A Lovely Coffee House in Batu Sangkar, West Sumatera

(West Sumatera trip, June 22 – 26, 2014)


Bumpy road, little alleys, I have no idea where the driver is heading to. I’m in Batu Sangkar, a little town in West Sumatera, together with a group of travel bloggers on “Minangkabike Trip” organised by the Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy of Republic of Indonesia.

Finally… the car stops. I see a sign “Kiniko”. Apparently, he takes us to a small coffee house in the middle of nowhere in Tabek Patah area. “Kiniko” means “kini” in Indonesian language, which translated to right now or present time in English.

Entering the coffee house, my eyes fall on the number of traditional snacks and different types of coffee in nice packaging that are laid on the racks. “Is this a coffee house or snack shop?”, I ask myself. But hey, don’t judge the book by its cover! Walking down to the other side of the coffee house, you’ll be surprised by what’s waiting for you there…

An open door area with lush garden overlooking mountains and green landscape! Whoaaaa!!! My heart jumps happily! I don’t expect this view at all!!!

It’s such a perfect place to spend your afternoon, sipping their homemade coffee and traditional snacks, surrounded by beautiful landscape and fresh wind breeze. So relaxing and peaceful. I also love the way they put the chairs and tables. Some of us can sit on a mattress like Japanese style, while others can sit on wooden chairs while playing “congklak” – one of Indonesian’s games famous among children in villages.

“Kiniko” coffee house also offers different types of coffee. Coffee with ginger, coffee with herbs, and many more! And what’s even better is… all the coffee here is free of charge! Really. Isn’t it awesome? It’s such a nice gesture and really represent the hospitality of the locals here.

The coffee house also sells cinnamon sticks for a good price. The sticks smell really good and you can dip them into your cup of coffee to add more flavour. In the kitchen, a lady is busy cutting off the long cinnamon sticks with her bare hands. I bet her hands smell good everyday!

Oh… while you’re in West Sumatera, don’t forget to try “Teh Kawa”. When I first taste it in Harau Valley, I can’t figure out whether it’s tea or coffee. It tastes like tea, but it also tastes like coffee. Pretty confusing! Apparently, it’s tea that are made of coffee leaf! Ohhhh.. no wonder it has both tastes! The “Teh Kawa” looks even more exotic (not only the taste) as they serve it in a cup that’s made of coconut shell. Love it.

For more info on traveling in West Sumatera, please visit www.indonesia.travel .

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