From mushroom lattes and cascara soda to coffee-delivery drones, here’s what’s shaking up the coffee world
Like most things that are centuries old, coffee culture continues to evolve. While no one is stopping you from enjoying your cup of java brewed efficiently in an auto-drip coffee maker, there are many other ways to savor this hot drink, wherever you are in the world.
From having your flat white delivered by drone in Canberra to a latte fortified by healthy mushrooms, there are many other ways of enjoying your java these days. Planning to pamper yourself with an expensive up of coffee? You can have a $324 pot right here in the Lion City.
Starting 26 April 2022, fully vaccinated travellers on all Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights will enjoy quarantine-free entry into Singapore without any pre-departure Covid-19 test. On your way to visiting one of the destinations mentioned below, why not stopover in the Little Red Dot and try the local kopi, visit cafés with an international touch and shop for beans from our local roasters? To know more about entry requirements for Singapore, check Singapore Airlines’ travel advisory.
1. The rise of oat milk
Oat milk began gaining traction pre-pandemic and is still popular these days. The plant-based beverage is championed by baristas around the world for its subtle flavour and creamy, frothy texture that combines well with an exemplary espresso. It’s an environmentally friendly option, taking less water to produce than many of its other non-dairy counterparts. Sample it at PULP in Kuala Lumpur or at Apartment Coffee in Singapore.
2. Coffee-based cocktails
Coffee culture has recently undergone a serious evolution and caffeine-based cocktails have morphed accordingly. While the humble espresso martini at Singapore’s number one bar, Jigger & Pony, remains one of our favorites, expand your horizon and try the cold brew Negroni, poured at Lunetta in Santa Monica, California, using Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur. Or pencil in a date at Super Lyan, which has just moved to Amsterdam from London, and order the Nitro Martini made from a homemade cola-style syrup and nitro coffee.
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3. Coffee delivery drones
If technology has anything to do with it, the wait for your morning flat white might soon be a thing of the past. According to a BBC report, IBM is currently patenting a flying device that can identify office workers’ fatigue levels and deliver on-demand cups of coffee. In March 2022, drone delivery service Wing partnered with Australian supermarket chain Coles, starting in Canberra, where it has also supports Kickstarter Coffee.
4. Cascara soda
Cascara – the dried skins of the cherries that give rise to coffee beans – has long been a casualty of the coffee-making process, but it’s now playing a starring role in the coffee world. At the sleek Bonanza Roastery Café in Berlin, cascara is the basis for a refreshing soda. It’s also served with a splash of syrup at cult New York café Everyman Espresso and in a glass with refreshing sliced fruit at Homeground Coffee Roasters in Singapore.
5. Mushroom lattes
Caffeine addicts and wellness enthusiasts have found common ground in an unlikely ingredient: mushrooms. In the past years, edible fungus – long lauded in India and China for its medicinal qualities, including the ability to boost moods and dissolve stress – has been ground to dust and used to brew lattes, like at Shroom Room in New York‘s Lower East Side. Here, the Mushroom Coffee has lesser amount of caffeine compared with regular coffees and is fortified with Lion’s Mane & Chaga mushrooms to help you focus.
6. High-end caffeine fixes
In Singapore, Bacha Coffee offers a pot of kopi luwak for $76 a pot – but that is not the most expensive item on the menu. That distinction goes to the Paraiso Gold, made from single origin beans grown in Brazil’s Cerrado Mineiro region, and costs $374 a pot. In Melbourne’s Surrey Hills neighbourhood, Gesha Café charges A$198 for a single cup of coffee made with Yuzo-style beans, grown in the highlands of Panama.
Please check the establishments’ respective websites for opening hours as well as booking requirements before visiting, and remember to adhere to safe-distancing measures while out and about. The information is accurate as of press time.
For the latest travel advisory updates, please refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website. To learn more about Singapore Airlines flights, visit singaporeair.com. To join us in protecting the environment by offsetting your carbon emissions on your future flights, visit the following websites to learn more: carbonoffset.singaporeair.com.sg and carbonoffset.flyscoot.com.
