It’s the “F” word …

Four years hardly calls for a special celebration, but my assumption about coffee as an endless topic to discuss is correct. From here to there, stories of unheard coffee plantations and unique brewing process and equipments, as well as many inspirational stories have been written on this blog. Some are deep, and the rest are entertaining, because essentially, any articles about coffee should put a smile on your face, rather than a frown. I hope you are never get tired of reading – or waiting, since more often than not, new posts are often delayed because the writer believes on auspicious days for posts to be published – similar to moon sighting to decide on Eid-ul-Fitr. Four glorious years of them!

During those lovely four years, Cikopi.com has spent more than a thousand photos that have been carefully selected before they have been presented to the readers. Photo and text editing is a long and arduous task and they are both done at the same time. But my aim has always been giving the perfect angle of a life aspect, even if it’s only depicted through a single cup of coffee.

The blog’s sitemeter always gives positive feedbacks – its rank as a coffee-specialized website is interesting. 30% of the visitors come from different countries all over the world, with Canadian readers being the most frequenting visitors, followed by visitors from Italy, Korea, America and Australia. In Indonesia, Cikopi is not only visited by readers in Jakarta, but also outside of Jakarta, especially from small cities like Pasuruan – in Madura – and the forest in Sulawesi, and even Aceh. I am often moved when reading emails from the coffee farmers who reside deep in the plantations; having taken a long journey to town just so he can send me emails at the local internet cafés, or simply read my latest posts, as well as writing down the brewing ratio of the coffee and water, which I often mention in my posts.

Additionally, I also receive emails from readers who have told me that they have plucked the courage to start their own coffee business in their hometowns, and some even choose to quit from their comfortable jobs, so they can pursue their passion working in the coffee business – either packaging, roasting or even retail. I hope my posts are not temporary inspirations that make you decide to pursue a career in the coffee business, but even if it is, I do hope that coffee has made you a happier person. Undeniably, doing what you love and loving what you do gives more meaning to life.

Last but not least, it’s impossible to please everyone, and I believe that you can understand my limitations. There are still many things for me to learn, to write and to pursue.

Thank you.

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It’s the “F” word …

Empat tahun bukanlah pencapaian yang harus dirayakan secara khusus, tapi ternyata benar asumsi saya bahwa betapa narasi kopi ternyata tak penah surut untuk dikupas. Dari hulu hingga ke hilir, dari pertanian, peralatan kopi, dan beragam kisah inspiratif lainnya disajikan di blog ini. Banyak yang serius, tapi tak jarang disisipi candaan karena sejatinya tulisan kopi tak perlu membuat kerut di kening Anda, syukur bisa sedikit menghibur. Semoga Anda tak pernah bosan mampir walau seringkali tulisan terbaru belum juga di tampilkan karena sang empunya blog masih menunggu perhitungan hisab seperti menentukan hari lebaran.  🙂 Empat tahun !

Selama kurun empat tahun itu, cikopi telah menghabiskan lebih dari seratus ribu foto yang diambil lalu diseleksi secara cermat sebelum tersaji di hadapan pembaca. Menyatukan foto dan teks adalah pekerjaan yang mengambil masa terbanyak agar keduanya berjalan beriringan. Saya hanya ingin menyajikan setitik aspek kehidupan sebagus mungkin, walau dalam rupa secangkir kopi di setiap artikelnya.

Laporan kunjungan blog ini selalu menggembirakan, rankingnya  sebagai sebuah situs yang sangat spesifik dibidang kopi cukup menarik. Sebanyak 30% pembaca datang dari berbagai negara dan Kanada menempati urutan pertama, disusul oleh Italia, Korea, Amerika, dan Australia. Di dalam negeri, pembaca cikopi banyak diakses di luar Jakarta, terutama kota-kota terpencil hingga Pasuruan di Madura dan pedalaman Sulawesi, hingga ke Aceh. Terharu bila mendapat surat dari petani kopi nun jauh dipedalaman yang bercerita betapa ia harus pergi ke warnet di kota hanya untuk melihat tulisan terbaru saya dan hafal rasio kopi dan air yang biasa saya sebutkan di banyak artikel.

Selain itu, banyak surat elektronik dari pembaca yang menyatakan mereka sudah membuka kedai kopi di kampung halaman mereka, beberapa orang berhenti dari pekerjaaan tetapnya dan mulai merambah ke bisnis kopi seperti pengemasan, roasting, hingga retail. Semoga pilihan Anda bukan karena terinspirasi tulisan saya. Tapi bila memang itu alasannya,  semoga kopi sudah membuat Anda menjadi manusia yang lebih berbahagia. Bagaimanapun, melakukan pekerjaan yang Anda cintai sepenuh hati akan lebih punya makna ketimbang sebuah keterpaksaan.

Tentu saya tak bisa memuaskan semua kalangan, dan meyakini Anda bisa memahami keterbatasan yang saya miliki.

Terima kasih pembaca !