Had my first trip to Kuching to visit my friend “Ralph the Bear”.
Surprisingly, Kuching is quite a vibrant city. I didn’t really have much chances to visit many coffee place. Lot’s of drinking-holes though.
But luckily, I did manage to visit THE COFFEE PLACE in Kuching.
B L A C K B E A N C O F F E E & Tea Company
My Delightful cup of Sumatera Mandhling. Brewed by a forgettable Super-Auto machine.
But the coffee is as fresh as you can get. Just a few days after roasting. Flavourful, clean, full body as a Sumatera should be. Just shows the skills of the hands that does the roasting.
How is it done? Let’s see what is happening at the back of the cafe.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But a Video may also worth a thousand pictures.
And who is the Sifu behind the BEANS?
Mr. Chang of Black Bean Coffee.
It is a Delightful Little Place. Homely and Cozy.
My pack of Sumatera
The Bear, The Man and The Boy?
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Black Bean Coffee. Reputed to be the best roasted in the whole of Borneo, it is not without it’s challenges. Supply of good quality local Liberica and Robusta is lacking. Import of good quality Arabica is difficult and expensive. When will we see good times in our Coffee Industry? When can we get rid of these AP matter on importing green beans? Sigh… We need a really really BIG CHANGE in Malaysia.
My special thanks to Ralph the Bear for his excellent hospitality. He’s an excellent cook and well verse in the world of wines, vodka and whiskey. I have never had so many different types of drinks in a single day.
Here are some lovely food from the Bear’s Lair.
A 2 inches thick piece of freshly chopped and marinated steak.
The first time I had mine Medium Raw.
And that is my weekend of coffee, wines, vodka, whiskey and steak.
Coffee where passion is tempered with reality 
Yo KFChan…
Nice reporting here…even though Kuching is quite near to my place, never been to this place…is the Sumatra that you are drinking Arabica?
simon
Yup.. it is Arabica. Sumatera Mandhling.
What other Arabic singles are they selling? What’s the pricing like? I should get some if quality is good
Yes Simon , How may I help you ? Beside Sumatra Mandheling,… e h…. may be Sulawaisi Arabica ? Columbia Arabica? Brasilian arabica ? North Thailand organic arabica ? Taiwan arabica ? Yagashefe arabica ? or North Sarawak highland Arabica ? Ha ha ! you may try to make a request order and I shall try to fullfill you …. how ?
Hi Coffee Chang,
Thanks for your reply…I am just 6 hours drive from our place (Sibu) so I might pay you a visit one of these days…do you do shipping? Sarawak Highland Arabica, what’s the tasting notes like? I am looking for less bright coffee, preferable those with nutty and chocolatey notes..
Can u let me know the address of Bear’s Lair steak in Kuching.
TQ.
Hahaha.. I’m afraid the Bear’s Lair is his personal residence. Not opened to public.
Yep, a great discovery for me recently, this place. 🙂
I love the liberica, though I’ve found it needs to settle and de-gas for a couple of days to really bring out the flavors, which is normal enough (roasted just an hour ago is NOT better than roasted last Wednesday!)
My problem is trying to find a good coffee grinder here in Kuching. I have a little hand grinder from Parkson, which is OK, in fact it’s good fun but I don’t trust it to last very long, as the main “bearing” is a plastic tube.
Finally found an electric one at Spring, however that DeLonghi model gets bad reviews on Amazon.
Anyone know of a good burr grinder available locally, for press pot (coarse) grinding?
Preferably in black/stainless steel 😉
Hi Adam,
The Isomac grinder is the best in terms of value.
https://coffeeinmalaysia.com/2009/07/23/one-good-coffee-grinder/
At RM1200, it can grind from French press to Aeropress to Syphon to Espresso.
There is nothing in the local market that I know of that offer such value.
And as we all know, the first step towards enjoying good coffee IS a decent grinder.
Hi. Yep, I recall you recommending this grinder before, however I’m not sure if it is available in Kuching?
Are you still doing your freebie Aeropress promotion if I were to try and order online from you?
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It’s going to be ending of mine day, except before finish I am reading this wonderful article to increase my knowledge.