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Brewed AwAkening
For a nation of coffee drinkers that has risen to the dark, sock-brewed coffee from the humble kopitiam, the recent flush of third wave coffee on the island has given caffeine lovers something else to wake up to. The last two years have seen no less than 15 boutique cafes sprouting up on the island. Their chalkboards read like a lesson in geography: Ethiopia, Colombia, Sumatra, Kenya, Brazil, Costa Rica these are just some of the places the coffee beans are farmed from. Proceed to choose your coffee the same way you might order a glass of wine select the varietal, the region and even the farm. However, deciding on terroir is just the first step. The brewing process calls forth a mind-numbing world of equipment and technique. You can pull a shot of espresso with the La Marzocco, a shiny, pricey beast of a coffee-making machine, or opt for a manual brew with the Syphon, a throwback to the coffeemaking traditions of the 1970s. Welcome to the world of speciality coffee, where freshness and quality are prized over speed and convenience. The surge in the expatriate population coupled with an increasingly well-travelled lot of Singaporeans have primed a generation of discerning palates who find it hard to stomach a cloying caramel macchiato. Singaporeans like Adrian Khong, owner of Jewel Coffee, are instrumental in percolating overseas coffee culture on our sunny shores. The ex-banker cut his teeth at the American Barista and Coffee School in the United States and studied the coffee scene in Portland and New York before returning to set up his own caf in the Central Business District. Despite the advice of coffee roasters and fellow caf owners, Khong opted to go with the distinct taste of single-origin beans as opposed to coffee blends. The latter utilises a mix of single-origin beans to produce a brew that is well balanced in body and flavour. Coffee drinkers here are familiar and accustomed to drinking coffee blends, but by introducing single-origin beans, I hope to expose them to the unique taste profiles of coffee from different areas, Khong explains. Besides pushing taste boundaries, artisanal coffee purveyors like Khong are also introducing new brewing methods to the scene. He was the first to bring in the Chemex, an hourglass shaped vessel with a proprietary filter cone that strips out the bitter notes in coffee for a smoother, more mellow brew. Other cafes like Smitten Coffee & Tea Bar and Papa Palheta have since followed suit. In September last year, a free Be Disloyal card was launched, setting cardholders off on a coffee trail between eight boutique cafes. Erik Posthuma and Luke Norman, the duo behind this guerilla initiative, intended for it to raise awareness of the coffee community. If the numbers are anything to go by, the project proved wildly successful, with the first print of 800 cards devoured in under a month, and a second batch of 800 cards issued to an equally successful run. While the average coffee drinker remains curious enough to try new brews and brewing techniques, the fastest moving beverages are still classics like cappuccinos and lattes. Caf owners concur that the majority of consumers are not necessarily savvy about their brew and continue to rely on baristas to curate the coffee drinking experience. There are, however, coffee enthusiasts who can tell their espresso from their ristretto and are not content to stop there. To this end, cafes such as Tobys Estate and Papa Palheta have rolled out their own series of workshops to educate consumers on the finer art of the brew. The latters C-Platform sessions cover modules like espresso extraction and milk texturing. Coffee enthusiasts are also bringing the spirit of experimentation home. In 2011, due to the increase in customer awareness and accessibility, there was a surge in the interest of home brew equipment, commented Leon Foo, co-founder of Papa Palheta. While the third wave coffee movement here has picked up momentum, boutique cafes are ultimately independent players who have to operate without the financial fat enjoyed by coffee giants like Starbucks. Rising rents and an increasingly saturated coffee market will prove challenging for long-term survival. It will not be about who has the latest espresso machine, nor the widest selection of alternative brew methods. Cafes and coffee bars will now have to offer something unique apart from their coffee offerings, says Foo. A shortage of barista talent is also another issue the industry has to grapple with. To put out a world-class product, you need to have the beans, the equipment and the barista. The person behind the bar needs to be skilled in pulling a shot, dosing the coffee, setting the grinder and foaming the milk, says Khong. To this end, the Singapore Coffee Association strives to raise the profile of barista talent by way of the Singapore National Barista Championship. Through this competition, we hope to develop talent, which through years of competing, will give back to the speciality coffee industry in Singapore, said a spokesperson for the Singapore Coffee Association. While the competition is well into its sixth year, the trickle-down effects have yet to be felt on the ground. Caf owners are taking matters into their own hands by training their own staff or providing their own form of barista certification. Michael Ryan, owner of Jimmy Monkey, remains hopeful on this front, The F&B profession in Singapore doesnt garner the same respect and prestige as it does in other countries such as Australia, but perceptions seem to be shifting. With the rise of celebrity chefs as portrayed in the media and a new generation of Singaporeans who do not necessarily seek fulfilment in an office job, were beginning to see more talent emerging on the scene.

the slayer at jimmy monkey

papa palheta's wake-up call

latte art at papa palheta

papa palheta's charming environs

jewel coffee's syphon

michael ryan of jimmy monkey

jimmy monkey's liquid gold

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