Coming with a smile and a fist bump, he greeted us, who had been enjoying coffee in front of the bar table.
His voice is soft, not loud like most expressive and excited baristas. His demeanor is calm, as if hiding his passionate passion for the world of coffee and his profession as a barista.
I Made Sumardana, but more often called Bontek, moved behind the bar counter and quickly checked the espresso machine, grinder, and several other pieces of working equipment. It works almost silently.
“Have you tried any coffee?” he asked.
While giving a thumbs up, I pointed at Arca Coffee Ulian, Kintamani, which was among the rows of pouches of various coffees on the display table.
“This is really delicious. “I played in his garden last year,” I answered.
“Want to try our espresso blend?” Bontek offered while swiftly placing the filter port in the mouth of the grinder machine. The sound of the coffee beans being crushed by the bur blade sounds smooth.
A moment later, he had installed a portafilter on the group head of the large espresso machine, which was displayed firmly on the bar table. A few seconds later, a thick sheen of crema pours into the tiny glass, coating the tantalizingly thick coffee extract.
He handed me an espresso glass and a small spoon for stirring.
“Try it, this is our house blend coffee here,” he said again.
I tasted it. This is a very well-balanced espresso. The acidity and sweetness of the taste accompany the bitterness of the coffee, which flows gently down the oral cavity to the throat. A coffee blend made with the high taste of a coffee expert.
“This is a blend of Arabica beans with a different post-harvest process,” said Bontek, while pushing the portafilter into the knock box, cleaning the coffee grounds from the extraction residue.
February is considered the rainy season, but the thick white clouds are not yet ripe enough to sow water droplets. Geothermal heat and sunlight are actually trapped under the clouds, leaving not many gaps to reflect the heat back to the sky. Ubud feels so hot.
Today, Bontek has the afternoon shift at Flock, the coffee shop where he works. That means starting behind the bar table from 12.00 to 20.00 tonight. Even though he traveled 40 kilometers in hot weather from Nusa Dua to his workplace in Ubud, he didn’t look tired. Every day, he has to ride his motorcycle for more than an hour from home to work.
“Here, baristas are given the opportunity to experiment, and are even encouraged to innovate so that they continue to develop,” he said enthusiastically.
No wonder Bontek works full of joy. The look in the eyes and facial expression of this man who was born on December 16, 1995 looks enthusiastic.
This is the coffee shop where he has worked the longest since he started his profession as a barista. He has worked here for at least 4 years.
Starting his profession as a barista at a Starbucks coffee shop in 2015, Bontek worked only with his love of coffee. Never mind making latte art, the coffee menu at the coffee shop where he often drinks is only Americano.
“At that time, at Starbucks, baristas were not required to be able to make latte art,” he said. In fact, when he started working there, none of the baristas could make latte art.
In fact, he was interested in this profession since watching a barista make latte art in a coffee shop in Ubud, where he had hung out several times after school. So in his mind, the barista must be able to make latte art.
Even though he didn’t find a barista who had latte art skills at Starbucks, that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm. He took the initiative to find out from various tutorials on YouTube.
“I bought myself a milk jug so I could learn latte art,” he said.
He is disciplined with his determination. Every chance he gets, he tries to put into practice the tutorials that can be found on YouTube. Until finally, he became the only barista at Starbucks who could make latte art. His colleagues even made him a mentor to train fellow baristas.
To measure his abilities as a barista, Bontek dared to take part in a barista competition in Ubud. Unexpectedly, he was chosen as the champion.
Because of his achievements, he received a promotion as a supervisor at Starbucks.
“After becoming a supervisor, I rarely had the opportunity to be at the bar to serve coffee,” he said.
The title of champion barista does not make him complacent. He needs more opportunities to explore coffee. Keeping Bontek away from the bar table is like breaking off a shoot that is actively growing. Bontek chose to resign.
Then, in 2017, he received an offer to work as a barista at Gala Coffee on Jl. Bisma, Ubud. Unfortunately, the coffee shop didn’t last long due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He worked there for less than two years.
Bontek then moved to Flock in 2019, where he works now. Here, he seemed to find a pleasant place to work and study.
At Flock, Bontek was fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know coffee master Teguh Prasetyo Budi, whom he considers a mentor. He is a champion in several national level barista competitions.
“He changed my mindset about coffee,” he recalls.
