Yet another cafe that has recently made its move to their new digs would be Apartment — previously located at 161 Lavender Street, Apartment’s move out of its former premises was quite a public one; the shophouse unit which it formerly occupied was recently acquired by new owners. Now situated at 139 Selegie Road, Apartment is located just right beside Wilkie Edge and occupies what was formerly the grounds of a shophouse that used to be labelled “Training Room” — the same shophouse also previously housed the now-defunct Cups N Canvas, which was pretty much known for its purple-hued Sweet Potato Latte during its existence. The shophouse has surprisingly kept its rather rustic look all these while despite Cups N Canvas having moved out a number of years ago; the wooden paneling by the side of the shop unit still exists, while the facade of the unit also comes with the iconic metallic grilles that used to be there since the days of Cups N Canvas at the very least. Apartment Coffee had, however, did quite a revamp with this space which is true to the style of their former space at Lavender Street; gone were the industrial interior decor that previously took up their space at Selegie Road — the space is now brightly lit and largely decked in white with concrete floors, while the furniture and fittings carry a wooden or marble accent that makes it a little Scandinavian. Still carrying an emphasis on being a cafe that is part of the third-wave coffee movement, Apartment is still that coffee bar that serves up mostly hand-brewed coffee which features beans of different origins; there are also the Ethiopia Mesina (for black) and Brazil Farroupilha (for white) that are available for those who are more into espresso-based options, while they also have a limited variety of tea and chocolate-based beverages for those who do not fancy coffee as much as we do here.

Having made our visit to Apartment previously, we thought that it would be best not to give their hand-brewed coffee a miss; our choice was the Rwanda Ubumwe Lot 10, which is said to come with sensory notes of cranberry, hawthorn and black tea in the menu. As with all hand-brewed coffee, do expect some waiting time for the cuppa to arrive the table — the brew bar being in full view to those sitting around the counter top area so that one can immerse into watching the baristas painstakingly preparing every cup of filer coffee by hand. Served in a specially-shaped apparatus, one can certainly tell how dedicated Apartment is about the art of coffee, the use of such apparatuses allows patrons to experience the cuppa differently by their senses be it in terms of taste and by smell; each order also comes with a card that indicates the name of the roast, as well as the tasting notes involved. The Rwanda Ubumwe Lot 10 was a pretty complex cuppa; the cuppa was evidently more fruity at the start with a medium body, but gradually becomes more tea-like as it cools down – all that with a clean finish that made it pretty easy drink.

Apartment has always been a space that is relatively interesting to be at; whilst being a spot that is especially crowded with a queue on weekends, Apartment does seem like a spot with a rather homely setup and vibe that makes one feel at ease when in there. Perhaps it is the bright and Scandinavian-esque setup; it does feel pretty welcoming — almost akin to sitting in a friend’s place to enjoy a well-executed cuppa which sets it apart from the other specialty cafes around. They have also since made their name for being one of the few places that features quite a variety of coffee beans from various origins — a spot where one can indeed learn more about the art of coffee appreciation; the staff being knowledgeable in their craft and not shy to share the same with their patrons. Being one of just a handful of places around the island that is all about educating the masses on coffee, Apartment is still that spot where it provides for a relaxing, non-pretentious vibe for avid coffee lovers or casual coffee drinkers alike — all that whilst bringing the craft a little closer to the masses at the same time; yet another spot that coffee lovers should add to the must-visit list if they have yet to check out their location at Lavender Street previously.

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