I Nyoman Meidika was one of the pioneering baristas when there was a first specialty coffee shop in Ubud, Bali. It started with a coffee cart selling on the side of the road.
I Nyoman Meidika started studying coffee when he worked with Rodney Glick, an artist and coffee lover. Rodney, who had better knowledge about coffee at first, invited him to study specialty coffee together. Bali Coffee Kintamani is one of the specialty coffees they learned about.
Rodney initially opened a street coffee shop using a cart on Jl Raya Mas, Gianyar, in 2008. Using makeshift manual brewing equipment, he named the simple shop “Seniman Coffee”. I Nyoman Meidika, worked there.
That’s the brief story of I Nyoman Meidika starting a career as a barista at a time when specialty coffee was not yet popular in Ubud. I listened to the story while enjoying the still warm brew of V60 Arabica Java Ijen.
The weather that afternoon was a bit hot. Even though November has entered the rainy season, climate change makes the weather difficult to predict. I Nyoman Meidika, usually called Bli Dika, is busy fiddling with the coffee machine filter in his hand.
“Clogged. “The machine is old; it hasn’t been used for a long time,” he said.
Bli Dika is not just any barista. He is also skilled at repairing broken coffee machines. Having been involved in the world of coffee for so long has enriched his knowledge and skills in this field.
In the midst of the busy schedule of the Iraga coffee shop, which is located near the entrance to the central area of Ubud, he is still willing to make small talk and share stories. This is the coffee shop where he works now, after changing jobs several times like an adventurer.
“Rodney likes to use recycled items. “He even made a coffee dripper using an old can that was punched with a nail.,” he said, showing how his former boss held specific and strong values for the coffee shop where he started his career.
While studying at the Sekolah Perhotelan Bali (SPB), Bli Dika actually worked as a bartender at a hotel in Ubud. However, his introduction to coffee made him more diligent in studying while working at the street specialty coffee shop.
Learning opportunities become more open when the coffee shop develops well. In mid-2009, Rodney rented a more suitable place on Jl. Sriwedari, Ubud, and they moved there.
Customers are increasingly busy, which demands coffee equipment that is more capable and modern. Gradually, they bought better coffee machines. Bli Dika was also required to master more skills in operating machines and knowledge about managing a coffee bar.
In 2013, Bli Dika studied at Bonissimo Coffee Roaster in Perth, Australia, to take part in training while experiencing the daily atmosphere of a modern coffee bar. He learned a lot about the basics of coffee barista skills from his coffee mentor, Aiden Broderick. From there, he took home not only knowledge about coffee but also the experience of being behind a well-organized coffee bar.
After returning from Perth, Bli Dika was assigned to provide training to Seniman Coffee’s internal baristas and clients who use Seniman Coffee products. At that time, Seniman Coffee had entered the coffee roasting business, which supplied many coffee shops.
Bli Dika learned a lot about roasting from Rodney, who previously received training from Taiwan, the country where he bought the coffee machine.
After five years working at Seniman Coffee, in 2014, he took a short break from Seniman Coffee. He felt the need to find a new atmosphere and watch from outside the cool coffee shop he grew up with.
It wasn’t long before he wandered and distanced himself from Seniman Coffee, his heart already missed it too much. He decided to return to the coffee shop where he started his career.
In early March 2015, he was offered to return to Seniman Coffee by Rodney Glick. Seniman Coffee has a new working atmosphere, and Bli Dika’s expertise in providing training is really needed.
He felt like he had returned home because Seniman Coffee is a place where he started out in the coffee sector.
In addition to providing training, Bli Dika also continues to have opportunities to upgrade his coffee skills and knowledge. For example, he studied coffee with senior Q-grader Adi Wicaksono Taroepratjeka, owner of 5758 Coffee Lab, Bandung, West Java. He got many new insights about coffee from there.
His passion for coffee is not only for the coffee beans and the brew, but also for the coffee machine.
“I always accompany technicians who are asked to repair broken coffee machines,” he said.
Not just accompanying him but also acting as a temporary technician assistant. That way, he directly recognizes the machine components and how they work. So, he can fix minor problems that commonly occur in various coffee machines.
A friend of Rodney’s from Perth was entrusted with managing a coffee shop at the embassy complex in Dili, Timor Leste. It so happened that the coffee shop needed a coffee machine. Rodney offers to buy the used coffee machine from Seniman Coffee.
