Sekutu Kopi: Sipping Delicious Coffee and Seeing the City's Morning Hustle

Have you ever enjoyed coffee while watching trains pass through the city center? It’s such a rarity in Indonesia but this coffee shop blends coziness and its own unique charm. The place is nestled among other shops in the business district in Solo/Surakarta Central java. Offering its own charm, it’s no wonder that once we’re stepping inside the place, we’re teleported to another dimension.

Their dim light that’s a la cafe and quite distinctive marker of a cafe warmly greeted you. It was only 8 AM when we got there and we’re surprised at how bustling it was. In Yogyakarta, the cafe scene is only alive after 9 AM and only the good ones open up around that hour. In this city, this charming cafe was already up and running serving coffee to either tourists like me or their regular patrons.

Just next to the cashier, they have a beautiful display of cake and pastries that are something that is rare to find in most coffee shops over here. It was one of their selling points and apparently, a lot of my friends told me I went to the right place. That place is one of the best coffee spots in the city and where digital nomads, startups founders are most likely hanging out. As usual, whenever I visited a new coffee shop I’ve never been to, I ordered Cappuccino and I headed out to their 2nd floor where it was still pretty much empty.

My friend and I chatted there for about 2 hours. I had my pick-me- of morning coffee and it was such a pleasant experience before we got to walk and explore other parts of the city. It’s safe to say that I would really rather visit coffee shops and blend in with the locals than check out tourist attractions these days. Unless it’s extremely exceptional, I would rather spend time and money on different coffees and blends I could try.

When the coffee came, it looked pretty simple but the cappuccino came with a small butter cookie. The latte art on top of it is also pretty simple that I doubt the taste. However, once I tried the coffee, It was really heavenly and the coffee wasn't overpowered by the milk. Typically a bad cappuccino will taste more milky than the coffee and you would hardly taste any coffee in it. The cappuccino that they make fits my taste and after about a day just drinking Starbucks, it was a different kind of treat. Without sugar, you could taste the sweetness of the coffee. I know it might be hard for a lot of people to taste or even check the mouthfeel but once you tried way too many coffee and cappuccino, you would notice a good one vs a bad cappuccino just after one good slow sip.

While their cafe aesthetic isn’t something that is worthy to note, it was the view that peeks us into Solo’s morning and its vibrant atmosphere. The occasional train that passes by was also a treat. Though the view is slightly blocked by the lush green trees surrounding the building. Inside the place, it was cool enough and a pretty great place to spend a slow morning and a great place for journaling too. This place made me want to come back to Solo the most and explore its cafe that’s around its nook and crannies. I have the feeling that there are plenty spots that I haven’t checked out which offers better coffee and experience.