Kopi Kade

‘Roasting coffee is like cooking a steak’ is a cliché that is often used in the coffee community. What this means is that indicators such as light, medium and dark roast mean very little if the interior of the coffee bean has not been ‘cooked’ all the way through during the roasting process. Often, if First crack is reached via fast application of heat without sufficient development, the coffee will look ‘medium’ but taste grassy and hay like. If you roast the coffee too slowly, the coffee will taste ‘baked’ i.e no vibrancy and no sweetness.

Roasting coffee is a process of using science and technology, trial, tasting and sensory evaluation to finalize what you believe tastes best in a given coffee.

Want to know more? Come and chat with us at the cafe!

One more sleep till our .coffeefestival event in partnership with and ! This is your last chance to win a ticket to this immersive experience to learn about the “Seed to Shot” process while enjoying coffee based cocktails and food.

Cupping is the most basic form of coffee tasting. It is ground coffee which is put into a bowl with water just off the boil.

The Specialty Coffee Association has set parameters for ratio of coffee to water (a ratio of 8.25g of coffee to 150ml of water), TDS of the water used (100 to 250ppm), as well as temperature (93C) and time that the coffee should be brewed for (3 to 5mins).

Cupping is conducted at all levels of the coffee supply chain, from producers, to exporters, to roasters and then cafés. The main purpose is to identify any flavour defects in the coffee. A standardised protocol for cupping allows for better cross communication from producer, broker, roaster, cafe and ending at the consumer. Essentially, it is a universal ‘language’ of coffee tasting. The Specialty Coffee Association also has an established points system for scoring each coffee- but it doesn’t have to be so complicated! Just comparing 2 coffees side by side in a blind tasting will do wonders for refining your palate to coffee.

To win a single pass DM us the answer to this question:

Who is the godfather of the coffee cupping scene and created the coffee flavour lexicon that we know today including the iconic flavour wheel seen in every hipster coffee institution?

Along with the answer you MUST send in the following:
(1) your name
(2) your phone number
(3) your email address
(4) your vaccination status
(5) any dietary restrictions

Only those DMs with all the information requested above will go into the draw and you can only enter once. We’ll announce the winner on our stories (and via DM) tonight. Entries close at 5pm on Thursday 17th February.

Sorting green coffee prior to packing in jute or Grainpro Hermetic bags is a crucial step in having a consistent, defect-free cup. Sorting at its most basic is done by hand, where clear defects such as black beans, broken beans, chipped beans and beans with insect damage are taken out.

There are also machines that sort via ‘screen size’ which ensures that all relatively similar sized beans are grouped together, ensuring that the roast comes out as evenly as possible. They also can sort by colour, to remove black or mouldy beans.

To win a single pass to our .coffeefestival event this Friday DM us the answer to this question:

What is the most common form of insect damage in Sri Lankan green coffee?
A) stem borer disease
B) berry borer disease
C) rust damage

Along with the answer you MUST send in the following:
(1) your name
(2) your phone number
(3) your email address
(4) your vaccination status
(5) any dietary restrictions

Only those DMs with all the information requested above will go into the draw and you can only enter once. We’ll announce the winner on our stories (and via DM) tomorrow morning (Thursday 17th February). Entries close at midnight on Wednesday 16th.

The 'coffee bean' we know is actually a seed of a fruit.
It is comprised of the following layers;

- the exocarp or outer skin (pulp)
- the mesocarp or mucilage, a sticky layer
- endocarp, or parchment which is a papery layer
- silverskin, which is a membrane covering the two coffee seeds inside the fruit

After being plucked from a tree in cherry form, the seed has to be seperated from the fruit, before spoilage occurs and taints the flavour of the coffee bean. This can be done in primarily three ways- washed, natural and honey.

Natural processed coffee is putting the coffee out in the sun to dry, until the cherry skin falls off the seed, isolating the bean. The microorganisms inside the cherry ferment the cherry due to exposure to heat and moisture.

Washed process is putting the coffee in a pulper, which mechanically removes the cherry and isolates the seed. Fermentation is used to remove a sticky substance called mucilage. The coffee seeds are put into a water bath known as a ‘fermentation tank’ which uses microorganisms from the environment surrounding the bath to separate the mucilage.

Honey process removes only the cherry, while keeping the mucilage intact on the coffee bean. This is then put out to dry, with more fermented flavors being imparted on to the seed, without the heavy fermentation flavors that some natural process coffees are known for.

This is another topic we’ll be covering in detail at our .coffeefestival event in partnership with and .

