Following the 『third wave』 cafe boom in Singapore, countless cafe guides have been written on this emerging cafe trend with no set criteria. Some cafes might have excellent food, amazing ambiance, but ultimately coffee that tastes like brown crayon water, and it’s really hard to decide what is a 『good』 cafe without agreeing on one consistent criteria.
In this caffeine fueled article, I』ll be presenting my guide based on one factor only: how good the coffee is. New cafes are popping up daily as well, but most will probably be using bean suppliers from either Nylon Coffee Roasters, Common Man Coffee Roasters, Liberty Coffee, Papa Palheta or Dutch Colony. Cafes under the same company will be grouped together, since the coffee blend and roasting standard is almost identical.
As with all foods and beverages, different people will have their own preference of coffee, but I will try to present the individual coffee flavours at each cafe so you can decide what you like. In the end, you will have to decide what type of taste you prefer but most Singaporeans at this stage of our coffee culture go for a more balanced, easy drinking variety of coffee with milk.
A great guide for getting new cafe ideas, this is for the Singapore cafe-hoppers.
1. Nylon Coffee Roasters
Long Black ($3).
A simple small cafe born out of only 1 reason: a passion for Coffee. Nylon sources their coffee from all the world, roasts and brews their own amazing coffee not just based on their preferences, but also experimenting objectively. The espresso blend changes seasonally, while packed beans are available for purchase. While I was there, I had the Four Chairs blend which was a 50-50 mix of Nicaragua and El Salvador beans for a sweet, well-balanced finish with notes of black berries.
After speaking to countless professional baristas, Nylon is easily the most well-recognized and highly recommended cafe for coffee in Singapore amongst the professionals – their hardcore pursuit to produce the best coffee is all the reason coffee connoisseurs need to patronize this outfit.
Nylon Coffee Roasters: 4 Everton Park #01-40, Singapore 080004
Opening hours: Weekdays 8.30am -5.30pm; Weekends 9am – 6pm (closed Tues)
2. Ronin/ The Plain
Double Espresso ($4).
Ronin and The Plain are owned by the same people, and both cafes use the same coffee blend roasted and imported from Melbourne, Australia. This Genovese blend is an incredible mix of 13 different origins with strong influences from Brazil and South Africa.
The coffee is full-bodied, nutty with a light citrus acidity that is designed to be served with milk for a smooth latte/cappuccino with a cocoa finish. It’s very easy drinking that will please most people.
Ronin: 17 Hong Kong Street Singapore 059660
Opening Hours: Daily 8am-8pm (closed mon)
The Plain: 50 Craig Road, #01-01, Singapore 089688
Opening hours: Weekdays 7.30am – 5.30pm ; Weekends 7.30am – 7.30pm
3. Symmetry
Flat White ($5.50).
Symmetry is a cafe by day and restaurant bar by night that also pays homage to classical French cuisine. As a third wave cafe believing in artisanal coffee and food, Symmetry employs a professional roaster in Senoko, where coffee beans are medium roasted once a week.
The house espresso blend is derived from Guatamala , Papa New Guinea, Brazil and The result is a coffee with flavours that are nutty, chocolatey, an apricot fruittiness and pretty much full bodied. The coffee is also served with a cute little gingerbread man sometimes if you』re lucky.
Symmetry: 9 Jalan Kubor, Singapore 199206 | Tel: 62919901
Opening hours: Tues – Sat 11am -11pm ; Sun 11am – 7pm (closed mon)
4. Department of Caffeine
Latte ($5).
At the Department of Caffeine, it’s all about the Coffee and Teas. Sustainably-sourced specialty coffee beans and a bespoke range of teas are available at this little hideaway at Duxton, where caffeine perfection is achieved with technical precision.
The house blend is a 3 bean blend including Brazil, India and Guatamalan coffee beans for a heavy bodied, plum, red grape and balanced coffee with minimal acidity. Excellent milk foam that holds its body making for a very balanced coffee and is one of my favorites in this list.
