The Best Singapore Coffee Roaster and Supplier

Do you like the taste of coffee? Looking for the Best Singapore Coffee Roaster, a supplier or a wholesaler? Coffee is a popular drink all over the world. But what many people don’t know is that the quality of the coffee beans you use can make a big difference in the taste of your coffee. Buying coffee is also a tricky business because there are too many counterfeit coffees in the market or coffee roasted in the wrong way. Some coffees are grown with so much toxic herbicide, they eventually go into your morning coffee. So where can you buy the best coffee beans in Singapore?

For many years, we have been looking for a reliable partner to match our espresso machine distribution. Things are not as straightforward as we expected, normally associated with the consistency and quality of the coffee produced. What we are referring to are technicalities which are more than just about the taste. Taste is after all subjective. Besides taste, there’s consistency, safety, and quality. We must say that most Singaporeans are not very demanding coffee drinkers that understand how coffee beans and the process of making can astoundingly change the flavour in the cup.

What’s the problem with sourcing a decent coffee bean supplier?

The first problem is it can be difficult to find genuinely good quality coffee. Everyone claims that their coffees are premium but how can you tell if their claims are true? It’s long known in the coffee industry that counterfeit coffee is rampant. Often the roasters are not sure or aware of their coffee is authentic. It can be falsely advertised as a specialty coffee but it only contains only 1% of the promised premium coffee.

Counterfeit speciality coffee means that they obtain a coffee of inferior quality as pass-off for the real thing. Discerning users, even roasters, may find it not easy or impossible to identify their coffee. Sometimes, coffees are adulterated with another material to increase quantity so the cost is reduced by a lot. This is even more rampant in coffee powder and instant coffee. This often infringes on food safety standards.

The second problem is that it can be expensive to purchase coffee from a legitimate supplier. Authentic coffee will cost a lot not only because it is hard to source the best lot. There are many certifications and inspections required to confirm its quality. These processes and inspections are not free. So it’s not possible for a branded coffee to get fair prices easily unless you know the farm owners personally.

The third problem is there’s always a problem with consistency among the roasters. You can’t expect the same crop to win the Cup of Excellence, which is the Oscar event for coffee, to have a guaranteed win every year. Weather conditions, soil fertility, are some of the many conditions that are hard to control.

The last problem is the worst, almost all the roasters we have met, failed to process the after-roast of the coffee correctly. To be specific, their coffees are not properly de-stoned which can cause damages to grinders easily. The packaging process and the packaging material are mediocre. Almost all the packaging we have seen failed our tests and were unable to protect and seal the coffee flavours in the bag without distortion. The coffee bags are not just a bag, a good bag has functions that not only protects the coffee, it keeps the quality consistent and stable.

The easiest way to counter all the above is to go for good certified coffee that scans through the process from the farming till the end result, by independent inspection bodies. Here’s a good list of coffee certifications.

The Best Places To Buy a Cup of Coffee In Singapore

If you ask us for places where they serve good coffee, we think among the chains, Toby’s estates are decent. Other names that are pretty good include Common Man Coffee Roasters. I think they are closer to what the general consumers want. There are some fanciful cafes that are popular and loud among the youngsters. We don’t think they will appeal very well to the general public because their coffee is too acidic, the coffee is simply not accustomed to most culture, East and West. It doesn’t matter how they claim how high quality their coffee or their equipment is. Yes, it may appeal to some users but according to taste tests which we run repeatedly, they don’t match the expectations of the majority. 

The Best Places To Buy Coffee Powder in Singapore

Nowhere.

A fact that every coffee lover must nail in their head is once the coffee is powdered, the surface area will multiply thousands of times. There’s no more protection from the bean’s external cell. The internals is all exposed. This will likewise accelerate the rate of oxidation rapidly. It takes only a few hours to oxidise a coffee as what it should become in a few weeks. As it oxidises, you lose most of the pleasant flavours, what’s left are mostly nasty astringent. 

Another problem is adulterated coffee is very common among coffee powder manufacturers and it could be mixed with something that is not coffee.

We do have some coffee powder, and they are nitrogen flushed in tin cans for the most optimal preservation and they are only available in small tins of maximum 250 grams. No decent roasters who know what they are doing will offer a larger pack like a kilo or more. As the coffee powder should be finished within a few days from opening. To be honest, we are generous by saying a few days, they actually oxidise and deteriorate quickly in minutes. Think of how fast essential oil dries up.

If the roaster is passing you coffee grind freshly and his packaging is not nitrogen flushed, then the oxidation starts from the moment he grinds. If you purchase the beans online and it took a few days to deliver, we think it has already oxidised very badly by the time you receive them.

Where to find the Best Singapore Coffee Roaster for Home, Offices and Restaurants?

It’s really hard to get authentic good coffee in many cities. We have worked with local roasters and often met with inconsistency, high prices, counterfeit coffee. So we have to look to the far west.

