I’ve known about Toby’s Estate opening in Singapore a while back. I was highlighted to it by way of jimseven and then Deaton Pigot, who opened Toby’s Estate in New York. Blogging has its accolades. In fact, it was the 1st of only 2 coffee places I went to for job interviews.
I was formerly a barista trainer at The Line Restaurant at Shangri-la Hotel. I quit rather than having to compromise on quality issues. Now, I’m a barista trainee at Oriole Coffee. Does this bother me? Let me elaborate ….
My work day starts at 7.00 am. I open up the Republic Plaza outlet of Oriole Coffee Espresso and Brew Bar together with my colleagues. I get to calibrate coffee that is… Continue reading
On this coming weekend of 14th, 15th May and on the next weekend of 21st, 22nd May, Oriole Coffee Roasters will be making Bodum French Press presentations at Takashimaya Shopping Centre at Ngee Ann City. The baristi instructing the Bodum French Press class are past Singapore National Barista Champions, John Ting (2008, 2009) and Keith Loh (2010).
Of special mention and also an update to this blog post is… Continue reading
I was catching up with CG podcasts today and listened to the Christchurch post-earthquake episode that was really moving. The city has been devastated we all know … as has Japan. One of our most respected coffee gurus, Carl Sara, who has a cafe there, has set up a website with some help from Mark Prince (CoffeeGeek), Steve Leighton (HasBean) and Lawrence Brown (Web designer) – a virtual cafe, where… Continue reading
“Getting to do what you love…”
As far back as I can remember, I have been quite lucky and have always managed to turn my passion into a job. I’ve done this with comics and toys for 14 years. Now, I’ve elected to do the same with my other love, coffee. Walking away from a barista
The number one highlight of Singapore National Barista Championships 2011, held in conjunction with Tea & Coffee World Cup Singapore (for me) has to be Oriole Coffee Roasters’ brand spanking new espresso machine, the La Marzocco Strada! This is the first Strada to appear in Asia, according to May Soo of Wineberry, the La Marzocco distributor in Singapore. This is the Strada EP (Electronic Paddle).
I’m blogging from Geek Terminal, a new swanky cafe at 55 Market Street, around the corner from OUB Center near Raffles Place MRT. A friend, Erik recommended me this place as he knew I liked coffee. Geek Terminal has a Ferrari Red La Pavoni 3 group piston machine. I’ve already had a Illy single espresso and a cappa. Erik had a latte. The espresso (S$2.00) has almost no crema, chalk… Continue reading
Today’s my first day as a professional barista. I started work at Gloria Jean’s at the Raffles City branch. Their setup is a La Marzocco 3 group GB5 and a La Marzocco Swift grinder and auto-tamper. The La Marzocco GB5 is a beaut to work with. By the lunch hour, I was already pulling shot after shot. The Swift makes life easier. You get to skip the DLT (Dose-Level-Tamp). No… Continue reading
