Hijau Coffee Brings the Flavors of Indonesia to San Jose
Serene Southeast Asian island vibes are rippling into Silicon Valley this month with the opening of Hijau Coffee, a new specialty coffee shop in San Jose, California, devoted to the flavors and coffees of Indonesia.
“Starbucks gutted pretty much everything before they left and left only a three-compartment sink in the kitchen and restrooms, so we had to build the cafe from the ground up,”
Beneath a quartz countertop, Hijau’s oak-fronted bar features a basket-weave pattern inspired by Indonesian woodwork, curving into a section lined with the brand’s signature green tile.
Bamboo and rattan pendant lights illuminate batik textiles draped on the cafe walls, while furnishings combine work by local artisans with pieces imported from Indonesia.
“We aim to be a cultural encounter of Indonesia for people in San Jose and the Bay Area, and for them to learn about Indonesian culture and heritage,” Hijau Coffee Co-Founder Lisa Maria told Daily Coffee News.
In handmade ceramics from potters in Yogyakarta, baristas serve pandan lattes and other signature drinks, including the Nastar Latte inspired by Indonesian pineapple tarts. The Klepon Latte draws on the flavors of klepon, a glutinous rice cake traditionally filled with palm sugar.
“We translate these flavors into drink recipes,” Maria said. “We also do seasonal drinks such as the upcoming Wedang Latte made of coconut sugar, ginger and lemongrass that is perfect for cooler weather.”
Maria moved to the United States from West Java for college in 2007, while her husband, Ryan Prawiradjaja, was born in Jakarta and moved to the U.S. in 1999. After losing her tech-startup job about three years ago, Maria began pursuing a coffee business, drawing on her family history and seeking greater representation of Indonesian coffee in the Bay Area.
Maria and Prawiradjaja co-founded Hijau in early 2024, building a following through South Bay farmers markets and pop-ups before taking over a former Starbucks space in San Jose.
“Starbucks gutted pretty much everything before they left and left only a three-compartment sink in the kitchen and restrooms, so we had to build the cafe from the ground up,” Maria said.
Today, baristas prepare drinks on a custom green three-group La Marzocco Strada S AV espresso machine paired with two Mahlkönig E80W Grind-by-Sync grinders mounted over Puqpress automatic tampers. A Mahlkönig EK43 handles coffee for batch brewing and cold brew, while a Mazzer Philos serves as the single-dose grinder for manual pourovers.
The shop exclusively serves single-origin Indonesian coffees selected by Maria and Prawiradjaja and roasted in collaboration with Santa Clara-based roastign partner Barefoot Coffee.
The food menu includes locally made pastries and jajan pasar, or Indonesian market snacks, including putu ayu, a pandan sponge cake topped with grated coconut, and pastel ayam, a savory pastry filled with chicken.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and other officials showed up for the grand opening celebration on Sept. 5, which included a Balinese dance performance and a live gamelan performance.
Maria said Hijau will focus on refining the current cafe while continuing to expand its presentation of Indonesian coffee, food and culture.
“We are focusing on growing our current store and expanding our customer base so we can continue bringing our Indonesian coffee and flavors to more people,” said Maria. “In the future we hope to showcase and draw interest from other coffee shops and roasters in the Bay Area, or even in the U.S., to feature more Indonesian coffee.”