Generation Coffee – Bridging the Generation Gap Through Kopi & Latte

Can a cup of coffee bridge generation gaps? At Generation Coffee, it’s their goal to bridge generation gaps with their specialty coffee which puts a modern twist on traditional roast. The owners of this coffee stall are Zender and Kenneth, who were also the ones behind Pore Coffee, previously supplying home brewers with beans from local roasters. Shortly after, they rebranded their homemade cold brew business, Ah Boy Beverages to Generation Coffee which is now located in the bustling Tekka Centre.

In the sleek and modern coffee stall, Kenneth is the barista while Zender distributes the coffee orders after attending to the crowd and also manages the administrative side of things. It’s quite a sight to see how both are so skilled in their craft, especially when Zender could be talking to me and be pouring a beautiful latte art at the same time! I was really surprised to find out that both were self-taught home baristas without any working experience in a cafe.

Out of curiosity, I asked why they didn’t open a cafe instead. Zender shared that the first reason was cost, as the rental for a cafe is high and there is no organic traffic. Hence, this is the best place to be, bringing good coffee to everyone at affordable prices. What’s more, they will be able to reach more folks in various age groups as a hawker centre is where both the young and old congregate. Therefore, a hawker stall front is much more advantageous on many levels.

Hence, their menu ensures that there is something for everyone — from traditional Nanyang coffee with a modern twist, appealing to the uncles and aunties, to their excellent specialty coffee that appeals to the young, and even babycino for your kiddos.

We were aiming to try both types of coffee and taste the difference. As everything was so affordable on the menu, we just decided to get more drinks to share. We had Iced Kopi ($2), Dirty Matcha ($3.50), Latte ($3.20) and a Blueberry and Chocolate Muffin ($2.50 each).

First up, the traditional iced kopi, a crowd favourite in Tekka Market. When they started out, this was the bestseller which was keeping them afloat until more crowd came in for the specialty coffee. Traditionally, only Robusta beans are used in the making of Nanyang coffee. They are roasted with margarine or butter with sugar, to achieve the rich and creamy texture for the coffee.

However, at Generation Coffee, the kopi is made with their special blend called Pioneer Blend which is a medium-dark roast of Indonesian Robusta and Brazilian Arabica beans. The beans are freshly ground every day. The espresso machine ensures that the coffee brewed is consistent, and they use a pump for dispensing sugar syrup to ensure as much consistency as they can.

A pro-tip for ordering your kopi here, ask for siew dai! As they are mainly catering to the crowd in the area, who had felt that their kopi was too bitter, they have increased the sugar levels. Thus, if you’re not one who would ask for 120% sugar for your bubble tea, keep this in mind!

The dirty matcha is one of the newer items on the menu and I’d say that it’s one of the few good dirty matchas that I’ve tried. The ratio of matcha to espresso to milk was just right. None of the components overpowered another, and the matcha used in this concoction was not overly sweet. The matcha flavour came in more strongly in the aftertaste and it didn’t leave that distinct bitterness that matcha drinks usually do.

And the star of the menu, the Latte. The beans used that day is of a single origin from Colombia. I would think that it was one that is as good as those from well-known cafes. The beans used here are switched out once each batch is finished, so you’re always in for a surprise when you come here.

As they roast their beans from home, they would do a series of cupping to identify the different notes present in the coffee. It’s quite cool to see how many different notes are present in just a single cup of coffee! The Colombia Popayan Reserve is a medium-dark roast with black tea, caramel and dark chocolate notes. It was a real good cup of latte! And seriously, where else can you get such excellent coffee for under $5?!

We also had the muffins that were on display at the counter, which were blueberry and chocolate flavoured. They were moist, slightly on the buttery side, and quite fluffy! The blueberry flavour was not artificial tasting, and the chocolate muffin was unexpectedly good too! As someone who doesn’t really like chocolate, I actually enjoyed it. There were even bits of melted chocolate in the muffin.

If you’re an aspiring home barista and would like to try your hand at brewing coffee at home, you can also get your own beans from them via their website or in-store! They also have their cold brew available online, so do check them out. I’m very excited for what’s ahead for them as it’s only been a few months since they’ve opened their doors at Tekka and they’re already doing so well. All the best, guys!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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