Typica Cafe, not your typical Cafe

Last weekend, me and my dear went to Typica Cafe in Shaw Parade. The visit was long due because we had been planning to go there forever but never seems to be able to squeeze out time. But I am glad we finally did!

The Typica Cafe is located behind the Berjaya Times Square from the main road. From the outside, the Shaw Parade seems like a very old, antique building. After getting a slot in the old and narrow parking area, we took the lift and down to G floor. Immediately out of the lift, we smelled something very fragrant and yet very familar. No doubt, it's the coffee aroma! In fact, the cafe is just in front of us from the lift.

Even though the cafe was just there right in front, we (I actually) were stunned there for a second - there seems to be no main door for entrance, only a side door. Anyhow, masuk saja lah. It turns out that's the door we're supposed to use.

The moment we stepped in, a time machine has brought us back into the 1970s. The music, the decoration.. Very cosy environment. Every little details of the cafe just goes to show the efforts and passion that spills out from the people there. The little flower decoration on the desk, a nostalgic exam table where we always sit during the primary school, very artistic menu.

Based on the recommendation of my colleague, I went and ordered a cold drip Mandheling, and my dear ordered a cheese cake - her usual pick. Unfortunately, no espresso nor espresso-based drink were serve there, so no cappa for her as black coffee is 'yucky' for her.

One thing worth noting, the barista there seems to pay very close attention to the brewing process. Before grinding, the barista gave the beans a smell. After grinding, smell again to make sure nothing is wrong. During brewing process, the barista again smelled the coffee to make sure the coffee is brewing properly. But it just make me wondering, won't the nose get numb after so much of smelling? Haha.


Anyhow, the coffee and the cake arrived! Just for your information, their cold drip coffee was brewed using a cool glass tower, that was dripping a few drop every seconds. At that rate, a cup of coffee requires upwards of 5-8 hours, just to make a cup of coffee! How amazing is that?

Here's some photos that will do the talking :D

The coffee bar

Limited space but very nicely decorated!

Their bench, as I understood, was actually a retired old sign board!

My long awaited cold drip coffee- Indonesia Mandheling, served in martini glass

The almost finished cheesecake ;P

The crew picking up flawed beans. No way I have the same patience as she does! :P

 My dear trying to drink the black coffee. She said it's better than what I brewed! In defense, I told her it's the Tesco preground beans so of course it's not as good xD

 As I come home, I brought a small pack of souvenir. Hehe.

It was very nicely packed. The coffee was too little though so the coffee was very diluted. :(

In closing, we finally manage to give a visit to the famous Typica Cafe that I've longed to go for almost 2 months! To be honest though, I am a little disappointed with the visit. The coffee was decent (not impressive either), but the price is very high, which I suspect due to the low volume and the hand crafted process added to the coffee making. 

Chaicoffski, music in your mouth - The new kid in the block

Thanks to the Barista Club Malaysia on Facebook, I got to know this new coffee brewer that was launched very recently in Australia - Chaicoffeeski filter brewer. And for the first time, we Malaysian are one of the first that gets to try new product- thanks to Cuppa! From my brief research on the net, it seems that Chaicoffski company is quite new and this is the first product they launch under this name.

Out of the box, you get 3 things - The cup, the filter and the lid. Of course, it also comes with a colorful manual that gives a very basic idea how this brewer works.

Chaicoffski advertises their coffee as :

-Faster, hotter, simpler
-Uses 35% less coffee than other brewer" 

-The high-tech Turbo filter is made from 304 stainless steel 60 micron mesh and does not require filter paper. 
-The flavor of the brew is clean and never bitter. 
-The Chaicoffski brewer is the fastest, simplest and most economical available.


While I don't fully agree with everything that was advertised, Chaicoffski is indeed a very good brewer. It is simple to use, makes a decent cup of coffee, and with less sludge as compared to conventional French Press. On top of that, it is also particularly durable, made from stainless steel material. No breakable parts like glass vessel on the French Press.

After using it for a week, I found it is preferably to be used as how you would use a plunger coffee maker. Chaicoffski recommends using an espresso grind, 30 seconds steep, and 35% less coffee. However, I found there is too much sludge and the taste is not as good. Using it with a coarse ground size and 4 minute steep, you will get a rich bodied drink with all the flavors, just like French Press. This is especially good to showcase the character of your very expensive single-origin coffee. Plus, you will get less sludge and it is less hassle to clean, unlike the French Press.

Put the ground coffee and add hot water - Don't forget to stir to fully saturate the grind!

After 4 minutes, lift up the filter and let the remaining coffee drips through

Caution: Hot drink! And it stays that way for quite some time thanks to the double walled mug

The amount of sludge from using espresso grind:

As a conclusion, the Chaicoffski brewer is a simple, tasty and convenient coffee brewer. And the price is very affordable too at RM59 on sales (Normal: RM69) at Cuppa's website. So grab it now while it lasts! Oh, don't hesitate to go straight to their office in Ampang (Megan Embassy) too. They have a nice little showroom there with tons of unique coffee equipment there. /please



p/s: Throughout the post, did you realize that Chaicoffeeski actually stands for Chai - Tea, Coff - Coffee, and Ski. The name makes more sense now right? /wahaha

CAFFEine; in Setiawalk, Puchong

Lately, there are many cafes mushrooming in Puchong area. That's a good news to Puchong-ians like me because we can get to taste good coffee without going too far./wahaha

The latest cafe I've visited in the last month is the CAFFEine; in Setiawalk. Setiawalk is a commercial-condo, a newly live-work-play concept by SP Setia group. The major attraction there is the super pretty man-made lake, surrounded in the center by buildings consisted of restaurants, condominiums, cafes, bars, shopping malls. And not to forget the very new and comfy TGV cinema at the 5th level!

Very nice lake view : )

Before I went into the CAFFEine; , I had a small dilemma. There's another cafe in Setiawalk - Tipsy O Brew. How do I choose? The CAFFEine; had a nicer and more colorful logo, so there you go. :P

I went in there, and there's a promotion for cake+coffee/tea promotion for RM15. Happily, I saw their cheesecake on display looked pretty delicious.


"One espresso and a Blueberry Cheesecake please"

2 minutes later:

Here's a closer view on the espresso - and the biscotti (the bread-biscuit slice)

At first glance, the espresso looks a little different - the crema is on the rough side with big foam instead  fine foam I am used to see. I had a sip at it without expecting much. But once the liquid was in my mouth, it was quite delicious! The strength of the shot is just nice, not too strong like the usual ristrettos you will get in indies cafes. The flavors were also at the balanced side, the right amount of brightness with sweetness. I guess this is probably how espresso tastes like in the Italy.

The corner decoration of CAFFEine;

After the damage was done and stomach was full, it's time to go home. /bye

Overall, CAFFEine; is not a bad place to hang out in and to try their coffee. Don't expect a third-wave-style super acidic coffee here and you will quite enjoy it.