What Is Kopi Joss? Yogyakarta’s Charcoal Coffee Explained

Picture a night street in central Java: a dimly lit food cart, mats on the pavement, rice parcels wrapped in banana leaf and a vendor fishing a glowing coal out of the fire and dropping it, hissing, into a glass of coffee. That is kopi joss. So what is kopi joss, exactly? It is sweet black coffee from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, served with a piece of burning charcoal submerged in the glass. It is sold at angkringan, the city’s humble street-food carts, and it began at one stall near Tugu railway station.

Here is the story, what it tastes like, what the charcoal does and does not do, and how to enjoy the experience.

Key takeaways

• Kopi joss (also spelled kopi jos) is black coffee and sugar with a live charcoal ember dropped in just before serving.
• It is credited to Angkringan Lik Man, a stall near Tugu station in Yogyakarta that has operated since the 1950s.
• The name is said to imitate the hissing sound the ember makes when it hits the coffee.
• Claims that the charcoal reduces acidity or helps digestion are popular but not backed by research.
• It is a street experience worth trying in Yogyakarta, not something to recreate with barbecue charcoal at home.

In this article

1. What is kopi joss?
2. How kopi joss began
3. The angkringan experience
4. Does the charcoal do anything?
5. Can you make it at home?
6. FAQ

What is kopi joss? The drink in detail

The drink itself is simple. Coffee grounds, sugar and hot water go into a glass, much like Indonesia’s grounds-in-the-glass kopi tubruk. Then the vendor takes a piece of charcoal that is still burning from the brazier under the kettle and drops it straight into the drink. It sizzles loudly, sends up a puff of steam and sinks. You wait a moment for the grounds to settle, then sip around the coal.

What does it taste like?

Expect a strong, sweet, full-bodied coffee. Some drinkers say the coal adds a faint smoky or toasted note and makes the drink taste smoother; others notice little difference beyond the drama. Much of the appeal is the ritual: the sizzle, the steam and the setting.

How kopi joss began near Tugu station

Kopi joss is credited to Angkringan Lik Man (sometimes written Lek Man), a short walk from Tugu railway station in Yogyakarta. According to the city’s official tourism site, the stall has been trading since the 1950s and was handed on to Lik Man in 1969. It is regarded as one of the pioneering angkringan in the city and as the first to serve kopi joss.

The best-known origin story, recounted in Indonesian media and summarized on Wikipedia, ties the drink to the stall’s location. Many customers were railway workers, a large number of them from East Java, who asked for kopi kothok, an East Javanese coffee made by boiling coffee, sugar and water together. Lik Man did not know how to make it, so he improvised by dropping a burning piece of charcoal into the coffee instead. The customers liked the result, named it kopi joss, and other vendors soon copied it. The exact year it was first served is not well documented.

The angkringan experience

An angkringan is a small mobile food cart, with a charcoal brazier keeping big kettles hot. Customers sit on benches or on woven mats laid along the pavement, and the stalls are known as places where students, workers and tourists share the same space.

At Angkringan Lik Man, the tourism office lists opening hours from 6 p.m. until midnight. Alongside kopi joss you will find:

• Nasi kucing, literally “cat rice”: a tiny portion of rice with tempeh, anchovies or chili sauce, wrapped in banana leaf.
• Satay skewers of chicken, quail eggs, mushrooms or intestines, warmed on the brazier.
• Fried snacks and crackers, with prices starting from very small amounts of rupiah.

Order a coffee, pick a few skewers and a couple of rice parcels, and you have a full late-night meal for very little.

Does the charcoal do anything?

You will often hear that the ember neutralizes the coffee’s acidity, settles the stomach or reduces bloating. These ideas are widespread, but we found no scientific studies testing kopi joss or showing that a piece of hot charcoal dropped into coffee has these effects. Activated charcoal, a specially processed medical product, is a different material used in specific clinical situations; ordinary cooking charcoal is not the same thing, and it is not recommended as a remedy.

What the coal does do is add heat, a little steam, possibly a trace of smoky aroma and plenty of theater. Enjoy it for that.

Safety tips if you try it in Yogyakarta

• Let the drink rest a minute so the grounds settle and the coal stops hissing.
• Sip carefully; the glass and coal stay very hot.
• Do not chew or swallow the charcoal, and leave the last bit of coffee with the grounds and coal in the glass.

Can you make kopi joss at home?

We do not recommend it. Barbecue briquettes often contain binders and other additives, and many are treated with lighter fluid; even natural lump charcoal can carry ash and grit, and a red-hot ember can crack a glass. The angkringan vendors work with a constant hardwood fire and decades of practice.

You can, however, recreate the coffee itself:

1. Add 2 tablespoons (about 10 g) of finely ground dark coffee and 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar to a heatproof glass.
2. Pour in 7 oz (200 ml) of water just off the boil and stir well.
3. Wait 3 to 4 minutes for the grounds to sink, then sip slowly, stopping before the sludge.
4. For a smoky hint without the ember, use a very dark roast.

Indonesian coffee is the natural choice. Our Robusta comes from West Java and gives a full-bodied cup with cacao and malt notes and plenty of caffeine; Sumatra brings an earthy, syrupy body with dark chocolate; and Bali Blue adds molasses and brown sugar sweetness. Ask for a fine grind so the grounds settle quickly in the glass.

Kopi joss FAQ

Is kopi joss safe to drink?

It is a long-standing street favorite, and the coffee itself is ordinary black coffee. Drink carefully because of the heat, and do not eat the charcoal. Health claims about the charcoal are not supported by research.

Where can I try kopi joss?

The original is Angkringan Lik Man near Tugu station, open in the evening. Many other angkringan around Yogyakarta now serve it too.

What does “joss” mean?

It is said to imitate the sizzling sound of the burning coal hitting hot coffee.

Is kopi joss the same as kopi tubruk?

The coffee base is similar, with grounds left in the glass. The burning charcoal is what makes it kopi joss.

Sources

1. Angkringan Lik Man, Visiting Jogja, Yogyakarta Tourism Office.
2. Kopi joss, Wikipedia (citing detikcom and MerahPutih), accessed October 2026.

Facts checked in October 2026.

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