Attractive as a bartender’s flair may be behind the bar as he or she vigorously shakes drinks and crafts magnificent looking cocktails, a barista’s craft is just as impressive. The ability to craft intricate and gorgeous patterns in a cup is a skill not many possess but it is one that impresses nonetheless.

Fancy being able to perform incredible feats with a pitcher of milk as your paint and a cup of coffee as your canvas? Well, now you can. Here are 8 Coffee-Making Workshops In Singapore where you can get your barista basics and learn a thing or two about coffee that you probably never knew before.

Photo Credit: Bettr Barista Coffee Company

BETTR BARISTA COFFEE ACADEMY

Bettr Barista Coffee Academy is an educational social enterprise that offers world-class, internally-certified barista training classes for the public, the industry and disadvantaged individuals as well. A coffee roaster, a training academy as well as a place where anyone and everyone can go to enjoy a speciality cuppa, this humble establishment goes above and beyond to provide for the community more than just their daily caffeine intake.

Course: SCA Barista Skills – Foundation

Price: S$480 per pax

What To Expect: For aspiring baristas looking to understand the basics of speciality coffee, the course will cover all the practical skills that you will need behind the espresso bar from learning how to set your grinder, various milk techniques and latte art, health and safety, customer service, and basic business practices.

9 Harrison Road, #04-01,
Harrison Industrial Building,
Singapore 369651
Tel: +65 6383 5030
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon to Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat: 10.30am – 2pm
Nearest Station: Tai Seng

Photo Credit: Papa Palheta

PAPA PALHETA

Papa Palheta is an independent coffee boutique, specialising in roasting and purveying speciality coffee in Singapore and Malaysia. They are meticulous and strict in the way that they prepare their coffee to ensure that every single brew does justice to the beans. They also drive C-Platform, an avenue where coffee enthusiasts can hone their coffee making skills.

Course: Latte Art

Price: S$210 per pax

What To Expect: For coffee aficionados with a solid foundation in proper espresso extraction and milk texturing who wish to work on their latte art skills, this course will arm you with all the skills you will need to craft spectacular latte art. You will learn the fundamentals of free pour latte art, namely the heart, tulip and rosetta. Each class is limited to 9 students.

150 Tyrwhitt Road,
Singapore 207563
Tel: +65 6299 4321
(Closed on Mondays)
Tue to Fri: 9am – 7pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Lavender

COMMON MAN COFFEE ROASTERS

Situated at 22 Martin Road, operating seven days a week and serving an all-day brunch menu, Common Man Coffee Roasters has become a perennial favourite for locals and travellers in need of solid brew and brunch-style grub. For aspiring baristas, they have a variety of courses from rookie to professional levels available, allowing you to gain not only knowledge but hands-on experience as well.

Course: Fundamental Barista Skills

Price: S$190 per pax

What To Expect: Espresso preparation techniques, quality evaluation, espresso recipes, milk steaming and pouring, and more.

22 Martin Road 01-00,
Singapore 239058
Tel: +65 6836 4695
Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 5pm
Sat & Sun: 7.30am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay

TIONG HOE SPECIALITY COFFEE

Tiong Hoe Gim Kee Trading Co was founded out of genuine love and passion for coffee by Mr Tan Tiong Hoe in the 1960s. Fast forward to present day, Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee now stands as an icon in the coffee scene in Singapore. Aside from serving up their own speciality coffee, they also offer a variety of courses from coffee appreciation sessions to hands-on barista training workshops.

Course: Elementary Knowledge Of Coffee

Price: S$180 per pax (for 2 modules)

What To Expect: Comprising of 2 separate modules (Coffee Basics & Milk Texturing And Drinks Preparation) this course covers all the basics of coffee making from theory to basic brewing skills. Students will learn basic skills such as ground distribution and tamping as well as learning to achieve the perfect texture of milk—of which latte art is crafted from.

170 Stirling Road,
Singapore 140170
Tel: +65 6473 1133
Mon to Fri: 8.30am – 5.30pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 4pm
Nearest Station: Queenstown

A.R.C COFFEE

A.R.C is a concept that has taken Singapore coffee aficionados by storm. Functioning as an academy, roastery and café, A.R.C combines the elements of coffee making, roasting and learning in a single space—and has earned itself a stellar reputation in the coffee scene here in Singapore.