Department of Caffeine: 15 Duxton Road, Singapore 089481 | Tel: 6223 3426
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 1030am – 7pm; Sat & Sun: 930am – 7pm
5. Papa Palheta / Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee Bar / Loysel’s Toy
Probably the most well-known Indie cafe (yes the irony) in Singapore: Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee Bar. All 3 brands are under the same company group, with Papa Palheta being the coffee supplier while CSHH Coffee bar and Loysel’s Toy serve as the retail arms.
Papa Palheta is an independent coffee specialist, roasting and purveying specialty coffee in Singapore and Malaysia with relentless fervent. Everyday, the coffee roasting and brewing is tweaked and calibrated according to seasonality and the type of beans, and the most minute details are given utmost attention to bring the out the best.
CSHH Coffee Bar resides within Chye Seng Huat Hardware building. This concept bar provides a one of its kind coffee experience with a 360-degree view of the bar. Watch and interact with the baristas as they meticulously prepare your beverage with all sorts of bean varieties and brewing methods that can be customized to any customer’s preference – if you know what flavours you like, you can get it here. Loysel’s Toy also received the same attention from Papa Palheta and you can expect similar high quality at this cafe too.
Papa Palheta/ Chye Seng Huat Hardware: 150 Tyrwhitt Road, Singapore 207563 | Tel: 6299 4321
Opening hours: Tues – Fri 9am – 7pm; Sat – Sun 9am – 10pm
Loysel’s Toy: 66 Kampong Bugis, #01-01 Sam Tat Building, Singapore 338987 | Tel: 62922306
Opening hours: Tues – Fri: 9am – 4pm; Sat – Sun: 9am – 4.30pm
6. Dutch Colony Coffee Co.
Their Dutch blend ristretto has a citrus-like acidity, is full bodied, slightly nutty and with a smooth velvety finish. Being coffee suppliers with freshly roasted beans, of course Dutch Colony also has seasonal single-origin coffees at the outlet which can be prepared in various brewing methods of your choice. Their bottled cold brew coffees is also something to look out for, coming in sweetened and unsweetened states.
Dutch colony has since opened a 2nd specialty coffee lab at Frankle Ave, serving even more advanced filter brewing techniques than their Pasarbella store.
Coffee workshops like degustation tasting, latte art making and basic barista training is also provided by Dutch Colony to any aspiring coffee connoisseurs.
Dutch Colony Coffee Co.: 200 Turf Club Road, #02-k67, Pasarbella, Singapore 287994 | Tel: 64670255
7. Toby’s Estate
Gibraltar Latte ($4.50).
Toby’s Estate believes in using unwashed or natural coffee, also known as dry processing, as it lifts the aromas without stripping off the flavours unlike wet processing.
The house blend at Toby’s Estate uses the Rodyk Blend, a 5 bean mix of Costa Rica, Uganda, Panama, Brazil and Ethipio beans.
The Gibraltar latte (similar to a piccolo) we tried was floral and fruity on the nose, a nutty front with a rather bright and acidic note upon taste. The acidity tapers off very quickly to reveal notes of berries at the end. Overall a very well-balanced brew. All lattes, cappucinos and espressos are made with a double ristretto shot for more intensity.
The Cafe Mocha ($6) is also another hot favorite you have to try, using real Ghana Red Chocolate melted with the ristretto.
Toby’s Estate: 8 Rodyk Street #01-03/04, Singapore 238216 | Tel: +65 6636 7629
Opening hours: Mon – Thurs: 730am – 6pm; Fri – Sat: 730am – 8pm; Sun: 730am – 7pm
8. Common Man Coffee Roasters / Forty Hands
Partnering with Five Senses Coffee, Common Man Coffee Roasters sources their green coffee beans from all over the world working closely with growers, then roasts it locally for great coffee in Singapore. Acting not just as wholesalers supplying to many Singapore cafes, they also have 2 retail outlets under the same company, namely Common Man Coffee Roasters at Martin Road and Forty Hands at Tiong Bahru.
At the cafe other than seasonal coffee blends, they serve 2 primary house blends: CMCR Espresso and the 22 Martin.
