More often than not, the discovery of a coffee shop that totally captures your heart comes in the most unexpected way, and Kwang Koan – meaning “a gathering place” –is definitely it. This coffee shop is not your typical glamorous hang-out place with expensive coffee machines; the owner Johnny Poluan is usually dressed in a thin, white cotton shirt or a white singlet undershirt – those are his typical attires he wears while serving the customers. But come breakfast time, Kwang Koan (which is located on Jalan Kopyor Raya block Q1 No. 1, exactly on the corner of the street) is packed, and you can see rows after rows of cars parked neatly along the street, and they all belong to the patrons of Kwang Koan who impatiently wait for vacant tables.

 Image 2: Kedai Kopi & Bakpao Kwang Koan. Jl. Kopyor Raya Blok Q1 No. 1, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta Utara. Opens everyday from 06.00 – 18.00 (15.00 on weekends only).

Johny, who is originally from Manado, just opened the coffee and baozi shop three years ago, when he emigrated from his homewotn in North Sulawesi. Armed with coffee processing and baozi recipes from his parents who are originally from Hainan, China, he tried his luck in Jakarta, after realizing that the essential oils distillation business he started in his village turned out not to be very profitable.

Armed with those two recipes, Johny started to introduce his own roasted Toraja coffee and his special chicken and pork baozi to the residents in Kelapa Gading estate. The success of his business is evident on how loyal his customers wait for vacant tables, as the place gets really crowded – especially at breakfast. Take Tommy for example – an insurance agent who lives in Cakung – who always makes time to eat at Kwang Koan, sometimes even twice a day. Similarly, a large number of patrons who eat there are just like Tommy – coming in so often that they make Kwang Koan look like their second home. Johny knows each of his patrons’ orders off by heart, so they can just go right in and have a seat and wait for their usuals to be served.

Image 3: The Favorite Menu. Two medium boiled game eggs – the most popular choice during breakfast. Pair it with several meat baozi and a cup of coffee … excessive happiness!

300-400 cups are sold everyday !

Johnny is a pro when it comes to serving coffee and during roasting process he does not fuss with exact numbers and amounts because he does it so often that everything just flows smoothly. At home, he roasts the coffee by using a large drum and he chooses Toraja coffee beans as the main feature. It’s roasted for four hours with several other additional secret ingredients that were inherited from his parents, and that’s where the most ordered lattes is made of – it’s so popular that 3 – 4 kg of the roasted coffee is consumed everyday.

All the coffee beverages cost Rp. 6000, both for black and white, and the iced coffee is  priced as Rp. 7000. The huge and dense baozis are priced at Rp. 7000 each, and that includes two medium-boiled game eggs. A healthy, protein-rich sustenance to start the day and if you do eat this everyday, you will end up with what I call as ‘excessive happiness’!

Image 4: He successfully sent his daughter to study in Germany. There are endless things to talk about with Johny Poluan – an original Manadonese – as he has lots of inspiring stories regarding his coffee shop. He should be extremely proud of himself, since he managed to send his only daughter to a medical school in Germany, despite himself being a high school graduate.

Even though his coffee shop is doing extremely well, Johny jokingly says that he does not wish for it to be any more successful than it already is, as he is quite content with what he had now. He is already planning to move to a more permanent location, but living in a house with a front porch and an air-conditioned living room will just do for now.

Pay a visit to Kwang Koan and you can bask in the atmosphere of a traditional coffee house while enjoying the voluptuous buns that are all made by Johny. Don’t worry, for those who are reluctant to come into contact with coffee, the Chai tea is just as delicious. I rarely recommend a coffee house, but I’m making an exception for this one – if you love coffee, then it’s mandatory that you visit Kwang Koan – no matter what coffee cult you hold, you are not a true coffee lover if you haven’t tasted Kwang Koan’s coffee yet!

