On the morning of 11th September, a few coffee drinkers seeking their Thursday fix at Common Grounds Coffee Roastery in Jakarta, Indonesia were treated to an odd sight. The usual baristas behind the bar appeared to have been replaced by what looked like a western four-man boy band. It was clear that something was afoot. For those in the know however, this scene could only mean one thing:
St. Ali was in town.
Not a boy band (exactly) but aย week long coffee pop-up, this deployment of dashing Australian men markedย the fourth time this year that our friends and partners at Melbourne’s St. Ali Family have installed themselves at some far-flung locale. Seoul, London, and Milan were natural predecessors to Jakarta. And from 11-17 September, Matt Perger, Jamie Thomson, Lachlan Ward, and Ben Morrow took over the espresso and brew bars at Common Grounds, a staple cafe withinย of central Jakartaโs Citywalk Sudirman food mall.
Common Grounds is actually a relatively new venueโthe cafรฉ was opened earlier in March this year by partners Aston Utan, Yoshua โYoshiโ Tanu, Daryanto โYantoโ Witarsa, and Philip Chen. Despite its somewhat youthful status in the Jakarta coffee scene, the establishment boasts some impressive bona fides. It is home to both this yearโs Indonesian Barista Champion (โYoshiโ Tanu) and Latte Art Champion (Iwan โJohniโ Setiawan). In fact, it was the participation of these two baristas in their respective world championshipsโin Rimini, Italy, and Melbourneโthat led to meeting St. Ali, and the eventual organisation of this event.
For the week, Common Grounds exclusively served St. Ali coffee beans roasted in Melbourne and brought over to Indonesia. The selection was aimed at mirroring exactly what was being served at St. Aliโs South Melbourne cafรฉ at the same timeโgiving patrons the same taste experiences in both locales.
For espresso and espresso-based beverages, customers had St. Aliโs Orthodox Blend (two Brazilians, one Colombian) and Kenya Mutheka F.C.S. to choose from. Shots were pulled on the cafรฉโs matte black 2-group V2 Slayer, and ground on a pair of Mahlkรถnig K30s with custom graphics (one from MICE 2014, and the other from WBC 2014 in Rimini).
Filterย selectionsย of St. Aliโs Colombia Finca Santa Ana, Kenya Mutheka F.C.S., and Kenya Kamagogo Factory were ground with a Mahlkรถnig EK43, and prepared using Hario V60s, AeroPresses, and Chemexes. These filter roast options were also available as โcoffee shotsโโfilter strength coffees prepared exclusively on a pressure adjusted La Marzocco GS/3.
Keen to push the boundaries, the pop-up also gave St. Ali baristas the opportunity to introduce coffee drinkers to โthe Uncharted Zoneโโcoffees lying between typical filter and espresso strengths. And alongside regular coffee serving operations, members of the St Ali team were also engaged in a series of masterclasses held throughout the week.
St. Ali Head Barista and self-professed science lover, Jamie Thomson, was on hand for his โManual Brewing Classโโenlightening participants about the intricacies of brewing coffee, through a sequence of focused cuppings.
Australiaโs โLatte Art Cowboyโ, Ben Morrow, drew out his milk jugs in his โLatte Art Masterโ classes, and guided aspiring latte artists in the artful, Instagram worthy manipulation of steamed milk.
International Coffee Champion, Matt Perger, got down and technical in his โVST, WTF? Coffee Science Lectureโ, extolling the use of refractometry theory to make better coffee consistently. Mr. Perger, who is the Director of Coffee at St Ali, also ran a โNew Age Espresso Workshopโ, guiding attendees in proper barista techniques and the manipulation of brewing parameters to pull tasty shots.
The evening of September 15th was a particular focal point for the pop-up, and saw the cafรฉ rocking with excitement as Ben Morrow dueled away with 31 other competitors in an East vs. West latte art smackdown of epic proportions. When the dust settled however, it was a Bandung barista, Irma Purnama, who was the last one left standing.
Common Grounds Coffee Roastery typically caters to a diverse range of patronsโbe it central Jakarta office workers, students from the nearby arts and business schools, or the weekend brunch crowd. Aside from locals, the weeklong pop-up drew visitors from various Indonesian cities, such as Bandung, Surabaya, Lombok, and Medan, as well as Southeast Asian travellers from Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Besides the cultural intersections, the event also witnessed the congregation of coffee professionals (baristas, roasters etc.), cafรฉ/restaurant owners, and home enthusiastsโall keen to learn and experience what was on offer.
So nextย time a boy band materializesย behind the counter of your favourite cafeโdon’t worryโthey might just be here to deliver just theย serious coffee knowledge you’ve always wanted.
Andre Thamย is a Sprudge contributor based in Singapore. Read more Andre Tham on Sprudge.