Image 1: Dwi Nugroho, graduated from Bogor Institute of Agriculture, who is now one of the research staff at the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute, is assisting the Tanjung Gabus coffee farmers from Jambi, to develop a liberica coffee variant. Dwi is also an R Grader (a Robusta coffee tasting expert).

Owners of Liberica variant can have a bit more expectations to Indonesian Coffee and cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI) I in Jember, who are currently working on a project to improve this less-favoured and most often neglected coffee variant. Liberica is a type of coffee that is neither Arabica nor Robusta; it is often called as jackfruit coffee, “because it tastes like it too,” says Dwi Nugroho, a researcher at the ICCRI. Dwi is currently assisting the Liberica farmers at Tanjung Gabus, in Jambi. This assistance project happens due to the cooperation between the local government who have started to see the economic potentia in Liberica – a coffee variant that hasn’t been properly managed.

Image 2: Dr. Retno Hulupi, a researcher at ICCRI who specializes in plant breeding.

According to Dr. Retno Hulupi, one of the reseachers at ICCRI, it takes 10 to 15 years to develop a seedling which will later be certified. The lengthy period is required because lab researches must be conducted, and combined with planting trials and these process will answer the validity of the experiments which will be tested again by the parties concerned, including the farmers themselves. In other words, ICCRI will conduct a thorough research to guarantee that if the farmers wish to process it, the seedling that they process will be pure, coherent Liberica, along with a definite genealogy. However, the farmers are in luck because they don’t need to wait any longer. According to Dwi, they will look at the best Liberica coffee cluster in the region and they will start developing the seedling from that point as the first step of improving the quality of Liberica coffee.

How about the palate test that has been done by ICCRI for Liberica then?

“There is one particular region here that really stands out, in terms of taste and aroma and we do wish that it will improve the potential of this coffee.” Explains Dwi who originally came from Jember. Right now, ICCRI can’t draw a definite conclusion since Liberia and Exelsa often get mixed up, and so the purpose of this research is to answer the important question above (among many others) as well as giving a post-harvest guidance.

Saladin Akbar, who participated at the Coffee Processing training at ICCRI yesterday, was willing to assist Dwi back to his hometown in Jambi in the near future. With more than 2000 hectares of land, the Liberica coffee plantation at Tanjung Jabung, Jambi, can be the beginning of the revival of Liberica, which is currently still sold at a relatively cheap price compared to Arabica or Robusta, even though it has been exported to Malaysia.

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Liberica

Para pemilik kopi varian Liberica boleh sedikit berharap kepada Pusat Penelitian Kopi dan Kakao di Jember yang sedang melakukan projek peningkatan kualitas jenis kopi yang sering dianaktirikan ini. Liberica merupakan jenis kopi selain arabika dan robusta yang sering disebut kopi nangka “karena rasanya seperti buah tersebut” ujar Dwi Nugroho, SU peneliti dari Puslit. Saat ini Dwi sedang melakukan pendampingan dengan para petani kopi Liberica di kawasan Tanjung Jabung, Jambi. Projek pendampingan ini bisa terjadi karena adanya kerjasama dengan pemerintah daerah setempat yang mulai melihat potensi ekonomi Liberica yang selama ini masih belum dikelola secara maksimal.

Menurut Dr. Retno Hulupi, salah satu peneliti di Puslit, perlu waktu 10 hingga 15 tahun untuk mengembangkan bibit yang nantinya mendapatkan sertifikasi. Lamanya waktu karena mengkombinasikan penelitian laboratorium, uji tanam termasuk harus bisa menjawab validitas percobaan yang akan diuji lagi oleh berbagai pihak yang berkepentingan termasuk para petani sendiri.  Dengan kata lain, Puslit akan melakukan penelitian secara mendalam sehingga bila dibudidayakan petani bisa yakin bahwa bibit yang mereka peroleh benar-benar kopi Liberica yang mempunyai kejelasan silsilah induk dan betinanya. Tapi tentu tak perlu menunggu waktu selama itu karena menurut Dwi akan dilihat cluster kopi liberica terbaik di kawasan tersebut dan mereka akan mulai mengembangkan bibit dari titik tersebut sebagai awal perbaikan kualitas kopi Liberica.

Bagaimana dengan uji cita rasa yang sudah dilakukan oleh Puslit terhadap kopi Liberica. “Ada satu kawasan yang sangat menonjol dari segi aroma dan rasanya dan kita berharap akan semakin meningkatkan potensi kopi ini” ujar Dwi yang kebetulan berasal dari Jember. Saat ini Puslit belum bisa menarik kesimpulan karena Liberica dan Exelsa seringkali tersamar dan penelitian mereka akan menjawab salah satu pertanyaan PENTING ini selain bimbingan pasca panen.

Saladin Akbar yang mengikuti pelatihan Budidaya kopi di Puslit kemarin sudah bersedia untuk mendampingi Dwi ke kampung halamannya di Jambi dalam waktu dekat ini. Dengan luas lebih dari 2000 hektar, kawasan kebun kopi Liberica di Tanjung Jabung, Jambi bukan tidak mungkin akan menjadi awal kebangkitan varian kopi ini yang sekarang harganya masih rendah dibanding dengan arabika maupun robusta walaupun sudah diekspor ke negara Malaysia.

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