The CMCR espresso is a 3 origin blend from Brazil (Alice estate), Sumatra and Ethopia. The flavour profile is a candy sweet, springy, silky body with herbal complexity and a lingering dark cocoa finish that goes great with milk.
The 22 Martin contrasts with dark chocolate notes, a heavier body, molasses with a long finish.
Common Man Coffee Roasters: 22 Martin Road, #01-00, Singapore 239058 | Tel: 6836 4695
Opening hours: Mon – Sun 8am – 7pm
Forty Hands: 78 Yong Siak Street Singapore 163078 | Tel: 62258545
9. Yahava Koffeeworks
Photo: http://lonelywanderlust.blogspot.sg/
An Australian chain franchised in Singapore, Yahava Koffeeworks is known for scouring the world to bring the finest Arabica single origin coffees as well as an array for brewing techniques. They also supply many cafes in Singapore with their roasted beans.
The default Espresso blend at the retail cafe (which comes in 3 sizes) has a nuanced acidity, heavy bodied and a fruity finish for a balanced coffee. The bean blend I tried is from Colombia, Ethiopia and Papa New Guinea. They do however rotate single origin and blends every other day, so you』ll get something new each time you visit.
Interestingly, you get to taste for free up to 3 single origin coffees before having to decide which coffee bean you want from their massive selection. Extremely informative and interactive, you can tell that Yahava is all about coffee education and culture.
Yahava Koffeeworks: 4 Jalan Gelenggang, Singapore 578188 | Tel: 65547080
Opening Hours: Daily 9am – 6pm
10. Yellow Cup Coffee
Nicaragua Latte ($5/$6.50).
A Hawaiian coffee concept, Yellow Cup boasts single origin coffees from Ethiopia, Uganda, El Salvador, Indonesia, Nicaragua , Brazil and even Hawaii. While I was there, I tried the Nicaragua (smooth, simple, sweet hint of maple syrup and butterscotch) and the Sumatra longberry (heavier in profile, spices and herbs, sweet tobacco and dark caramel).
As with many other cafes, the beans rotate regularly too. The latte art could use some work though in my opinion.
You can ask the barrista to recommend what bean variety to try based on your mood and they』ll recommend it. Yellow Cup also does a couple flavoured coffees like a Nutella latte and the Hawaiian coffee (with coconut syrup). Despite being rather new, Yellow Cup has expanded to 4 outlets already!
Yellow Cup Coffee: 20 Havelock Road #01-09, Singapore 059765
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 730am – 630pm; Sat – Sun: 11am -5pm
11. Highlander Coffee
Latte ($3.90)
Highlander Coffee’s vision is to build a great coffee company that shares the passion for gourmet coffee with anyone who wants to learn.
Highlander Coffee owns their own factory in Singapore, where they roast and pack their self-sourced supply of beans, as well as sell various coffee making equipment. The house blend uses the Quattro, a mix of Brazilian, Ethopian, Columbian and Sumatra beans.
A balanced coffee when paired with milk; nutty, smooth with a sweet malt finish. Consistency is key to Highlander’s success, from the evenly roasted beans to the well-trained barristas making the coffee.
Highlander Coffee: 49 Kampong Bahru Road, Singapore 169362 | Tel: 62261686
Opening hours: Mon – Sat: 9am – 6pm (Closed Sun)
12. Sarnies / The Lokal
Sarnies and The Lokal are Sydney-inspired cafes which use double ristrettos in their coffee brews imported from Australia, resulting in a more intense flavour.
The latte is a Guatemalan blend that features a sweet, bright and fruity notes to the nose. Give it a swirl through your palate and you will notice a roasted dark, nutty and bitter aftertaste that was rather enjoyable.
Something else really interesting to try is their Orange Mocha – the Orange Mocha is prepared by soaking orange peels into the coffee, to give off a slight tang. The concoction was a little more intense, mixed with beans that complement the chocolate, orange peel and espresso shot. Velvety body with notes of dark chocolate and a hint of citrus, an exciting brew with an interesting piquancy.
