Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – A group of men relaxes in a coffee shop in Lamkabeu village, Aceh Besar, chatting about the breaking news of terrorism in their village.

Mulyadi, the stall owner, busily prepares dozens of glasses of black coffee for his customers. Since dawn, he and his small cafe had been set to welcome the male guests with their favorite drink to start the day.

"After dawn prayers, the men of this village will come straight here to sip coffee," said Mulyadi. Waiting on the table were glasses of hot coffee and heaps of traditional cakes. Cigarette smoke formed a thin mist in the shop.

Gathering and talking about everything in a coffee shop are part of the daily routines of all men in Aceh, consuming almost half of the day. "There's nothing left untouched, from household matters to current international issues. A coffee shop is virtually a communication center for villagers," said Lamkabeu village head Maimun.

Many believe the coffee-drinking tradition dates back to Arab traders who came to the province in the past. But during the period of conflict in Aceh in the 1980s and 1990s, coffee shops served as a neutral zone for all circles to meet in a relaxed way. It was widely heard about accidental encounters between conflicting parties, from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as well as the Indonesian Military, in coffee shops. "Anybody could enjoy coffee openly without fear," added Maimun.

He explained that when the conflict was intense, nearly all residents, especially men, were suspected by the military of joining GAM and hiding in village homes. Male family members frequented coffee shops to avoid being suspected by soldiers, who were hunting GAM followers in their villages.

Coffee shops now also function as a main information center for village communities. They are the only type of village business kiosks subscribing to newspapers. Visitors are therefore gathering to get the latest information. Still, TV programs via satellite service offer another attraction to the rural customers.

Though television is not a rarity in villages, not all villagers can afford to buy antennas to receive both domestic and overseas broadcasts.

Some striking differences can be noticed between traditional village and city coffee shops. In big cities like Banda Aceh, they provide not only satellite television but also free Wi-Fi facilities. Almost every coffee shop in such cities in Aceh now offer free Internet facilities for 24 hours.

"Despite the physical difference, village and city coffee shops mostly present their coffee in the same way and with almost the same taste, except in certain places," said Hasbi Azhar, an Aceh coffee buff.

In Banda Aceh, coffee shops have their regular customers. Automotive enthusiasts choose to gather in Black Jack, civil servants prefer Taufik's shop, activists and government officials enjoy drinking at Jasa Ayah Solong, while teenagers' favorite hangout is Chek Yuke.

"Coffee shops are practically informal offices for these people. Usually their discussions are held in an apparently informal way. Yet many talks starting in coffee shops have served as the basis for major projects undertaken in Aceh," added Hasbi.

Normally coffee shops in Aceh, the only among 33 provinces in the country to apply Islamic sharia law, open from 6 a.m. to midnight, but some serve their customers around the clock, seven days a week.

The enforcement of sharia banning the opening of entertainment houses such as discotheques prompts the public to accept the only choice of going to coffee shops to forget the burden of daily routines for a while.

After the tsunami hit Aceh, many NGO workers from various parts of the world also found some comfort in visiting these shops. The NGO volunteers even penetrated the men-only visitor culture to these shops.

"For the Aceh community, coffee shops were originally meant for men, as it was uncommon for women to hang around there. But since the presence of NGO workers, the discrimination between males and females seems no long apparent," noted Hasbi.

Now coffee shops in Aceh cities are no longer men-only zone. Many female customers ranging from housewives to teenagers frequent the shops for relaxation. Parents even bring along their children just to enjoy the shops' cheerful atmosphere, as the coffee tradition continues.