Milestone for Specialty coffee in Singapore - SCAE Singapore Chapter launches

by chee Leng (on coffee makers)
(Singapore)

It is good to have a known body, the well respected Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) to have a chapter in Singapore (just read a press release on that).

I have always wanted to attend a quality baristas certification without traveling to places such as Europe, US or Australia, and now it is possible right in Singapore.

This would greatly benefit folks like me that loves coffee, that would want to better their knowledge in this area.

The SCAE Singapore chapter in their press release highlighted a few areas that they would be promoting and setting standards on the craft of coffee, i.e. Green Bean, Roasting, Sensory and Barista skills

My $0.02

Better coffee

This would serves to firstly raised the standard of the specialty coffee scene in Singapore. Probably something like the ISO standards.

If you are dealing with specialty coffee, you would want to get this certification.

Better awareness

And personally, with training and continuous education, it should have a ripple effect on the coffee drinking community (in fact, oncoffeemakers FB community would be the first to be interested in this).

The price point of a specialty coffee should not be compared with that of a kopi or instant coffee. People would understand why the price difference between a specialty coffee and a kopitiam kopi.

In a coffee survey that we done last year, Starbucks was the best coffee.

Why? That is because most people associate expensive coffee to good coffee (which need not necessary be so).

I am not saying that Starbucks coffee is low in quality, but being staff by most part timers, I think that there is a limit to standard of coffee.

Note: I am also not saying that kopi or instant coffee is bad, in fact, I still think that it is the company that makes or breaks a cuppa.

Better culture

In Seattle, the independent or high street cafe culture is so strong, that starbucks debrand their cafes to cater to this culture.

Starbucks have high street cafes with different design and set-up that are vastly different from their corporate green and clean set up.

In fact, the cafes are not being called Starbucks, it is merely known as so and so cafe by Starbucks.

With this culture, make possible with the influx of many independent cafes owners, you can expect to see many innovative and creative happenings instead of cookie cutter coffee experience.

And I think with an easier access to this coffee education make possible by the SCAE in Singapore, there should be more cafes sprouting up. This would bring about competition, with that innovation and exciting themes.

Would update more when we do attend any of the courses.