Sarnies: 136 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068601 | Tel: 6224 6091
Opening hours: Mon to Fri: 7:30 am – 10 pm; Sat & Sun: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Lokal: 136 Neil Road, Singapore 088865 | Tel: 6423 9918
Opening hours: Mon: 8am -6pm; Tues – Fri: 8am -10pm; Sat: 9am – 10pm; Sun: 9am – 4pm
13. November8 Coffee & Company
One of the rare cafes that opens till late so you can get your coffee fix, because who needs sleep anyway. The house blend supplied from Common Man Coffee Roasters for November8 is currently made up of Brazil, India and Guatemala origin. However, coffee is a seasonal commodity as you』ve observed, hence the blend may change from time to time.
The current flavour comprises of a strong body, with chocolatey, nutty notes that is customized to go well with milk i.e a latte or cappucino. On the second coffee grinder, you will also find single origin coffees that suit the purists. Varieties include Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Ardi Sidama, Guatemala Los Santos etc.
The beans from each origin have its own unique flavour and tasting notes just like wine. Guest blends from other cafes / countries also occasionally appear when friends travelling bring in some unique coffees.
November8: 11 Sin Ming Road, #01-30 Thomson V two, Singapore 575629 | Tel: 6554 4388
Opening hour: Sun – Thurs: 12pm – 11pm; Fri – Sat 12pm – 12am
14. Geisha Specialty Coffee
Panama Esmeralda Geisha Coffee ($15)
Latte ($4.5)
If you consider yourself a coffee connoisseur, you won』t want to miss out on Geisha Specialty Coffee and their exceptional brews. Geisha coffee’s true business is back-end coffee bean supplying though, so the shop is decidedly small more – more for showcasing their coffee beans rather than to act as a cafe. This is the kind of true indie hipster cafe not much people have heard of yet.
Considered one of the world’s most expensive and sought after coffees, the award winning Esmeralda Special coffee is sold only through a privately held, international auction for roasters. Price adjusts yearly according to how much the company wins the auction price at.
The Esmeralda Geisha Coffee ($15) is the most expensive black coffee I』ve had in Singapore, which was intense, highly complex with aromatic fruity notes in the aroma, the coffee is very smooth to drink almost like tea in fact. The finish was slightly dry but flavoured with a sweet-potato aftertaste.
Geisha Specialty Coffee: 175 Bencoolen Street, Burlington Square, #01-55, Singapore 189649 | Tel: 9062 5726
Operating hours: Mon – Fri: 10am-7pm; Sat – Sun: 1pm-7pm
15. Artistry
An art gallery + cafe in a shophouse dedicated to the local art scene, Artistry makes a pretty awesome coffee in addition to their brunch menu. When I was there, they used a blend of Brazilian and Jamaican beans from Liberty Coffee (if I』m not wrong it’s the Speakeasy blend), which yielded a subtly sweet and nutty, medium-bodied coffee with a kick. The blend is subject to change though according to the season.
Artistry: 17 Jalan Pinang, Singapore 199149 | Tel: 6298 2420
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 10am-11.30pm; Sun 10am-7pm (Closed on Mon)
16. Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters
Latte – 5 oz ($5)
A Singapore Partnership with Thailand, Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters focuses its emphasis on the essence of coffee without distractions. Formerly OZ specialty coffee, the cafe has undergone a rebrand using the well-established Thai cafe name – Pacamara.
The coffees come in 3 sizes, 3 oz, 5 oz or 7 oz, but the size merely increases the amount of milk used and its still a single espresso shot. The house blend uses beans from 4 origins: Brazil, Ethiopia, Guatemala and Sumatra. Flavour profile can be described as nutty, floral, creamy with that hint of caramel that becomes more pronounced when the coffee gets a little cooler. A light bodied coffee that’s pretty easy to drink.
Pacamara also does a few single origin filter coffees like the Ethiopia y Kochere, a clean coffee with cherries and wine on the palate. I love the open coffee bar concept where you can watch the brewers upfront make your coffee, and interact with the baristas as well.