To win a single pass to the event DM us the answer to this question:

What is the optimal moisture content range that coffee beans are dried to?
A) 6-8%
B) 8-12%
C) 12-15%

Along with the answer you MUST send in the following:
(1) your name
(2) your phone number
(3) your email address
(4) your vaccination status
(5) any dietary restrictions

Only those DMs with all the information requested above will go into the draw and you can only enter once. We’ll announce the winner on our stories (and via DM) tomorrow morning (Wednesday 16th February). Entries close at midnight on Tuesday 15th.

We’ve settled on the 18th of February as the new date for the event, Sri Lankan Coffee From Seed To Shot.

Ticket giveaways will be on everyday starting today, so stay focussed on our ‘gram game.

We will be having a savoury & sweet food menu incorporating coffee as an ingredient, the beverages will feature coffee in cold brew, bitters and iced pour over.

Apologies for the late change but we promise the wait will be worth it. We will announce the exact date of the event and recommence our giveaways soon.

Thank you for your understanding!

We are getting deep into selective picking today. Did you know that coffee is a fruit? These fruits, like any other fruit, have to be picked at the correct ripeness for the best taste. Think of the taste of a green unripe mango vs an orange/yellow ripe mango vs brown/black overripe mango…. This is another topic we’ll be covering in detail at our .coffeefestival event in partnership with and .

To win a single pass to the event DM us the answer to this question:

What is the next step in the coffee supply chain following selective picking?

Along with the answer you MUST send in the following:
(1) your name
(2) your phone number
(3) your email address
(4) your vaccination status
(5) any dietary restrictions

Only those DMs with all the information requested above will go into the draw and you can only enter once. We’ll announce the winner on our stories (and via DM) on the morning of Saturday 15th January. You have till midnight on Friday 14th to enter!

Thank you for your overwhelming response to our last post and interest in attending our “Sri Lankan Coffee from Seed to Shot” event on 21st January in partnership with and .coffeefestival. Please note, due to COVID-19 restrictions this is a closed event by invitation only. BUT the good news is we are giving away a handful of invitations leading up to the event.

Here’s your first chance…

Did you know Sri Lanka used to be one of the largest coffee-producing countries in the world, only second to Brazil? Scroll across for a quick intro and we’ll talk about this in detail at the event (while you sip on a coffee-based cocktail)… To win a double pass to the event DM us the answer to this question:

What was the main issue with planting that led to the coffee industry being debilitated in the 19th century?

Along with the answer you MUST send in the following:
(1) your name
(2) your phone number
(3) your email address
(4) the name of the person who will accompany you
(5) dietary restrictions for both of you
(6) vaccination status for both of you

Only those DMs with all the information requested above will go into the draw and you can only enter once. We’ll announce the winner on our stories (and via DM) at 9am on Wednesday 12th January. You have till then to enter!

Our first event in over two years! We are partnering with and to host an event at the café on the evening of 21st January as part of the first ever .coffeefestival. If you are a coffee nerd, read on - we have a handful of invitations to give away!

We are calling this one "Sri Lankan Coffee from Seed to Shot". There will be coffee, there will be coffee-based cocktails and there will be a chance to hear from a coffee farmer, roaster, cupper, and a barista. It will be an immersive night of learning - Kenneth and our team will talk about the history and background of coffee and what happens to your cup of coffee at farmgate, quality assurance, and roasting levels before it gets to you in the form of your favorite flat white or espresso. There will be a chance to get involved in a competition and win some cool coffee-based prizes too. We also have an auction for charity of a beautiful painting done pro-bono by .the_artist which she painted using coffee from three countries (Brazil, Kenya, Guatemala) brewed in multiple ways (aeropress, espresso, lungo).

Check back on Sunday for your first chance to win a double pass to the event.

Festive season opening hours:

22,23,24 December: Open 10-5
25,26,27 December: Closed
28,29,30 December: Open 10-5
31 December to 4 January: Closed
5 January: Back to regular program

Christmas stocking fillers of the best kind!

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On the left: Raspberry Hibiscus Spread

Frozen raspberries, vanilla bean, hibiscus tea, lightly caramelised coconut sugar & butter.

It’s not a jam, or a sauce. It’s thickened with xantham gum and enriched with butter. It’s a winner!

Rs 2250 per jar (225g)

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On the right: Mr Maillard
Peanut Butter White Chocolate Spread

White chocolate, that’s slow cooked until all the milk solids turn brown, blended with american peanut butter and maldon sea salt.

It’s like nutella without the added oils. Use it like nutella (eat it straight from the jar).

Maillard reactions are what give coffee it’s uniquely awesome taste and colour. They are also what makes a grilled steak or piece of meat so perfect; complexity. It’s a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that gives browned food it’s unique flavours.

Excuse the food nerd in us. Trust us, this is delicious.

Rs 2750 per jar (225g)

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Limited quantities of each are available. Drop by the cafe to purchase before they sell out!

No kopi today.
See you all tomorrow!