ate 2023, we found ourselves in a place that had almost disappeared from the coffee world.
Wonosalam, East Java.
At first glance, it looks like many other coffee-growing regions in Indonesia. Narrow mountain roads wind through villages, farmers carry freshly picked cherries, and coffee trees grow beneath towering shade trees.
But Wonosalam hides a remarkable story.
More than a century ago, during the Dutch colonial era, thousands of Excelsa trees were planted here. While plantations across Indonesia gradually replaced Excelsa with Robusta, Wonosalam quietly held on to its heritage. Today, some of Indonesia's oldest Excelsa trees are still growing in these hills.
Ironically, surviving wasn't enough.
For decades, Excelsa became the forgotten coffee.
The global market demanded Arabica. Farmers planted Robusta instead. Excelsa often sold for less money, making it difficult to justify keeping the old trees. One by one, many disappeared—not because they couldn't survive, but because the market no longer cared.
Fortunately, not everyone gave up.
Meeting Mas Edy
When we arrived at Rubath Coffee, we met Mas Edy.
His journey into coffee wasn't inherited from generations of farmers. Before coffee, he worked in human resource development.
Everything changed in 2017.
Watching his neighbours harvest coffee every day for two months only to receive around two million rupiah at the end of the season made him question the system. The problem wasn't that the farmers lacked dedication. The problem was that most of the value disappeared long before the coffee reached the customer.
Instead of simply buying cherries and selling green beans, he decided to build something different.
Rubath Coffee was born.
Today, around thirty farming families process coffee together under his guidance. But what impressed us most wasn't the processing equipment.
It was the people.
Mas Edy's philosophy is beautifully simple.
Bapak, Ibu, Anak Tani.
Father, Mother and Child Farmer.
The fathers work in the plantations, caring for the trees throughout the year. Mothers carefully hand-sort the cherries and green beans. Younger generations learn coffee processing from an early age, helping preserve knowledge that might otherwise disappear.
Coffee isn't only a crop here.
It's becoming a future worth staying for.
More Than Old Trees
Walking through the farms, it's impossible not to notice their age.
Some Excelsa trees have been producing coffee for decades.
Unlike Arabica, Excelsa thrives at lower elevations. It tolerates heat better, is naturally more resilient against many pests and diseases, and continues producing under conditions that increasingly challenge other coffee species.
As climate change reshapes coffee-growing regions around the world, Excelsa is slowly returning to conversations it had long been absent from.
Not because it is replacing Arabica.
But because it offers another possibility.
For a long time, however, one challenge remained.
Traditional Excelsa often carried bold, unusual characteristics that made it difficult for many drinkers to appreciate.
That, too, is beginning to change.
A New Chapter for Excelsa
One reason we travelled to Wonosalam was curiosity.
Excelsa has been attracting growing attention from specialty coffee professionals around the world, including Japan.
Mas Edy has recently begun collaborating with experts to explore modern fermentation techniques designed specifically for Excelsa. These experiments aim to reveal more sweetness and clarity while respecting the character of the species.
We had the opportunity to taste several of these coffees.
One cup immediately stood out.
It wasn't trying to imitate Arabica.
It simply showed another side of Excelsa.
As a filter coffee, it was remarkably sweet, with notes of ripe orange and honey, balanced by soft acidity.
Then we added milk.
Suddenly, the cup reminded us of Thai iced tea—creamy, lightly spiced and incredibly comforting.
That moment stayed with us.
Not because it was unusual.
Because it was delicious.
Naturally Lower in Caffeine
One characteristic of Excelsa surprised us even before we tasted it.
Compared with Arabica and especially Robusta, Excelsa naturally contains less caffeine.*
That makes it particularly enjoyable as an afternoon coffee or for anyone looking to reduce their caffeine intake without giving up flavour.
Combined with its natural sweetness and versatility, it becomes a coffee that is easy to enjoy every day—not just on special occasions.
*Research on Excelsa's caffeine content is still relatively limited, and reported values vary between studies.
Why We Chose This Coffee
We don't select coffees simply because they are rare.
Rare doesn't automatically mean better.
We chose this Wonosalam lot because it tells a story we believe deserves to continue.
A century-old coffee heritage.
Farmers creating more value within their own community.
A producer willing to challenge expectations.
And a coffee that reminded us why travelling to origin matters.
Sometimes the most memorable discoveries aren't entirely new.
Sometimes they're simply waiting to be rediscovered.
We hope that, with every cup of Wonosalam Excelsa, a small part of this almost forgotten coffee story finds its way into yours.