At Fine Coffee Company, we deal mainly with the Food and Beverage industry, with real professionals with realistic expectations, local and overseas. We don’t think we can roast as well as our partners, so we leave the job to the people who are the best in the game. We took great miles to get our coffee partners on board. Nor do we exaggerate and claim that we offer the most premium range.

The most premium coffee is auctioned off in the grandest event, the Cup of Excellence, it’s also known as the Oscars in Coffee. Where a sack of coffee beans can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Such competition lots are usually only available in small lots, so there’s only a limited supply. Often we have seen roasters who claim to have the best coffee beans in Singapore. But very few come from plantations that have ever competed before in the Cup of Excellence. Instead, they often come from poor plantations that can’t produce superior quality coffee beans. Beans with defects are not surprising, as their development is not good.

Our partner, serve as the international Juror for the Cup of Excellence and is also one of the founders of CSC certification. This means that they know what to look out for, and have the leads. Authentic origin and good quality are confirmed and they have direct access with the farmers to negotiate for the best value high-quality crops. You can’t get such quality at those prices from green bean traders.

TLDR: Just get from Fine Coffee Company who have taken care of the inspection. You don’t have to take our words for it because we don’t roast the coffee ourselves. They are roasted in Italy and hermetically sealed using the most advance packaging machines, specifically for coffee to make sure that the flavours are sealed and aged to the same degree. They are certified and you can be assured that it’s bona fide specialty graded coffee with on-point consistency. Find the coffee beans here: Coffee Beans Singapore – Fine Coffee Company

How do I know how to purchase the best value coffee?

Coffee quality is measurable. There are often times when individual coffee graders grade themselves, which the result is usually marred by bias and often commercially driven.

As mentioned earlier, the highest integrity of measuring the best coffee is from the Cup of Excellence event where the most established and experienced judges pass judgement and decide on a fair value.

For us, we have our coffee directly imported from Italy. We have two main brands. The Meschini family was the founder of Arcaffè. There’s a premium range under the Le Piantagioni branding introduced in the later years. Both are helm by Mr Enrico Meschini.

Enrico Meschini is one of the most senior international jurors for the Cup of Excellence. Through his contacts, he liaised with the competition plantation owners for collaborations. Able to get coffees that are not in the competition range, but still within the utmost standard. Meaning his clients get to ensure the world-class quality, at affordable prices.

That’s how we are famed to be the best place to buy coffee beans in Singapore, especially among insiders in the F&B trade.

Is coffee beans quality the only thing to consider?

Certainly not just on the quality of the beans!

Each bag of coffee should be roasted to a consistent condition and preserved well. There’s no point in having a very premium coffee and chuck into a bag that can’t protect it. Keep it oxidising and deteriorating its quality all the time.

For our partners, they use the most modern facilities one can find in Italy. Enrico Meschini is also the founding member of the CSC certification. Which is the highest integrity of standard in coffee production. They are audited from the plantation to the final finished product, tested side by side with the previous batch to be of equal consistency. The advanced packaging system is the last step but the most crucial, they seal the flavour in the bag effectively and keep it from deterioration for up to 18 months. This means that our partners can stock with confidence and not worry about oxidation during storage.

If you want to know what we offer, check out https://www.finecoffeecompany.com
You don’t have to buy anything but you should at least know the brands.

The Different Types Of Coffee Beans

There are many types of coffee beans, each with its own unique flavour and properties. Arabica beans, which are the most common type, are high in caffeine and provide a smooth, rich flavour. Robusta beans are less expensive and have a more pronounced flavour. They’re also higher in caffeine. Normally, coffee beans blends are a mixture of Arabica and Robusta, this provides a balance of flavour, texture and strength.

A common misconception is Robusta beans are inferior and don’t taste as good, that’s not true because Robusta also has grades and good Robustas taste almost like Arabica. Robusta has a distinct advantage, it has a thicker body, and can be more pronounced and easier to extract. It is possible to store them without distortion for longer periods of time. Matter of fact, we always recommend robusta loaded blends to cafes and restaurants. Some of our robusta loaded blends, taste almost like a medium roast pure arabica blend. A good balance with little acidity, good body. That’s a simple thing to ask but not easy to achieve in SG.

How To Roast Coffee Beans At Home?

We DEFINITELY don’t recommend people to roast at home. During roasting, the coffee will produce a chemical called Diacetyl. This can cause the lungs to scar, harden and eventually fail or cause cancer. The condition is not reversible and progresses rapidly. One should never roast without using an industrial air filtration system. We will also not recommend going into a cafe that roasts indoors, as the diacetyl could be airborne.

Conclusion: Whether you’re a coffee lover or not, I hope you’ve found this article helpful. Buying the right coffee beans is important, and now you know where to find the best Singapore coffee supplier.