Flores Breaks Record in Coffee Drinking
Labuan Bajo, Flores. Flores has broken the record for the number of participants in simultaneous coffee drinking on Wednesday (19/07).
According to the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI), 1.89 million people drank coffee between 2.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. on Wednesday, in an event called "1 Million Cups of Coffee," which beset the 2013 record involving 50,000 residents of Bener Meriah in Aceh.
"The number [of participants] was bigger than the 1 million proposed to MURI," MURI vice director Omar Semesta Susilo said.
"We hope the record will help Flores coffee gain popularity and promote Indonesia internationally," he said.
The coffee drinking feat is booked under number 8,000 of the MURI records and the museum plans to register it as a world record.
The coffee drinking event was held right after the last stage of the annual Tour de Flores, which finished in Labuan Bajo. A number of international racers also participated in the event.
Tour de Flores chairman Primus Dorimulu said the the competition's committee sent a number volunteers, who reached to the island's villages, to inform everyone about the record-breaking attempt and who later collected testimonies with the participants' signatures and photographs.
"This shows the people of Flores are willing to work together and Flores has good coffee," Primus said.
East Nusa Tenggara Governor Frans Lebu Raya expressed his hope that Flores residents will promote their coffee around the world.
"We have to be proud of the potential of this island," he said.
Flores has several high-altitude regions producing arabica and robusta beans — Bajawa, Manggarai, Boawae and Lio. The island's volcanic soil and long dry season contribute to its coffee's distinctive flavor.
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