Brew Orchestra Specialty Coffee Bar in Johor Bahru 交响乐厅氛围咖啡馆

I went to Brew Orchestra in Taman Molek for my occassional coffee meet with coffee kaki Corrine, food writer and admin of Coffee-mate 咖啡伴侣 Facebook group.



Corrine had earlier written about Brew Orchestra and wanted me to see it.



Brew Orchestra is the brainchild and 5 month old baby of Issac, the owner.

Isaac has a finance degree from Melbourne University but couldn't resist the call of his passion for coffee. Isaac opened his own specialty coffee shop, after a few years as a tax consultant.



Isaac is a Licensed Q Grader professional cupper, a coveted qualification in the world of specialty coffee of which there are only about 1000 in the world. In Malaysia, you can count the Q Graders with the fingers on one hand - actually, only 4 at the moment, including Isaac.



Barista Onyu hails from Seoul, Korea.



Unique to Brew Orchestra and in Johor, the coffee blends at Brew Orchestra are often sourced from Seoul, which has a highly developed and sophisticated coffee scene.



The unique decor inside the coffee shop is inspired by grand concert halls as the name Brew Orchestra suggests. It's a nice, warm ambiance to get us into the correct mood to enjoy fine coffee.



Coffee is brewed at the open concept bar at the inside end of the shop.



I asked for my usual Flat White but Isaac suggested that I try Magic - a popular brew from Melbourne. Magic is actually a double ristretto Cappuccino.

Brewed from the house blend "Purple Lollipops", comprising Ethiopia Konga (natural) and Brazil Nossa Senhora De Fatima (natural).

I liked it. 

It has good round body, nice aroma and a pleasant sweet taste, without any bitterness or acidity, even without sugar. (By the way, Brew Orchestra does not serve sugar with their coffees.)

I'll be lying if I claim that I could detect the berries and flowers in the cupping notes. I haven't attained that level of finesse in coffee appreciation yet, but I am working hard on it :D  



Corrine had a paper dripped black coffee with Ethiopia Bokasso (washed). She enjoyed it.



For food to go with my coffee, I ordered this panini made with toasted ciabatta stuffed with sauteed mushrooms. This light healthful meal went very well with my Magic.



Corrine had this waffle topped with walnuts, bananas and a scoop of chocolate ice cream, drizzled with melted chocolate.



The waffles are freshly made at the shop when there is an order.

Corrine graciously took the tab for this coffee session. The pricing is comparable to equivalent specialty coffee places in Johor Bahru.



Restaurant name: Brew Orchestra 交响乐厅氛围咖啡馆
Address: 19 Jalan Molek 1/5C, Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/X2uiZ
GPS: 1.530187,103.787967
Hours: Mon - Fri: 11:00am to 11:30pm | Sat - Sun: 10:00am to 11:30pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 30 Apr 2014

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