In the beginning, Bontek always tried to memorize how to make delicious coffee, but now he is no longer shackled by the various rules of ratio, temperature, and coffee gram in each brew. However, Bontek is agile in playing with all these variables to obtain the optimal coffee taste.
“Coffee lovers have their own tastes. As baristas, we must be able to optimize the taste of coffee so that it suits every coffee drinker, which is not the same. That’s the art,” he said.
He received such enlightenment from his respected mentor, Teguh Prasetyo Budi.
Receiving guidance from great mentors further hones Bontek’s skills in the world of coffee. He not only masters how to make good latte art, but is also able to recognize the character of various coffee beans and has a deeper understanding.
Since joining Flock, Bontek has increasingly participated in barista competitions. Because he always wants to validate the development of his skills in the field of coffee. In every competition he participated in, he was always among the champions.
Now he is no longer allowed to take part in barista competitions at the Bali provincial level, because he has won too many times.
“Now I can only judge the barista competition,” he said.
Becoming a professional barista requires the support of a good work environment. Flock is the ideal place for him to develop himself, because this workplace provides freedom for baristas to learn and explore.
“Coffee shops should support their baristas to take part in competitions, at least paying registration fees or providing study materials in preparation for taking part in competitions,” he said.
Preparing to take part in a barista competition requires at least preparing an adequate supply of coffee beans, milk, and equipment. Not many baristas have facilities like that.
Flock not only facilitates its baristas to take part in competitions. However, it also provides appreciation with rewards that increase the welfare of baristas who are proven to be able to become competition champions.
“If coffee shops in Ubud want to facilitate their baristas to take part in competitions, I am sure the quality of the baristas in Ubud will get better,” he said.
Apart from a workplace that really supports its development, Bontek is also part of several barista communities in Ubud. This community is also the best environment for him to gain insight and network with coffee activists.
Every new insight he gets is like a step towards approaching the horizon. Expanding his field of view about coffee.
“Knowledge about coffee continues to grow. I don’t want to live in a cave where I only know that. “I’m always looking for friends and places to learn new things about coffee,” he said.
Bontek really doesn’t want to go half-hearted in exploring the field of coffee that he has been involved in for so long. Not only do you know how to mix coffee to suit customer tastes. He also has good knowledge about coffee machines and various other tools.
“I also modified the milk jug to be more precise in making latte art,” he said.
Many of his acquaintances and barista friends asked for his help to modify milk jugs to suit their latte art habits.
Bontek must at least recognize the user’s barista style. He needs at least two videos of the barista making latte art. That way, he can adjust how the mouth of the milk jug is shaped according to his barista’s style.
He had to try it many times so that the modification results were in accordance with the customer’s needs.
Currently, Bontek also often provides barista training. He also often works as a trainer at the Job Training Center (BLK) Gianyar, Bali.
“If you count them all, there are probably more than 100 people I have trained,” he said.
He is happy to be a trainer for beginner baristas and those who want to improve their skills to a more advanced level. He wants the baristas in Ubud to be better and more professional.
Bontek has also started his own business, running a coffee shop in the Tampak Siring area, Gianyar, Bali. It’s called Black Coffee. A coffee shop targets the local market to get to know the taste of Balinese coffee.
After the Black Coffee shop in the Sebatu area, Bontek still has the dream of creating a more complete coffee shop. Not only does the fast bar serve espresso based coffee, but there is also an area for slow bar coffee. There, manually brewed coffee can pamper customers with a wider variety of coffee choices.
Slow bar coffee allows baristas to have warm conversations with customers. We can talk about coffee and many other things.
“I want the coffee shop to be a fun place to gather and chat. Exchange ideas and experiences,” he said while greeting a customer who had just approached his bar.
Bontek is always thirsty for new knowledge and insights. He doesn’t want to live like he’s in a cave. He wanted to broaden his views beyond the horizon. Because coffee can be a tower to reach further and wider views.
Bontek Achievement
1st Place for Latte art Painting Coffee 2021
1st place in Latte art Elizabeth 2021
1st place in Latte art Mataram 2022
1st Place in Gianyar City Anniversary Barista Competition 2022
2nd Place in Bali Coffee Barista 2021
2nd Place in Bali Coffee Barista, Gianyar Regency 2021
3rd place in Latte art Rota Kopi Mataram 2021
3rd place at Latte art STPprenuer Expo 2021
3rd place at Latte art Ubud Food Festival 2023
Follow Bontek’s Social Media
Tiktok: @latteartvideo
YouTube: @latteartvideo4692
