ENDEMIC HORIZONS Redefining Spiced Coffee
ENDEMIC HORIZONS Redefining Spiced Coffee
Indonesia has been renowned for its rare spices and exotic flavours since ancient times, many of which are now commonplace in kitchens around the world. Indonesia’s coffee is equally varied, with more than 40 distinct growing regions supplying single-origin beans to global markets. ENDEMIC HORIZON invites you on a journey back to the wild roots of Indonesian spice, exploring a modern fusion of flavours found nowhere else on earth.
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FERMENTATION: A LIVING HERITAGE OF PRESERVING FLAVOUR
With deep roots in almost every corner of the archipelago, fermentation is one of the oldest known methods of preservation, and ideally suited to tropical climates where heat and humidity can quickly spoil food. Experts in this ancient biotechnology had established a wide range of indigenous fermentation techniques long before coffee first arrived in the region, from banana leaf wraps to salt-drying under the tropical sun.
Using our innovative ‘double fermentation’ process to unlock the complex flavour of our coffee, and then to infuse key flavour profiles from two endemic spices, ENDEMIC HORIZON is proud to update, upgrade, and most importantly appreciate one of Indonesia’s living culinary traditions.
And our fermented creations are very much alive. Cultivated continuously on a carefully balanced diet of sugars, these living tonics bring a little of Indonesia’s world famous diversity to your very own microbiome. Probiotic cultures exclusive to natural fermentation techniques like ours can bring a whole range of health benefits, from boosting your body’s natural immunity to modulating blood sugar, regulating our digestive system and even reducing the risk of heart disease.
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BANDA PALA: THE FRUIT THAT MADE THE MODERN WORLD
Known as ‘nutmeg’ in English, but ‘pala’ in the islands where it was first cultivated, everything about this legendary fruit is fascinating. From the striking appearance of its brilliant golden flesh and the bright red and black lattice of its seeds, which only becomes visible as the fruit ripens, to the distinctive flavour profile and the truly astonishing history of its journey around the world, pala is the very definition of exotic.
Originating from the isolated Banda Archipelago, a cluster of 11 tiny islands adrift in Eastern Indonesia’s vast maritime interior, the original home of nutmeg cultivation was once considered such vital information that entire mythologies were crafted to obscure it, and fleets of ships could be launched at the mere rumour that it had been found. First brought to global attention by early Chinese and Arab traders, it was nutmeg, more than any other spice, which drew European empires to the islands of Southeast Asia. The Dutch were the ones who managed to secure a monopoly on the nutmeg trade, conquering and then enslaving locals to work the plantations, and beginning a process of colonisation that would last almost 400 years. Even today the tiny Banda Islands are dotted with imposing ruins of colonial fortresses, all constructed to keep nutmeg under their control.
At the height of the spice trade, nutmeg was worth considerably more than its weight in gold, and a chartered voyage to the spice islands could expect returns of between 30,000-60,000%. The demand for these expeditions was insatiable, and with profit essentially guaranteed, a new way of doing business was born. Investors in the Dutch East India company were paid a regular dividend, instead of taking their money out when a ship returned home, a right which they could buy and sell freely on what would soon become the world’s very first ‘stock market.’
The value of these ‘stocks’ in the Dutch East India Company helped make it the largest corporate entity ever to exist, with a market value greater than today’s top 20 largest competitors combined, including Apple, Microsoft, and ExxonMobil, and gave rise to the financial markets which dominate so much of our modern economy. Ironically, the last of the Banda Islands to fall to the Dutch, the tiny outlying island of Rhun, was exchanged via treaty with the British for another apparently unimportant piece of land – the Island of Manhattan in the American territories, where the world’s largest global stock exchange now stands.
From its origins in complete isolation to its meteoric global rise, nutmeg has become so familiar in our kitchens that it might sometimes seem a bit ordinary. When it comes down to the simple matter of taste, however, simultaneously aromatic and warm, with notes of citrus, clove, and a little something that you can’t quite put your finger on, no one can be in any doubt that pala really is a spice like no other.
JAVA CABYA: THE SPICE ISLANDS’ LOST LEGACY
ndonesians love their food spicy, but chilis were a relatively late arrival to the archipelago, first introduced by Portuguese traders only a few hundred years ago. Before that, culinary creations were given some heat by a spice which is almost unheard of today, but which once had a special place in ancient Rome’s favourite recipes; cabya. Known as ‘Javanese long pepper,’ this relative of our more familiar black and white pepper has the same earthy undertones to its characteristic heat, but with a more complex and aromatic flavour profile.
