The founders of It’s BEAN awhile started the flavoured online coffee retail store in September 2014 after reminiscing the flavoured coffees of Europe and the thrill of personally brewing their own coffees. Such was their passion for coffee that they gave up their day jobs and devoted their time to sharing quality flavoured coffee beans imported all the way from Europe.
For a different coffee experience away from the insane crowds of downtown hipster cafes, It’s BEAN awhile is the only merchant in Singapore that gives you fun flavours and good quality beans that also bring the cafe to your living room. The founders of It’s BEAN awhile have even professed to drinking large amounts of coffee a day in order to personally monitor the quality of their coffees.
Only EU-regulated Colombian medium roast Arabica coffee beans are used in their coffees, which are imported in limited quantities. The coffee beans are steeped in flavourings for 24 hours, producing a more robust flavour when brewed. No additives, coatings or syrups are used in the flavouring process.
Flavour categories include Chocolate, Fruity, Nutty, Liqueurs and Special. There are currently 14 flavours available for purchase in 100g bags (approximately 14 cups) with prices starting at $16.80 per bag with free delivery. That works out to a mere $1.20 per cup!
Beans are also only ground on request shortly before despatch, ensuring only the freshest, most aromatic blend when it arrives on your doorstep.
The founders of It’s BEAN awhile recommend three main brewing methods of which I personally attempted two.
No fancy equipment is needed for this method. Simply place approximately 1-2 tablespoons of ground coffee into a paper coffee filter (found in any supermarket). A large enough paper filter should hold the grains without completely falling into the cup. Then, fill up the cup by slowly pouring boiling water through the grinds and filter. It is imperative that the water has to be boiling if not the flavours in the coffee will not be fully extracted. Afterwhich, let sit for 3-4 minutes before drinking.
Alternatively, the same amount of grinds can be added directly into a cup. Just sieve out the coffee grains after 3-4 minutes. Note that unlike instant coffee, the grains will not dissolve in water.
The founders believe this is the best way of preserving the flavours in such non-conventional coffee, though personally I felt the Hipster Brewing method produced more flavours for me.
For this method you need either a french press or a drip coffee maker — the fancy appliance they use at places like Common Man Coffee Roaster to serve your organic single origin coffees in. I don’t have a drip coffee maker, so I used a french press. Add 3 tablespoons of ground coffee into the appliance, fill to about three-quarters full with boiling water once again and leave for 3-4 minutes (more ground coffee + less water = more robust flavours).
Between the Simple and Hipster brewing techniques I must say I prefer the latter even though this technique is meant to bring out the aroma of the coffee more than the flavour.
This is for the true coffee aficionados among us who own either a coffee machine or an AeroPress. In this case, the founders recommend a larger coffee to water ratio, and a longer resting time for the AeroPress before filtering. The result is a stronger taste of natural coffee, with slightly muted flavourings as compared to the Simple and Hipster methods of brewing.
I was lucky to have been able to sample 4 of It’s Bean awhile’s flavours handpicked by the founders themselves. ALL the flavours smelled very fragrant when I opened the individual bags. Here’s my humble two-cents worth on how they tasted.
Chocolate Peppermint: Essentially a combination of chocolate and mint flavours. The chocolate taste is reminiscent of 85% Lindt dark chocolate. Very minty! I couldn’t really taste the chocolate in it though I reckon the more you drink the stronger the chocolate after-taste will be.
Chocolate & Coconut: Self-explanatory. I tasted a hint of cocoa first before the strong aroma of coconut milk set in. The coconut milk flavour in this coffee adds a dimension of taste and texture to the coffee that produces a creamy smooth flavour on your palate.
Creamy Macadamia: Very nutty! Definitely not as creamy as its name suggests though!
Fruits of the Forest: My personal favourite. It literally smelled like Christmas and all things warm and fuzzy. The aroma was fantastic and the slight berry aftertaste I got with every mouthful cut through the otherwise strong taste of the black coffee.
It’s BEAN awhile definitely provides a different coffee-drinking experience and presents a better alternative to the weekend brunch crowd.
Quote SMARTLOCAL10 for a 10% discount on all orders valid till 31 December 2014! For a limited time, disposable coffee filters will be given away with every purchase.
This post was brought to you by It’s BEAN awhile.
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