Hi Coffee began the way most good things do — simply, honestly, and a little stubbornly.
Before the masonry walls and the pour-over station, before the regulars and the Saturday morning rush, there was just a question: what if a coffee shop in Tabanan felt like home without trying so hard? Not curated. Not performative. Just a place where the beans are excellent, the chairs are comfortable, and nobody's rushing you out. That question became Hi Coffee.
How a Quiet Corner of Tabanan Got Its Coffee Shop
Hi Coffee opened in Tabanan's Lusi & Papan neighborhood because this was where the founders lived, walked their dogs, and kept noticing the same thing — nowhere nearby to sit with a properly made coffee and just breathe. Not a franchise. Not a chain outlet with a menu designed by committee three islands away. Something local.
So they started small. A modest space, a solid La Marzocca, single-origin beans roasted within the week, and a door that stayed open. The first month was slow. The second month, people started coming back. By the third, there was a Wednesday morning crowd that hadn't existed before.
The name came last, almost as an afterthought. Hi — because that's how every visit starts. Not with an order. Not with a loyalty card scan. Just a hello. It's a small word, but it sets the tone for everything that happens next: the coffee, the conversation, the unhurried hour you didn't plan on spending but don't regret.
Today, Hi Coffee is Tabanan's living room annex. The laptop workers arrive at seven. The creatives drift in around ten. The afternoon crowd wants iced everything. And by evening, it's friends catching up over flat whites. Every one of them heard about this place the same way — someone said 'you should check out Hi Coffee,' and they did.
Every Cup Has a Farmer's Name Behind It
We don't source coffee. We build relationships with the people who grow it.
Our beans come from Indonesian smallholder farms — Kintamani in Bali, Toraja in Sulawesi, Gayo in Aceh, and a rotating single-origin from wherever we find something exceptional. We buy directly where we can, and through trusted importers who pay above market rate where we can't. Every bag that enters our roaster has a story: which farm, which harvest, which processing method.
We roast in small batches, light to medium, because we think great Indonesian coffee doesn't need to hide behind a dark roast. The Kintamani has citrus and brown sugar. The Toraja is earthy with dark chocolate. The Gayo is clean and sweet with stone fruit. We want you to taste the altitude and the soil and the care — not just 'coffee flavor.'
Our espresso blend rotates seasonally, and our manual brew menu always features at least two single origins. Ask your barista what's fresh today — they'll know the farm name, the elevation, and probably the processing method. That's not a party trick. It's just how we think about coffee here.
Kintamani, Bali
Grown in volcanic soil at 1,200m elevation. Citrus brightness with brown sugar sweetness and a clean finish. Our home-island bean — the one that started it all.
Toraja, Sulawesi
From the highlands of South Sulawesi. Full-bodied with earthy depth, dark chocolate, and a lingering herbal note. Wet-hulled in the traditional Giling Basah method.
Gayo, Aceh
Clean and sweet with stone fruit and a syrupy body. Shade-grown at high altitude by smallholder cooperatives. One of Indonesia's best-kept specialty secrets.
The People Behind the Pour
We're a small crew. That's the point.
Hi Coffee runs on a tight team — baristas who know their craft, a kitchen that keeps things honest, and a founder who still pulls shots on busy mornings. We don't have a corporate mission statement or an employee handbook thicker than our espresso pucks. We have people who genuinely care about making your cup right and your visit easy. You'll see the same faces each time you come in. That's not an accident — it's the whole idea. A coffee shop is only as warm as the people inside it.