Endemic to the Lesser Sunda Islands of Java and Bali, cultivation of this pepper was the primary source of income for the Sultanate of Banten, a historical kingdom in Western Java where the first permanent Dutch trading post was established in the 17th century. This trading post would one day grow into the sprawling metropolis of Jakarta, where the early port of Sunda Kelapa and its world-famous spice trading docks can still be seen today.
More difficult and time-consuming to cultivate than the more familiar chili pepper, it wasn’t long before vast quantities of cabya long pepper were being exchanged with local farmers for many times their weight in chilis from the New World. The Europeans, who valued the long pepper’s longevity in storage and high market price, were more than happy to keep making such deals, and the cultivation of Java’s native pepper almost entirely disappeared, crops harvested and sold faster than they could be regrown. Eventually the global market demand for long pepper was overtaken by other varieties, and with chilis having taken over the culinary landscape of Indonesia, cabya faded into obscurity.
Today Javanese long pepper survives mainly as an ingredient in traditional herbal tonics, harnessing the spice’s extraordinary medicinal potential. Known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and antidiabetic properties, contemporary research points to benefits in regulating digestive processes, fighting cancer, and promoting overall cardiovascular health. This spicy superfood is beginning to regain some attention from global food enthusiasts, and yet remains almost unknown even in its native homeland. A truly unique flavour, largely forgotten by history.
Visit our booth at World of Coffee 2025
Date & Time
15 - 17 May 2025
10.00 AM - 05.00 PM
Location
Jakarta International Convention Center
https://g.co/kgs/1zVLPPW
Smiljan MODULARBAR Coffee Tasting Experience Vol.3
Smiljan MODULARBAR Coffee Tasting Experience Vol.3 , Sebuah inisiasi yang kembali kami rilis dengan menggabungkan program Coffee Tasting Experience dengan Aktifasi MODULARBAR..mengajak teman-teman sekalian untuk merayakan kembali ruang publik terbuka dalam pengalaman seduhan kopi dalam sebuah tempat unik di pinggir selatan jakarta...terbagi menjadi 2 sesi, yaitu sesi privat yang terbatas dimana teman-teman sekalian harus mendaftar melalui nomer RSVP 0812-87831684
Antara Idealisme & Pasar: Tantangan Pencipataan Karya Seni
Karya seni sering kali lebih dari sekadar estetika; ia adalah bentuk ekspresi, suara, dan idealisme seniman. Tapi, bagaimana proses kreatif ini berjalan ketika ada pengaruh dari luar, seperti tren dan selera pasar?
Mari bergabung dalam diskusi terbuka ini, mendengar langsung dari para seniman - Nova Ruth, Idayyadi MS, Gevi Noviyanti, dan Kurnia Ngayuga Wibowo - yang akan berbagi pengalaman dan perspektif mereka dalam penciptaan karya. Diskusi ini mengajak semua orang yang tertarik akan dunia seni, baik seniman, pelajar, maupun masyarakat umum.
📍 Smiljan Dutchbook, Jl. Ciremai no. 1, Pamitran, Kota Cirebon
📅 Kamis, 7 November 2024, 18.30-21.00 WIB
📝 Acara ini gratis dan terbuka untuk umum (tidak diperkenankan membawa makanan atau minuman dari luar)
Mari bersama-sama bertukar gagasan dan saling menginspirasi demi keberlangsungan ekosistem seni kita! ✨
Kegiatan diskusi ini adalah sebuah inisiatif dan kolaborasi dari Arka Kinari, Smiljan Dutchbook, dan Sanggar Ikhtiar
Cirebon Design Discourse
Kota yang kreatif dimulai dari ide-ide yang berbicara!
Melalui Cirebon Design Discourse, kami menghadirkan sebuah forum lintas disiplin desain untuk menciptakan ekosistem kreatif yang dinamis dan inovatif. Dengan saling memantik gagasan, mari bersama membuka jalan untuk kolaborasi, eksplorasi, dan masa depan ekosistem desain di Cirebon.