Pacamara: 185 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574333
Opening hours: Tues – Sun: 9am – 11pm
17. Drury lane
Espresso ($3.50).
Drury Lane is a 2 story cafe joint at Tanjong Pagar that gets their coffee supply from Papa Palheta. The coffee blend they use for their house espresso is the Nuts + Bolts, composed from Brazil Cerrado, Tanzania Karatu. Taste wise, it’s nutty with hints of sourness towards Grapefruit and a smooth body.
Drury Lane: 94 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088515 | Tel: 62226698
Opening hours: Mon – Thurs: 9am – 830pm; Fri: 9am – 10pm; Sat – Sun: 10am – 6pm
18. Jewel Cafe and Bar
Jewel Cafe is a another specialty coffee house that roasts their own beans with precision at the back of the cafe, as well as regularly hold coffee cupping sessions to taste single origin beans and their unique characteristics. It was very enlightening having a look at their coffee roasting machine at the back of the shop as well, where the owner passionately explains the different stages of coffee roasting and the precision used.
Most of their retail coffee is of single origin from countries like El Salvador, Ethiopia, Brazil and Sumatra, although they do have blends as well like the Alpha Red Blend. Every 2-3 days, Jewel will change the beans in the machine hopper so the taste profile constantly switches around every now and then.
Jewel Cafe and Bar: 129 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218407 | Tel: 6298 9216
Opening hours: Sun – Thurs: 9am -10pm; Fri – Sat: 9am – 11pm
19. The New Black Concept Outlet
Piccolo ($6.50).
The New Black is probably the sleekest innovative coffee bar concept I』ve seen in Singapore. Celebrating renown roasters all over the world, The New Black brings in international coffees made from professional roaster residing in Melbourne, London, Washington and even Singapore (Nylon Coffee) as well as many others. They use a cutting edge coffee machine called the Modbar, which is not only compact and allows interactivity with the barista, but is also easily customized based on its modular design.
They even have a huge coffee flavour wheel you can choose from in determining what coffee taste profile you want.
If it’s all too overwhelming, you can just settle for the house blend Verve roast– a blend of Brazil, Salvador, Ethopia. This blend is supplied to Google HQ in California even, and is a easy drinking, heavy bodied, slightly nutty flavour with dark fruits lingering.
The New Black: 1 Upper Circular Road Singapore 058440 | Tel: 6410 9318
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 8am – 6.30pm; Sat 8am – 4.30pm (closed sun)
20. Strangers』 Reunion/ Strangers』 at Work
Syphon filter coffee – Kenyan beans ($6.90).
Stranger’s Reunion is one of the hippest cafes in Singapore now, seeing crowds come in for coffee daily. They offer various filter brews like Aeropress, Syphon or Wave dripper which all bring out different strengths of a coffee.
I tried the Syphon filter coffee with Kenyan beans, which highlights the acidity with a heavier body and complexity. Acidic, fruity apricots with slight nuttiness and a clean finish.
The espresso uses a 3 bean 『Chakra』 house blend from Brazil, Ethiopia and Guatamala. The Magic Coffee ($5.50) is also one of the popular items here, said to have the perfect ratio of coffee to milk. Due to its popularity, waiting for a cup of coffee might take a while and I took 30 minutes to get my filter coffee. Perhaps the normal espresso based ones will be done a lot quicker as the baristas prioritize what to make first.
Strangers』 Reunion: 35 Kampong Bahru Rd, Singapore 169356 | Tel: 62224869
Opening hours: Sun – Thurs: 9am – 10pm; Fri – Sat: 9am – 12am
Strangers』 at Work: 11 Collyer Quay #01-07, Singapore 049317 | Tel: 62224869
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
21. Assembly Coffee
Assembly coffee joins the 『third wave』 Singapore coffee movement, priding itself in presenting artisanal java for the masses. As quoted by them: 「Trust Coffee. It never fails to make the day better!」. Indeed, even cold coffee has never broken my heart unlike my cold ex.