Course: Basic Latte Art Training

Price: S$200 per pax

What To Expect: Learners will be given an introduction to latte art as well as many hands-on activities from proper milk texturing techniques, free-pour mechanics and of course, trying out the various latte art patterns.

29 Sultan Gate,
Singapore 198477
Tel: +65 6291 6863
(Closed on Mondays)
Sun to Thu: 10.30am – 6pm
Fri & Sat: 10.30am – 12am
Nearest Station: Nicoll Highway

Photo Credit: Highlander Coffee

HIGHLANDER COFFEE

More than just issuing you with a certificate of achievement, Highlander Coffee’s quality hands-on coffee training programme is designed to teach you just how to make a solid cuppa as well as how to properly appreciate coffee at its essence—with some fancy tricks thrown into the mix as well.

Course: Professional Intensive Hands-On Barista Workshop

Price: S$211.86 per pax

What To Expect: Whether you are planning on opening a cafe, working as a barista or simply just want to be able to make a delicious cup of coffee at home, this workshop will teach you the proper skills you need from texturing and stretching milk, preparing your coffee workstation and proper espresso extraction.

49 Kampong Bahru Road,
Singapore 169362
Tel: +65 6226 1686
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon to Sat: 9am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Outram Park

ABBIE’S COFFEEHOUSE

Abbie’s Coffeehouse is an artisan drink company that specialises in providing speciality mobile coffee catering services in Singapore. Apart from providing coffee catering services to events such as weddings, product launches and meetings, they also conduct barista courses and coffee appreciation workshops for budding baristas and coffee enthusiasts.

Course: Basic Barista Course

Price: S$200 per pax

What To Expect: Participants will be given a thorough introduction to speciality coffee as well as be exposed to various coffee brewing methods, milk frothing techniques and latte art. There will also be lessons on how to properly calibrate your machine to get the most out of your bean. Hands-on training is something heavily emphasised here so participants can expect to get the feel of being a working barista on the job.

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2 Havelock Road #02-14,
Singapore 059763
Tel: +65 8688 4256
(Closed on Saturdays & Sundays)
Mon to Fri: 11am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay

Photo Credit: Santino Coffee Specialists Pte Ltd

SANTINO COFFEE SPECIALISTS PTE LTD

Santino is one of the largest and leading suppliers of gourmet coffee and professional coffee machinery to businesses in Singapore. Founded in 1978 by brothers Ricky and Ronnie Kang, the company has since progressed from being a cottage coffee roaster to one of today’s leading providers of quality coffee products.

Course: Latte Art Course

Price: S$220 per pax (before GST)

What To Expect: Designed specifically for practising baristas, the course skips the basics of coffee making and knowledge and instead dives right into the theory and practical aspects of free-pour latte art. Understanding that different individuals progress at different paces, attention will be directed towards each individual, allowing for a more personal and enriching experience.

Blk 3017 Bedok North Street 5, #03-24,
Singapore 486121
Tel: +65 6448 5030
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon to Fri: 8am – 5pm
Sat: 8am – 12pm
Nearest Station: Tanah Merah

The relentless obsession with Melbourne cafes is such a worldwide phenomenon to the extent where virtually every cosmopolitan city is jumping on the bandwagon of serving Melburnian-inspired brunch, alongside aromatic Australian flat whites. From Two Hands, and Little Collins in New York City, to Lantana Cafe and Kaffeine in London, Melbourne-style cafes can be found in many cities around the World today.

Needless to say, Singapore is too unspared from this global trend. Will these cafes continue to become a part of our daily lives, or will the bulk of these establishments disappear like the Bubble Tea fad? Only time will tell.

According to National Population and Talent Division, approximately 50,000 Singaporeans live in Australia. Most of them return to Singapore after graduation and/or a few years of work, only to find themselves sorely missing Down Under’s handcrafted coffee. The demand for artisanal coffees is high, especially when Singaporeans today are increasingly well-travelled too. Spurred by a group of young ambitious entrepreneurs and expats, a cafe culture was born.

