A while ago I went to Brunei and I have been meaning to write a peace on my coffee experience whist out there. Work has got in the why, I am now on some well deserved, even if I do say it myself, leave, I'm taking this opportunity to write a couple of three posts. One of the rules we have is that I'm not allowed to take a computer or tablet on holiday, subsequently I'm posting using my phone and a wireless keyboard.
Before going to Brunei I tweeted for some good place to have coffee, the never ending search for the perfect cup of coffee and yet another, god shot (term I came across recently that is used by baristas for a shot of coffee that when drunk causes something akin to a religious experience). Anyway I got some responses and duly noted them for use when in country. The hotel I was staying in served top nock afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches, scones and cake and yes the crusts where cut off (looking forward to going back given the opportunity). By chance we where meeting a couple of people on business and they suggested meeting up in one of the coffee houses that had been recommended, joy, two birds one stone. The coffee house was a place call ' the coffee bean and tea leaf' it turns out to be a chain, one I hadn't come across before and I don't think they have made it to Britain yet.
What a disappointment, it turns out they are the equivalent of a mainstream fast food retailer, you know the ones, but for coffee and tea. As Brunei is a dry country I'm guessing that this is quite a good market to be in.
My expectations where way to high. The places character was manufactured with info sheets on the tea and coffee, it also was a bloody mess as we where having a business meeting the first thing I had to do was tidy up. I got to the counter, my companion, wants a capacino and I decide to ask for a flat white. After some, lost in trasnlation moments I end up with a latte as they done do flat whites and havent even hear of them. They arnt bussy and I also order a bannana bread muffin, the service is glacial which is inpressive as there are five of them working the other side of the counter. A little recap: the place is covered in rubish; the service is slow and they dont know what flat white is. We get our drinks and the bannana bread muffin, the drinks arnt worth the wait but the banana breads is ok. I leave most of my drink, to steal a frase fron HAS BEAN, 'life is to short for bad coffee'.
On reflection, then there is a clear opatunity in the Brunei market place for a realy good independant coffee house culture to develop, prehaps its already there and I just was unlucky not to find it. Hopefully I will get an oppatunity to try again.
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