Assembly gets its house blend from Liberty Coffee roasters, which rotates the beans around each season. The current blend was Guatemala and Brazil which yields a chocolatey, nutty, medium bodied profile customized for milk pairing and easy drinking. Despite the bean seasonality, the flavour will never change too drastically so as to appeal to the milder local palate. They also do single origin filter coffees using Aeropress and V60.
Assembly Coffee: 26 Evans Road, Singapore 259367 | Tel: 6735 5647
Opening hours: Tues – Sun: 8am – 7pm (closed mon)
22. Jimmy monkey Cafe & Bar
Opened by a true native Melbournian who craved the authentic coffee culture back home, Jimmy Monkey aims to bring the ultimate Melbourne coffee experience to Singapore.
Beans are roasted on-site from some of the best socially responsible independent and Rainforest Alliance farms, with seasonal green beans sourced from all over the world.
The house espresso coffee is a handpicked blend by Jimmy Monkey’s experienced barista, or occasionally from single origin beans for more distinct characteristics. The house blends change month to month, which is hard to pinpoint the exact consistent flavour but are normally customized to go well with milk.
However, you do get to experience different varieties from all over the world and you』ll just have to place your faith in the experienced baristas at Jimmy Monkey. They also do french press and syphon filter coffees if you prefer.
Jimmy Monkey: 9 One-north Gateway, #01-51 one-north residences, Singapore 138643 | Tel: 67778470
Opening hours: Mon – Sat: 8.30am – 10.30pm; Sun: 8.30am – 6pm
23. Tolido’s Espresso Nook
Tolido’s cafe has one of the most intricate looking coffee arts I』ve seen, way more complicated than the typical heart or leaf art – this shows very good control over the temperature of the coffee and milk.
Using beans roasted by Yahava Koffeeworks, the Arabica house blend combines Colombian, Ethiopia and Papa New Guinea beans to give a strong robust body. There is a mellow acidity to the coffee as well as lingering caramel and floral flavours, but is overall pretty balanced and simple to drink if you like a heavy mouth feel.
Tolido’s Espresso Nook: Block 426 Crawford Lane, #01-63, Singapore 190462 | Tel: 6648 0178
Opening hours: Tues – Thurs: 9.30am – 7pm; Fri – Sat: 9.30am – 10pm; Sun: 9am – 6.30pm (Closed mon)
24. The Providore
The Providore Hot Chocolate ($6.50).
The Providore is a local grocery store cafe concept, selling packed merchandise and also serving as a deli cafe at Mandarin Gallery amongst other branches. The coffee here is roasted locally by Toby’s Estate and the custom 4 bean house blend is unique to The Providore.
The blend origins include: Costa Rica, Sumatra, Africa Uganda Bugisu and India Monsoon Malaba. Taste profile is chocolatey, nutty, spicy, mild acidity, medium – full bodied with a hint of saltiness. Other than espresso, they also do single origin pourover filter coffees with the V60 or Aeropress tableside for your scrutiny.
The thick Hot Chocolate is another sinful alternative The Providore is famed for.
The Providore: 333A Orchard Rd, #02-05 Mandarin Gallery, 238897 | Tel: 6732 1565
Opening hours: Daily: 9am -11pm
25. Maison Ikkoku
Specialty brew coffee prepared by baristas trained by Hiroshi Sawada of Tokyo’s famed Streamer Coffee Company, the heavily Japanese and French influenced Maison Ikkoku cafe just went through a major overhaul to present a new look. Maison Ikkoku also means 「House of the Moment」.
The flagship blend is called 『Nineteen42』 and is named as such because 1942 was the year when the Japanese showed much innovation, unmatched quality, precision and passion in whatever they did (although I』m sure many older Singaporeans would disagree with their so-called misguided 『passion』 during this period).
The Nineteen42 consists of 3 coffees: Natural Brazil Fazenda Dutra Jatoba, Natural Brazil Fazenda Rainha and Washed Indian Bibi Plantation AA Typica Strains.
This blend was designed to be suitable for the general masses, from a new coffee drinkers to seasoned ones, who are consistently looking for subtle notes of hidden flavours. Comforting with nothing too wild but instead a nice balanced cup, the taste profile can be described as resembling dark cocoa, with lingering hints of cedar and spice.