It has only been but five years since the café bug bit us. 40 Hands was one of the pioneer specialty coffee cafes that emerged in 2010 – where it has transformed the previously sleepy Tiong Bahru neighbourhood forever. Today, there are hundreds of similar specialty coffee shops catered for affluent yuppies. Judging from our Instagram feeds, consumers are clearly craving for more. Here, we look deeper into Singapore’s cafe scene and where it is headed to!

THE EVOLUTION OF CAFES IN SINGAPORE

While nobody can predict the future, we can vouch for the tremendous improvements of Singapore’s cafe scene. It is a continuous journey for both cafes and patrons, where both parties are constantly learning about coffee and food. Gone are the days where customers are satisfied with just Starbucks; Singaporeans’ palates are undoubtedly evolving and expectation are hence higher.

Jane Hia, founder of Kith Cafe, agrees that cafes nowadays are a lot more serious with their food offerings and decent coffee is almost a given. She attributes fierce competition as a huge motivation, where it keeps everyone on their toes and push them to keep up the standards.

OF STANDARDS AND LIFESTYLE DEMANDS

“Only those who are consistently good will survive. Down the line, I believe consumer lifestyles are gradually changing and cafes will take on a bigger role in their daily lives. It will no longer be about novelty. It will become a way of life,” she said.

Ryan Pang, owner of Habitat Cafe, has too expressed his views that standards of food and coffee are getting higher. “It is really competitive right now, where the cafe scene is becoming increasingly commercialised,” he said.

Many youngsters – high school students included – have no qualms splurging S$5 to S$7 for just a cup of coffee, even though they could get a traditional kopi from the hawker at just a dollar. Singaporeans’ dramatic increase in disposable income and spending power plays an important role in sustaining the café scene here on our sunny island where there are cafes at almost every corner of the city now. Locals aside, the influx of well-off expatriates is also vital to the café industry. Singapore is indeed after all no longer a small fishing village but a full-fledged metropolis.

SINGAPORE’S CAFES – YAY OR NAY

Now the big question is: Have Singapore’s cafes nailed it? Some say yes and some say no.

Substance ultimately determines a café’s fate and Singapore’s rising community of discerning diners is able to distinguish between what is fad and what is fab. New café establishments definitely need more than just a pretty façade to convert first-time patrons into regulars.

Andrew Lek, owner of Department of Caffeine and The Populus Coffee & Food Co., said there is greater wisdom now. “Food served must taste good and cannot just look pretty,” he added.

“Fads probably seem like a big deal in Singapore because queuing up for something or being ‘kiasu’ is very much ingrained in the Singaporean DNA. That said, I think fads die faster too. Food is such an important part of our culture, couple that with amplifying effects from social media, it just makes it easier for the nation to talk about it. I don’t think anyone in history has ever shared so much information about food and there is only more to come,” said Jane.

While social media platforms such as Instagram are a great way for cafes to gain public awareness, it is also a tool where owners find themselves extremely vulnerable to. Derrick Chew, owner of Hyde & Co, akins Instagram to a double–edged sword, where it has helped to raise awareness for his brand but there are too several downsides to the popular mobile app.

THE BENCHMARK FOR ALL CAFES AND SINGAPORE’S LIMITATIONS

So why is it that many potential cafes in Singapore actually end up paling in comparison when compared to Melbourne’s cafes? For many years, people from all walks of life have expressed their fascination towards Melbourne cafes’ exceptionally high standards. The formula for success lies in the Aussies’ everlasting love for gastronomy; the pursuit of excellence is an endless journey fuelled by fervour. And of course, the abundance of fresh ingredients, and the blessing of great lands and environments!

Unfortunately, being a nation deprived of natural resources has posed as an indirect problem. Sourcing of fresh premium ingredients is a costly affair and customers might not be ready to pay for such luxuries. Yet, Melbourne’s accessibility to plenty of fresh resources and decades of experience have given them an upper hand in being one of the world’s best dining destinations.

The cafe capital of Australia is also synonymous with the world’s best coffees, where baristas are looked up to with revered admiration. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Singapore, where only barristers and other white-collared professions are treated with high respect.