Long story short, the coffee machine was sent to Timor Leste. However, it seems that the expedition service that sent the goods did not handle the large package well. The engine was received in Timor-Leste upside down, so many of the engine components were submerged in residual fluid.
Armed with his ability to repair broken coffee machines, Bli Dika was assigned to Timor Leste to solve the problem.
“All the equipment I brought was confiscated at immigration,” he said, recounting an experience that made him panic.
Luckily, in Timor-Leste, he could rent all the equipment he needed to repair the broken coffee machine.
He spent two months living in a country that had just become independent from Indonesia. He made many new acquaintances there who have now become good friends. He only came back to Indonesia after the coffee machine was really working well.
But Timor Leste made a special impression on Bli Dika. One day, he must return there again for a noble mission: to train baristas to become champions.
Once upon a time, Timor-Leste held a coffee festival event that contained various events. One of them is the barista competition. Bli Dika was asked to provide training and assistance to baristas two weeks before the competition was held.
Not in vain, the barista he trained won first place in the barista competition in Timor-Leste. It’s a very proud achievement.
Our conversation paused for a moment. He turned towards the bar table, gave a hand sign, ordered a glass of orange juice to ward off the hot afternoon air. It didn’t take long for the drinks ordered to be delivered to the table. Sipping the cold drink, then he continued telling the story.
In 2018, the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf), under the Ministry of Economy, held a barista certification program in Jakarta. Bli Dika tried to take part because he only had a skills certificate from Bonissimo Coffee Roaster in Perth, Australia.
He was the only participant from Bali.
The theory test was not too difficult for him to pass. However, during the practical exam using a coffee machine, Bli Dika was getting nervous. He was directed to a Conti-brand espresso machine that he had never used before. Because almost all the coffee equipment at Seniman Coffee uses Taiwanese products.
Thankfully, armed with his understanding of the mechanical working system of coffee machines, he was able to pass the practical test well. Many participants failed the practical exam because they were not familiar with the available coffee machines. Bli Dika was declared to have passed the certification exam.
It is a rigorous certification exam. Only a few participants passed. Due to his success, Bli Dika was rewarded with a long holiday in Jakarta for two full weeks. But, still, with the fun task of exploring the best coffee shops in Jakarta.
There are at least 25 coffee shops that he visits. He used this opportunity to chat with the baristas he met there. He also buys several bags of coffee beans to make free brews for customers at Seniman Coffee.
“Every day I visit at least two coffee shops,” he said.
After working at Seniman Coffee for a long time, Bli Dika began to feel the need to look for new challenges. He wants to continue his adventure and explore the world of coffee further.
Apart from Seniman Coffee, Bli Dika was hired by those who knew his capacity as a barista and professional coffee bar manager. He was asked to accompany several new coffee shops that were about to open.
One of them is the De Potrek Coffee Shop in the Bromo tourist area, East Java. Bli Dika was asked to help set up the coffee shop until it was operational. But he didn’t want to stay there for long. Once De Potrek Coffee was running well, he said goodbye to finding new challenges again.
In 2019, Bli Dika received an offer to help upgrade the Iraga coffee shop. The coffee shop, which is part of Delta Supermarket, is now his last working place.
Here, he is trusted as an executive barista and trainer. This coffee shop has even developed into a coffee roastery, supplying many coffee shops in Ubud.
I Nyoman Meidika returned to enjoying his orange juice ice while occasionally looking at the side of the busy road from behind the glass of the coffee shop. Meanwhile, the coffee in my glass was empty.
According to Bli Dika, the growth of many coffee shops in Ubud indicates that the specialty coffee market is getting better. One indication is that he saw that most customers no longer add sugar to the coffee they drink. This is very different from when he started to enter the world of coffee in 2008.
As for future plans, I Nyoman Meidika is already planning to build his own specialty coffee shop within the next year or two.
“The place is already there, and the necessary coffee equipment is also ready; all you have to do is determine the right timing,” he said firmly.
In between his busy days, Bli Dika still trains prospective baristas at home. He wants to continue sharing his knowledge and expertise in the field of coffee every chance he gets.
“Currently, there are three students studying to become baristas at my house,” he said.
Bli Dika doesn’t seem to want to end his adventure here. He will continue to jump here and there. That way, he can pay closer attention to coffee developments, understand the behavior of coffee lovers from all sides, and continue to share.
Follow I Nyoman Meidika Instagram @inyoman_meidika