📅 Sabtu, 23 November 2024
📍 Smiljan Dutchbook
Jl. Ciremai No. 01, Pamitran, Kota Cirebon
Acara ini gratis dan terbuka untuk semua yang ingin berbagi ide atau sekadar terinspirasi.
A Tribute to Wiji Thukul
Just the other day I happened to wake up early. That is unusual for an engineering student. After a long time I could witness the sunrise. I could feel the sun rays falling on my body. Usual morning is followed by hustle to make it to college on time. This morning was just another morning yet seemed different.
Witnessing calm and quiet atmosphere, clear and fresh air seemed like a miracle to me. I wanted this time to last longer since I was not sure if I would be able to witness it again, knowing my habit of succumbing to schedule. There was this unusual serenity that comforted my mind. It dawned on me, how distant I had been from nature. Standing near the compound’s gate, feeling the moistness that the air carried, I thought about my life so far.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking.
Steve Jobs
I was good at academics, so decisions of my life had been pretty simple and straight. Being pretty confident I would make it to the best junior college of my town in the first round itself, never made me consider any other option. I loved psychology since childhood, but engineering was the safest option. Being born in a middle class family, thinking of risking your career to make it to medical field was not sane. I grew up hearing ‘Only doctor’s children can afford that field’ and finally ended up believing it. No one around me believed in taking risks. Everyone worshiped security. I grew up doing the same.
‘Being in the top will only grant you a good life’ has been the mantra of my life. But at times, I wish I was an average student. I wish decisions would have not been so straightforward. Maybe I would have played cricket- the only thing I feel passionate about. Or maybe I would have studied literature (literature drives me crazy). Isn’t that disappointing- me wishing to be bad at academics. It’s like at times I hate myself for the stuff I am good at.
When you step out of these four walls on a peaceful morning, you realize how much nature has to offer to you. Its boundless. Your thoughts, worries, deadlines won’t resonate here. Everything will flow away along with the wind. And you will realize every answer you had been looking for, was always known to you. It would mean a lot to me if you recommend this article and help me improve.
Makarya: A New Chapter for Gramedia Matraman
Art, design and coffee come together at Smiljan Space, a multipurpose hideout in Ciputat that casually connects customers with different creative experiences within their quaint setting.
One might have encountered Smiljan Space during Bintaro Design District’s (BDD) weekend back in September. Situated on a small street just ten minutes away from Bintaro Xchange mall, the coffee shop-slash-community space was host to a few open exhibitions and talks that drew on the theme ‘alternative living space’, earning them recognition for the ‘Best Open Architecture’ at this year’s BDD event.
This is the premise of Smiljan Space, where art, design, community endeavours and coffee collide and grow together—and there’s a sense that they approach these interests in an easygoing manner. “The starting point was to make this place informal. We want people who come here to feel like it’s their second home while bringing them closer to the art pieces that we display here or the books that we store,” said owner and architect, Rahmat “Kibo” Indrani, who founded studio SPOA Architecture.
Warm with wooden features and red brick accents, a coffee bar sits beside a long table that doubles as an exhibition or market space. The walls are usually adorned with artworks, depending on which local artists or programmes are on the schedule that month. In the deeper part of the room, a wall-to-wall bookshelf stores Kibo’s personal collection of design and art books, joined by donated titles from friends and relatives.
This relaxed approach flows to their coffee, developed by experienced barista Farhan Ghozali, or Pak’de as he is affectionately called. Knowing the intimidation that precedes specialty coffee, Pak’de has crafted a lineup that falls between light and full-bodied with a smooth mouthfeel; as such he recommends the signature, double ristretto Smiljan Magic, a local blend of Kintamani and Datar Kondang beans.
Of course, there’s the safe bet of Palm Sugar Milk Coffee, but make sure to mix it well to get the full layers of the sweet flavour. There are also options of flavoured teas and mocktails to pair with homemade small bites like quiche, brownies and soft cookies.
Set nearby home clusters, Smiljan Space has naturally become a neighbourhood’s pit stop for some coffee fix or students whiling away with work. But seeing the variety of community events that take place here, from tufting workshops to classes on journaling, a different set of crowds is sure to follow. It is after all a space designed for people to connect with various interests and backgrounds—as Kibo firmly believes, there shouldn’t be any distance when it comes to experiencing new things, be it through art, design, architecture or even coffee.