"When you create a tasty blend, it's like a marriage made in heaven"
Terence Tan of Tad Coffee brings the best of different coffee beans together
Here I go again with another (much needed, at least for me) coffee post.
(Click here for the last one, which is about kopi.)
I don’t know about you, but I’d like another serving of coffee recommended by a barista – and an award-winning one at that.
Meet Terence Tan, the 2017 Singapore Barista Champion and co-founder of Tad Coffee. His blends won Bronze at the Australia International Coffee Awards 2019 and 2020.
Established in Singapore in 2018, Tad Coffee is a coffee roaster and supplier that offers ready-to-drink coffees such as the White Gold, Black Gold and Mochacino; single origin coffees from Colombia, Ethiopia and Costa Rica; seasonal blends such as the Stella, Anna and Helena, which Terence created himself; coffee essentials and accessories; drinking chocolates; and training programmes and classes.
Their coffees are freshly roasted and brewed, and are available in whole beans, drip bags and pods. They also accept coffee customisations and catering for events.
Love single origin? There’s no need to choose just one. Terence encourages us to try their Contrast Box, so you can see how one single origin coffee differs from another.
There’s more.
“When you create a tasty blend, it is like a marriage made in heaven”
Terence Tan, co-founder of Tad Coffee, Singapore
Terence’s recommendations
• Tad Coffee’s Stella
• Sweetshop by Square Mile Coffee Roasters
• Costa Rican coffee
• Tanzania Peaberry coffee
What inspires you to create a blend?
Terence: “Every coffee is unique and different. A blend allows two or more coffees to create a unique tasting experience. When you create a tasty blend, it is like a marriage made in heaven.”
What kind of experience do you get when you taste a blend that you really like?
“The blend I usually like must have a balance of acidity, body and aftertaste. It has to have the various characters of the coffee that is in the blend.”
What makes a perfect or memorable blend?
“Well blended, great balance, and more importantly, the service of the barista.”
Which blends would you recommend at the moment?
“I recommend Stella, our specialty blend. It is a blend of Brazil and Ethiopia coffee, brings a balance of milk chocolate and strawberries in the cup, and is very comforting and easy to drink.
“For others, I always enjoy Sweetshop from Square Mile Coffee Roasters. Very exciting, sweet and enjoyable.”
Which single origin coffees are you a huge fan of?
“No particular ones. But if I really had to choose, I always enjoy a good Costa Rican coffee, especially natural processed Costa Rica.”
What is it you wish people knew about single origin coffees, blends, their coffee producers and stories?
“There are many angles to learn or understand about coffee. Coffee will pass through many hands to reach the table; each and every pair of hands tells a story and I feel (that) having an open mind on why certain coffees are processed and prepared in a certain way (is important).”
Do you have a coffee routine? What are your habits?
“I do drink my local kopi-o every morning before I start my day at work. Of course, when I’m at work, I drink any coffees that come along my way.”
What are your coffee musts, do’s and don’ts?
“Too many to mention! Maybe just one of each!
“Do keep them in air-tight containers. Don’t keep them in the fridge.”
What’s the last coffee you sipped? (And what made you choose it?)
“I sipped or slurped a Tanzania Peaberry coffee. It was in a cupping session and I love the acidity and sweetness of it. It reminds me a lot of blackcurrants and grapes.”
Which coffee do you reach for when you…
… want to lift your mood?
“A quick espresso shot of a natural process coffee.”
… prolong your enjoyment of coffee?
“A nice Ethiopia brewed coffee.”
… look for the beverage first thing in the morning?
“A local kopi for a wake-me-up.”
… need something to cap off your day?
“A nice cappuccino to end the day.”
How far has your love for coffee taken you?
“Coffee has brought me to many places. It brought me to coffee farms in Panama, as well as various countries for competitions and trade shows. The most memorable is representing Singapore in the World Barista Championship in 2017.”
Which destination for coffee do you dream of going to next, if possible?
“I’d like to go to the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia!”
As a barista champion, what are your tips for people who are brewing their own coffee at home?
“Explore various ways; there’s no right or wrong. Just enjoy the process of brewing and learning.”
What innovations and developments are you excited to see in coffee?
“Processing coffees in farms. Very exciting projects are happening now in many farms. This helps to create new and unique-tasting flavours of coffee.”
How did coffee help you get through the Circuit Breaker, and how does it help you deal with everything that’s been going on in the world right now? And even life in general?
“Coffee is such a simple and easily accessible product. It continues to keep our business going during this time and it also helps to keep us sane too, being able to wind down, spend some time to brew and appreciate them. Coffee allows one to slow down and appreciate the things around us.”
When you want to hang out and have coffee, where will we find you? What would you be ordering?
“Plenty of places, I think, more of in the East of Singapore as I live in the East. Usually I will start with an espresso, followed by a cappuccino. I will end with a brew if the cafe offers brewed coffee.”
So which coffee are you eyeing next?
For more on Terence and Tad Coffee, check out their site, Facebook and Instagram.