They recently launched their own Maison Ikkoku Coffee Roasters as well, foraying into wholesale of their products and coffee training.
Maison Ikkoku: 20 Kandahar Street, Singapore 198885 | Tel: 6294 0078
Opening hours: Mon-Thur: 9am – 9pm; Fri-Sat: 9am – 11pm; Sun: 9am – 7pm
26. Flock Cafe
Latte ($5.50).
Getting their house blend from the famous Liberty Coffee, the espresso used by Flock cafe is Liberty’s flagship Speakeasy blend although even the barista seems unsure which specific region the beans come from (it’s from Brazil Fazenda Lagoa Mondo Novo, Guatemala Finca Santa Ana La Huerta, Ethiopia Sidamo), but I think as a professional barista, coffee knowledge should definitely be buffed up here.
A light bodied coffee, there are initial notes of nuttiness, then transiting to caramel and cocoa with minimal acidity. Milk foam was a bit weak, but degree of the coffee was good drinking temperature.
Flock cafe: Block 21 Ghim Moh Road, #01-213, Singapore 270021 | Tel: 6536 3938
Opening hours: Mon – Sun: 8am – 6pm
27. Necessary Provisions
A casual joint in the neighborhood area, Necessary Provisions lets friends and family enjoy honest, simple food with excellent coffee and teas.
Necessary Provision’s coffee beans are sourced from coffee estates around the world and roasted in-house. They focus on producing the best flavours by cupping and tasting several blends seasonally to evolve the house blend. The result of these meticulous steps is the home blend – 『Thumper』, which is currently combination of 2 coffee origins – Kenyan and Brazilian. The blend origin does change sometimes if they find a more suitable coffee bean, but is not as frequent and probably only changes every 6 – 12 months.
In contrast to many other espresso blends, Necessary Provision’s version is quite acidic akin to citrus bright orange, chocolatey and heavy bodied. If you』re not a fan of acidity or sourness, you might not enjoy this.
They also offer 2 single origin filter coffees which are either nutty (like the Kenyan Kia-ora) or floral (Ethiopia Konga) in profile for customers to choose. Every tuesday features a special single origin coffee as well for more variety.
Necessary Provisions: 21 Eng Kong Terrace, Singapore 598993 | Tel: 9231 7920
Opening hours: Tues- Thur: 10am – 10pm; Fri – Sat: 10am – 12am; Sun: 10am – 6pm
(closed Mon and first Tues of the month)
28. 7kickstart
7Kickstart is a 100% Singaporean owned cafe currently residing in the Singapore Art Museum. The owner Swee Sim believes in challenging the elitist perception of specialty coffee, bringing accessibility and education to the masses.
The house blend espresso uses Brazilian and Indonesian beans, which is full bodied, strong and nutty on the palate. Their newly introduced and very tediously made ice drip coffees use single origin beans and is something fussy coffee lovers will enjoy, as they serve a degustation tasting of these smooth cold variants.
7Kickstart @ SingaporeArtMuseum: 71 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189555 | Tel: 83897877
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 8am – 7pm; Sat: 10am – 7pm
29. 63 Espresso
Piccolo latte ($4.50)
A part of 63 Celsius restaurant, 63 Espresso serves up honest coffee for the caffeine starved office workers of Marina bay. They import Allpress espresso, roasted in Sydney and shipped weekly to Singapore for freshness. The head barista Hairol believes the coffee is more consistent in quality than some of the local roasters.
Mainly concentrating on takeaway coffee, the house blend is called 『Carmelo』- a blend of Brazil, Sumatra, Guatemalan and Colombia beans. Many office workers like this blend because of its heavy bodied nature, where you get a good kick like old school kopi. Bold and lively, there is very subtle hints of caramel but I found it more similar to a light nuttiness. 63 Espresso also serves single origin brewed coffees seasonally.
