One of Bali’s best coffees: Caswell’s

One of Bali’s best coffees: Caswell’s

It won’t win any awards for its decor, atmosphere, or location, but if you’re heading past Simpang Siur from the airport and onto Sunset Road and need a caffeine boost,Caswell’s is the place to make a quick stop.

Car poised to skid away with caffeinated driver

There’s another outlet inside Gourmet Garage in Jimbaran, but I haven’t made it there yet, and also branches in Jakarta and Aceh. The one near Simpang Siur has a few tables and chairs, but I often stop here to pick up a bag of freshly-roasted (on site) and ground beans, from around the archipelago and indeed around the world.

A single origin bag ground your way is 70,000 rupiah, for which they throw in a free cappucino or latte. Considering you pay about 80,000 rupiah for the bag anywhere else, the bag plus the free coffee is a very good deal.

Too pretty to drink... almost

But not only that — the baristas here are the real deal. I’m not sure how they did last year, but one of their Jakarta staff won the Indonesian Barista Competition of 2009. And it’s pretty easy to see why — not only is their latte (or flat white) art impressive, the coffee is uniformly smooth and delicious.

Barista about to make someone's day

If you’re just here on holiday it’s likely you won’t need that bag of grounds, unless you’re staying in an unstocked villa. But a bag of proper Bali coffee makes a decent souvenir to take home for yourself or a pal. And if you’re a caffeine lover, there’s something earthy and lovely about seeing a real roaster and hanging out with bags of beans from around the world while you sip on a hot cup of java.

Bags o' beans and blackboard menu

Caswell’s
Komp. Pertokoan Dewa Ruci, Blok C
Jl. Sunset Road
Kuta

Source: travelfish.org