Kwang Koan

Seringkali perjalanan menemukan warung kopi yang begitu mengena di hati datang secara tak terduga dan Kwang Koan yang menurut empunya berarti tempat berkumpul bisa masuk dalam kategori ini. Kedai kopi ini tak perlu penampilan gemerlap dan pemiliknya Johny Poluan cukup berbusana kaus putih tanpa leher, kadang hanya mengenakan singlet saat melayani pengunjung. Tapi datanglah saat waktu sarapan ke Kwang Koan yang berlokasi di jalan Kopyor Raya blok Q1 No. 1 tepat berada di sudut jalan dan Anda akan melihat deretan panjang kendaraan yang diparkir serta tamu yang dengan sabar menantikan tempat duduk yang kosong.

Johny yang asli dari Menado baru saja membuka kedai kopi dan bakpao-nya tiga tahun lalu saat ia hijrah dari tanah kelahirannya di Sulawesi Utara. Berbekal resep pengolahan kopi dan recikan bakpao dari orang tuanya yang asli Hainan, China ia mengadu nasib di Jakarta setelah penyulingan minyak asiri di kampungnya tak begitu membuahkan hasil.

Berbekal dua resep itulah Johny mulai mengenalkan kopi Toraja ke penduduk di komplek Kelapa Gading berikut bakpau daging ayam dan babi. Kisah selanjutnya adalah bagaimana para pelanggannya dengan setia menunggu tempat duduk kosong karena begitu ramainya tempat ini terutama saat sarapan. Tommy seorang agen asuransi yang tinggal di kawasan Cakung misalnya selalu menyempatkan hadir di sini dan kadang hingga dua kali sehari. Demikian juga sejumlah tamu lainnya yangs ecara teratur menjadikan Kwang Koan sebagai rumah kedua yang datang silih berganti.  Menurut Johny, ia sudah hafal pesanan setiap langganannya hingga mereka biasanya langsung duduk dan menunggu hidangannya disajikan

300-400 cangkir per hari !

Johny tentu tak sembarangan dalam menyajikan kopinya walau ia tak pernah ingat takaran karena semuanya mengalir secara otomatis. Di rumahnya ia menggoreng kopi dengan menggunakan drum besar dan memilih biji kopi Toraja sebagai sajian utamanya. Digoreng selama empat jam dengan tambahan berbagai rahasia dapur yang ia dapatkan dari orang tuanya, maka jadilah kopi susunya menjadi minuman yang paling banyak dipesan oleh para pengunjung hingga 3-4 kilogram per hari.

Harga yang semuanya seragam yakni 6 ribu, baik kopi hitam maupun susu kecuali es kopi susu dingin yang hanya 7 ribu. Demikian juga bakpao yang ukurannya besar dan padat seharga 7 ribu berikut dua butir telur ayam kampung setengah matang. Sebuah sarapan lengkap untuk asupan energi  dan tentu saja yang menurut istilah saya bisa mengakibatkan excessive happiness !

Walau warung kopinya ramai, secara berseloroh Johny tak ingin main di puncak dan cukup di lereng atau ia sudah cukup puas dengan apa yang ia peroleh saat ini. Ia memang sudah berencana untuk pindah ke tempat yang lebih permanen, tapi untuk sementara sebuah rumah berupa teras dan ruangan tengah yang berpendingin masih dirasakan cukup.

Berkunjunglah ke Kwang Koan dan Anda bisa merasakan atmosfir sebuah kedai kopi tradisional sambil menikmati bakpao bahenol yang semuanya dibuat langsung oleh Johny. Jangan khawati, bagi yang enggan bersentuhan dengan kopi, minuman teh tariknya juga mantap untuk dinikmati. Terakhir, saya jarang merekomendasikan tempat kopi, tapi untuk yang satu ini status hukumnya buat jam’iyah cikopi apapun agama dan kepercayaan Anda, adalah fardhu ‘ain, sebuah kewajiban !

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Mamak stalls. In Malaysia there is a Mamak stall in every corner of the city – they’re the most frequented places where people enjoy all kinds of snacks while chatting to each other, or simply spend some quality-time reading the paper. Coffee beverages and Chai teas are the main menus, and they are available at Kwang Koan. 

Image 6: Toraja coffee. Johnny’s parents who came from Hainan, China inherited him with recipes on how to roast coffee and make baozis. The roasting method originates from Toraja and the coffee should be roasted for four hours and formulated with a special recipe to create a distinctive aroma and taste, which you can only find in Kwang Koan.