. So, coffee producers started producing coffee with pure coffee ingredients.

When coffee is expensive, there are some people who process corn kernels into coffee. Through a roasting process like coffee, until the corn kernels turn brownish in color. After that, the roasted corn is ground until it is shaped like coffee powder.

Although Kopi Jitu is becoming less common, it doesn’t hurt to try this coffee trend. The historical value of Kopi Jitu harks back to the colonial era.

Kopi Jitu is an illustration of when it was difficult for people to get coffee. So, it gave rise to the idea of coffee farm laborers to mix coffee with corn kernels. Aiming to increase the amount of coffee powder.