BIG DREAMS AND EASY MONEY… NOT

On the other hand, many Singaporean restaurateurs have wrongly mistaken Melbourne-inspired cafe concepts as moneymaking schemes. Andrew (from The Populus Coffee & Food Co.) explains that most people did not know that being a cafe owner is actually a 24-hour commitment. Most importantly, he emphasises that money cannot solve everything. It takes an incredible amount of resilience.

Dreaming of opening a cafe one day? Here are 10 things you should know before opening a cafe.

This attitude discrepancy underlines an issue for the future of Singapore cafés. While it is true that the paradigm towards F&B has been shifting, a lot still has to be done. How does one expect a world-class café industry in Singapore when coffee-making is considered an unsustainable career option for Singaporeans? Yet, being a professional barista is an aspiration for many young Melbournians. Go figure.

Adding a random vintage bicycle into the décors and serving lackluster but Instagram-worthy dishes might fool some, but not the well-informed foodies. Once the novelty wears off, food lovers in the know will not return. The undying fiery passions one sees in Melbourne can never be replicated with money, nor can culinary skills acquired over the years be mimicked overnight.

THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

According to Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, nearly a quarter of the 391 cafes that opened in 2014 have already shut its doors. On the bright side, this alarming statistics also signify a movement – local entrepreneurship is on the rise. As the wise Oprah Winfrey once said, “Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” May the determined never give up!

The phrase “survival of the fittest” is perhaps the best way to describe the cafe scene in Singapore. There is no lack of options, and mediocre cafes simply will not stay for long.

At the end of the day, this might not ultimately be a bad thing for us. We value quality over quantity, because we simply cannot handle disappointment from a sour coffee and overly cooked eggs every other day.

And if everyone’s just simply jumping on the bandwagon of serving a trendy food or dish-of-the-moment without truly knowing your craft, or trying to get away with shitty coffee, or boringly serving Eggs Benedict and French Toast and all that predictable brunch food, the cafe will not be sustainable.

Cafe owners often talk about their struggles and challenges, and how the uphill struggle occurs because there are “too many cafes around”. But the truth is, only the best cafes who constantly adapt, innovate and improve on their offerings will survive.

Still interested to open a cafe? Read our in-depth interviews with cafe owners on how much it costs to open a new cafe in Singapore.

Words by: Ng Hui Jun
Edited by: Brad Lau, Melody Yap

The coffee scene has propelled over the last few years, and gone are the days that being a barista is but a part-time stint; it is, in fact, a full-fledged career for many. We sat down with Harry Grover, owner of Forty Hands, to ask him some of the criteria that he looks for when he is hiring a barista.

“Most of the staff that we have hired did not have much experience prior to joining us. It is a profession that you don’t really have to have any background. You just need to find the right people who are truly passionate about what they are doing,” Grover says.

At Forty Hands, a new staff needs to work the floor – wash cups, serve tables, do anything and everything – for a few months before they even get a chance to go near the espresso machine. Grover explains his rationale behind this: “I want to see people’s dedication. In order to be a good barista, you need to have the right attitude and work ethics. I am more inclined to hire someone who has worked at KFC for a long period of time than to hire someone who has experience at another café for only 3 months. If they can commit to doing all the crap jobs, then we are more than willing to teach them everything that we know.”

To sum up the chat with Grover, here are some of the things that you should know and possesses in order to be a good barista.

Be an all-rounder

You must not be afraid to do the dirty work like cleaning tables, washing cups, serving customers and taking orders. If you dream of opening your own café in the future, it will be very useful to familiarise yourself with the different roles in the café.

Dedication

Dedication, dedication, and dedication. The key is to be passionate about coffee, to constantly gain more knowledge and to always improve yourself.

Commitment

Being committed to the job is essential. No café is going to hire you if you are always taking medical leave or going on holidays.

Physically fit

Also, it is vital to be physically fit and healthy because it can get very taxing to move around the cafe. Being a barista is tough work; you need to be able to endure working long hours.

No rockstar attitude

One common misunderstanding that has led to wrong expectations  many think that being a barista is cool. People want to be a barista not because they are interested in coffee, but because they want to have a cool job. When you work in a café, especially so as a barista, you need be a team player and you have to dig out all your humanity to learn the ropes. No pain, no gain. And no rockstar attitude, else you will never rise to recognition.