Ubud is one of those areas in the world where you can find the most eclectic collection of people from all over the world and sitting at one of the tables on the street front at Casa Luna café, you can watch them all walking on passed.
Casa Luna café has been “a go to” place for coffee in Ubud since 1992; the café was established by Janet Deneefe, who has become a very important member of the Ubud community and the local food scene.
The café has a 2 group Rancillio coffee machine, which is partnered with a mazer grinder which is situated in the front of the shop, so you can see your coffee being made.
The baristas have been well trained to “grind on demand” for each coffee to maintain its freshness. One of the major problems in the tropical regions is the high humidity can affect the taste of the coffee if the ground coffee sits around for too long.
The café uses a local roasted coffee called Sulawesi toraja; Toraja is well-balanced with undertones of ripe fruit and dark chocolate. Toraja coffee tends to have a relatively low-toned yet vibrant acidity, though usually slightly more acidic and with less body than Sumatran coffees and earthier than Java Arabica.
Like Sumatran coffees, the cup profile of Toraja has been called deep and brooding, with muted fruit notes and rustic sweetness and often a pungent spicy quality and works well with the long-life milk used in the café.
I ordered my usual double shot latte which was served in a double walled glass and I could not resist a chocolate brownie to go with the coffee. The barista brought the coffee and brownie to the table and I notice their uniform was made up of white shirt and red dress, very different to the standard black you see in Sydney, and my coffee companion (a Bali local), pointed out it was Indonesia Independence Day and these are the colours on their flag.
I do love just sitting in cafes and watching the world walk on by and here in Ubud at Casa Luna the world comes to you, from local artists with dread locks, Chinese shoppers with selfie sticks to honeymooning couples there are all here enjoying Ubud.
If you do find yourself wanting to visit the Ubud area, I have a friend call Eka Berata and he is the owner of Pacekan Villa and Bungalow in Ubud and it is a great place to stay, if you feel like learning how to cook Balinese food my friend Wayan runs the K’dongding Bali cooking classes from his home compound were his family has been living for the last 400 years, omg and can he cook!