Local coffee shops wake up and smell the competition.

(From The Jakarta Post)

For Serli Wawolumaya, it's all about the coffee. When the 23-year-old private company employee and PR student seeks out her daily pick-me-up, she does not look for a trendy spot to stop and talk shop as others look in from the outside.

Her choice is a locally owned coffee shop -- "it's tastier and fits my pocketbook" -- for an Indonesian brew.

"I come here because I want my cup of coffee, especially nearing midday when I get sleepy. It's like a vitamin to me, because I suddenly have the energy to keep going for the rest of the day."

Coffee culture has been part of Indonesian life for hundreds of years, especially in the coffee-growing regions in Sumatra and Sulawesi, but it's taken on a new, modern meaning with the rapid development of coffee shops and cafes in the past few years.

Even those who do not want a caffeine fix have come into the fold.

"Actually, I'm not a coffee lover, I just like the environment, …