The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever 

The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever 

Medium-sized farms play an important role in specialty coffee

For many consumers and industry professionals, specialty coffee and direct trade are inextricably linked. Building strong and mutually beneficial working relationships between producers and roasters is often seen as a cornerstone of establishing a truly sustainable supply chain. So with this association between specialty coffee and direct trade, there can be a narrative of smaller-sized […]


Know Your Sweeteners: Agave: Part Two—Environmental Concerns

Agave has become an increasingly popular sweetener in the coffee industry. But is it as environmentally friendly as people claim it to be? BY EMILY JOY MENESESBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo sourced via Pixabay In recent years, you may have noticed an increase in demand for “alternative sweeteners” like agave. While today, the nectar serves […]


Out Now: The February + March 2023 Issue

The February + March 2023 issue of Barista Magazine features New Zealand coffee & chef champion Sam Low on the cover. Also inside: a special section on branding, understanding trademark law, an interview with Laura Sommers, field reports from Kansas City, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, and much more. BY KENNETH R. OLSONBARISTA MAGAZINE We’re excited […]


Conflict in the Red Sea: Why coffee roasters need to prepare for shipping delays

Like many other industries, conditions in the coffee supply chain can change quickly, and in turn, have a huge impact on all actors and stakeholders. Price volatility is one of the more pertinent – which is influenced by many factors. These include fluctuations in supply and demand, extreme or unexpected weather events, global economic downturn, […]

The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever 

Know Your Sweeteners: Honey: Part One

Not all sweeteners are made equal! In this series, we’ll take a closer look at different types of sweeteners and syrups—starting with honey. BY EMILY JOY MENESESBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo by Arwin Neil Baichoo via Unsplash Though you can’t go wrong with simple syrup or the tried-and-true vanilla, there are many options when it […]


Competition, Cold, and More from the 2024 U.S. Coffee Competition Qualifiers in Houston

The first round of qualifiers for the 2024 season of the United States Coffee Competitions featured the U.S. Barista, Cup Tasters, and Roasters qualifying competitions. BY KATE VAN PETTENSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Photos courtesy of U.S. CoffeeChamps The first round of qualifiers for the 2024 season of the United States Coffee Competitions took place January […]


PRF El Salvador announces speakers and panellists

Following a call for applications in October 2022, Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF) has announced its first speakers and panellists for PRF El Salvador. The two-day forum will be held on 16 and 17 March 2023 at the Salamanca Exhibition Centre in San Salvador. The event is set to return to El Salvador after it […]


3 Elements Coffee: Supporting Veterans, One Cup at a Time  

The Australian roasting company helps to create opportunities for veteran communities.  BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of 3 Elements Coffee  Brisbane, Australia-based 3 Elements Coffee, founded by Navy veteran Terry McNally in 2016, has a mission to support the transition of ex-military personnel into the commercial workspace. To help achieve their goal and raise […]

The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever 

Serving Coffee in the Epicenter

The Turkish specialty-coffee community is coming together to support earthquake relief. BY MICHAEL BUTTERWORTHSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE When Niji Coffee went live on Instagram, it felt as though the entire Turkish specialty-coffee community was watching with bated breath. Niji Coffee made a name for itself in the Turkish specialty-coffee scene when, as a relatively […]


3 All-Women Coffee Roasting Companies that Are Changing the Game

The world of specialty coffee is still largely governed by men, but these all-female specialty-coffee roasters are helping to close the gender gap. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo courtesy of Lot Zero/7Gr As is the case for many commercial sectors, the world of specialty coffee continues to display gender disparity along the entire […]


Get Ready for The Barista League’s 2024 Season

The Barista League has announced 12 competitions across four continents. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of The Barista League When The Barista League announces new events, it’s worth paying attention! This year, the schedule will be organized by geographic location, bringing together coffee people in various communities. At The Barista League in […]


Playing Leaderboard, the Arcade-Inspired Coffee Game

We sat down to try the newest version of the game—a fun opportunity to learn more about coffee while vying for cool coffee prizes.  BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos by Tanya Nanetti I’ve never been much into video games, except for the classic arcade games of my youth.   Growing up in the ‘80s meant […]

The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever 

The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever 

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever 

We look at some of the highlights of the recent Singapore Roaster Forum, from coffee bar takeovers and cupping tables, to panel discussions with industry experts. 

BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos courtesy of Singapore Coffee Collective 

Singapore may be a small island, but when it comes to specialty coffee, it packs a mighty punch. This was evident during the second Singapore Roaster Forum; held on the first weekend of October 2022, the forum brought together some of the best local and international talent in the coffee industry. Halted for two years due to COVID-19, the highly anticipated event finally took place, and it did not disappoint. 

The forum, which organizers describe as an open platform for coffee professionals to share and exchange knowledge, saw a variety of panel discussions, coffee bar takeovers, and coffee tastings. There were also guest appearances from some of the biggest names in coffee. Today we’ll take a look at some of the highlights from this event, sure to be an annual staple on the Singaporean coffee calendar. 

Matt Winton speaks before an assembled audience. He is holding a microphone in one hand, gesturing to the audience with the other. He is wearing bright colors with a whimsical dinosaur print tee under an open button-up shirt.
2021 World Brewers Cup Champion Matt Winton spoke on how small roasteries can build sourcing relationships.

Highlights from the Singapore Roaster Forum 

Among the main highlights of the event were the bar takeovers by Matt Winton, 2021 World Brewers Cup Champion, and Sierra Yeo, 2022 UK Brewers Cup Champion. These two talented coffee professionals manned the bars at Dough and Glyph Supply Co., and treated guests to amazing coffee creations. Other memorable moments included competition coffees being served by Yessylia Violin, the 2022 Indonesian Barista Champion, and Mikael Jasin, the 2019 and 2020 Indonesian Barista Champion 2019/2020, at The Community Coffee, as well as their impromptu guest shifts at Dough. 

Three women sit on a panel for women coffee entrepreneurs. The one in the middle has chin length hair and is speaking into a microphone. To her left sits a woman in a black top, facing the speaker. On the other side is a woman with a ponytail holding a cup and listening. On the other side of her is a man in a white shirt, also on the panel.
Women’s entrepreneurship was also put in the spotlight during the Roaster Forum.

Hot Topics

There were panel discussions aplenty at the Singapore Roaster Forum, with topics ranging from cupping and processing methodologies, to roasting approaches and entrepreneurship in the coffee industry. Hee Wei, 2022 Singapore Barista Champion, shared his journey to the World Championships, while Matt Winton gave insights on sourcing coffee beans for small roasteries. Mikael Jasin further spoke about different processing methodologies used to achieve higher cupping scores and prices for coffee beans. Experienced roasters weighed in on sample versus production roasting. Additionally, a panel of women entrepreneurs shared their experiences in the coffee industry.  

The coffee cupping table at the Singapore Roaster Forum featured a large variety of coffees from across Asia, including some Vietnamese specialty coffees brought by Will Frith and Kel Norman of Building Coffee.  

Back view of a man at the cupping table arranging many bags of display coffees brought by Singapore roasters for the event. He wears a white tee and grey baseball cap.
The cupping table featured more than 20 coffees from across Asia.

So You Think You Can Brew? 

The weekend ended with the first-ever So You Think You Can Brew? home brewers’ brewdown at The Community Coffee. The competition saw 18 finalists compete in a series of challenges, with each round featuring a mystery coffee to calibrate with the goal of presenting the best brew to the judges within 15 minutes. 

Shining a spotlight on the home brewers was a great way to encourage coffee enthusiasts of all levels to get involved in the industry. We’re confident that this won’t be the last time we see such an event at the Singapore Roaster Forum.

All in all, the weekend was a resounding success, giving coffee lovers a chance to meet and mingle with some of the best in the business, learn more about coffee, and enjoy some truly excellent cups of joe. We can’t wait to see what next year’s event has in store! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior online correspondent for Barista Magazine, and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work. You can follow her adventures at thewanderingbean.net.

The post The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever  appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever 

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

The Singapore Roaster Forum Returns Stronger Than Ever 

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