63 Espresso: 12 Marina View #01-03, Singapore 018961 | Tel: 85220863
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 7.30am – 10.30pm; Sat: 9.30am – 2.30pm (closed Sun)
30. Percolate
Although Percolate does not roast their own coffee beans, they are more unique in the sense that they occasionally bring in 2 different roasters at the same time, for example from Papa Palheta and Nylon Coffee roasters. The various blends tend to change seasonally as well, but the Terra Firma seems to be a more staple blend.
The Terra Firma blend from Papa Palheta, which is a three-bean blend (Brazil Alta Mogiana, Guatemala Antigua La Flor, Ethiopia Sidamo Suke Quto), is designed to be a well-rounded coffee. This mix results in nutty, rich, vibrant notes with lemon zest and chocolate overtones. A more complex coffee that goes well with milk, but not as easily accepted by the mainstream Singapore coffee drinker.
The Four chairs guest blend which is also regularly served at Nylon Coffee is a lot easier on the palate with a sweet, blackberry finish.
Percolate: 136 Bedok North Avenue 3, 460136 | Tel: 82590316
Opening hours: Mon, Weds – Fri: 1030am – 930pm; Sat – Sun: 9am – 930pm (closed Tues)
31. Oriole Coffee + Bar
One of the pioneers of third wave coffee movement in Singapore since 2008, Oriole Coffee + Bar is a place where coffee enthusiasts gather to enjoy the brew, to learn about the bean from one another and to inspire a love for coffee and the good life. Oriole has since undergone a revamp and has much Melbourne coffee culture influence from its consultant who has shared his wealth of knowledge with the local baristas.
At Oriole Coffee, the essence of the perfect coffee experience boils down to the dedication of its roasters and baristas. Only after meticulous and careful consideration do coffees feature in Oriole Coffee’s line-up of espressos and filter coffees, such as Oriole’s house blends, the Yellowbird and Raven.
Yellowbird (Ethopia, Guatamala, El Salvador), Oriole Coffee’s first seasonal espresso blend, with its uniquely bright and chirpy characteristic differs from the typical heavy bodied Italian espresso. Drinking this roast gives a sense of adventure like going on a vibrant journey of discovery. Something unique Oriole does is also to shake this espresso blend with orange zest and ice for a sort of introductory iced espresso drink served in a martini glass – very pleasant and easy to take indeed.
Raven blend (Guatamala, Brazil), in contrast personifies a darker profile and a lot more intense with nutty aftertones – the older generation of Singaporeans will prefer this heavy coffee for its thicker flavour.
Oriole: Pan Pacific Serviced Suites. #01-01, 96 Somerset Road., Singapore 238163 | Tel: 6238 8348
Opening hours: Sun – Thurs: 10am – 11pm; Fri- Sat: 10am – 12am
32. Collective Brewers
Newly opened by a coffee veteran formerly with Papa Palheta, Collective Brewers believes in sourcing, supporting and brewing only from local Singapore coffee roasters, hence the name Collective Brewers. Their current espresso blend comes from Common Man Coffee Roasters, which is a combination of Guantamala La Santos, Colombia Primavera and Ethiopia Yirgzero.
As a black coffee, you get a grapefruit acidity, brown sugar, caramel flavours in a medium-bodied coffee. With the addition of milk, the caramel, brown sugar and cocoa flavours become more prominent. Collective Brewers will also very soon start curating even more local coffee roasters and serve the best of the lot at their little cafe far in the East
In the cafe, there is also a filter coffee bar where single origin coffees like the India Veer Attika is served. Choice of V60 paper filter or French press metal filter allows the brewing methods to contrast each other, although different origins tend to favor specific brew methods as well.
A space for both Singapore’s professional and home-based coffee purveyors — including roasters and baristas — to showcase their coffees, with different tastes and flavor profiles.
Collective Brewers: 301 Changi Road, Singapore 419779 | Tel: 9818 5314
Opening hours: Tues – Sun: 10am – 10pm (closed mon)
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Written by Seth Lui
Chief Food Hunter. Seth doesn't promise good reviews, only honest ones. Occasionally gets angry emails from restaurant owners for not giving a stellar writeup. Instagram: @sethluicious
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