Thanks for listening here is what I think. Please tell all of these joints to STOP using the term artisanal to describe their coffee. Unless they actually plant, grow, harvest, process, ship, roast and blend their own beans from their OWN plantations with their OWN manual labour, they are NOT entitlled to use the term artisanal. From Wikipedia: As an adjective (spelled "artisanal"), it has been used as a marketing buzz word to describe or imply an association with the crafting of hand made food products, such as bread, tofu, beverages and cheese. All I see in your list are expensive coffee houses using expensive "analog" machines to brew even more expensive coffee that in my and the experience of many of my colleagues to be extremely average. Please stop buying into this ridiculous, bourgeois terminology to describe food at a time when prices in Singapore are skyrocketing and the average household is finding it hard to make ends meet.
Serious Coffee
More artisanal coffee joints open in Singapore
29 August 2011
Move over Starbucks, the last 6 months has seen even more cafes touting themselves serious coffee connoisseurs.
The baristas have even turned political, with many supporting the Third Wave coffee movement.
Food is on the menu, but it's the caffeine that will get you in the door.
Just don't expect any skinny caramel vanilla-infused decaf lattes here.
jimmy monkey
A Melburian-inspired café actually opened by a Melburnian. With an interior that could be in the heart of Brunswick Street, their third wave beans are roasted on-site then run through an analogue Slayer machine. Several forms of coffee are available including ristretto, Chemex, French press and syphon. Parents, finally a venue with decent lattes that is kid-friendly.
Smitten
The hole in the wall shop roasts their beans and on site, to maintain freshness. You can select your choice of beans - Thumper espresso blend or the single origin which rotate seasonally. Three types of brewing choice are also available - Chemex, ice drip and the Mirage Idrocompresso lever machine. There's even the espresso tasting set, to compare the single origin and the blend.
Jewel Coffee
Jewel is not for the faint-hearted - every espresso-based drink is a double shot. Their focus is single origin coffees that are rotated weekly, so you get to try beans from round the world. There is the manual La Marzocco machine or you can also opt for Chemex, pour-over or the syphon method. KeepCups are available.
The Orange Thimble
The Orange Thimble is perhaps a less intimidating option. Their blend of 80% Brazilian and 20% African beans is sourced from local roasters and for now, they are concentrating on coffee from their La Marzocco GB5 machine only. While they are not as staunch as the other players, they still serve a competitive piccolo latte.
Toby's Estate
Opening at 8 Rodyk Street in early October, beans will be roasted in-house and they will be hosting regular coffee degustation events. The café will also open at 7am every day, perfect for early-bird corporates and bleary-eyed mothers.
Need more? Check out The Cafe Revolution for more quality coffee joints, and Break-the-fast for our go-to breakfast spots. For our full listing of good quality cafes, see our cafe directory listings.
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