KYŌ KOHEE (Asia Square Tower 1)

KYŌ Kohee should be one of those establishments that should be quite familiar for those whom are working around the Central Business District. Having only opened its doors last year, KYŌ Kohee seemed to have garned quite a following with the office workers in the Central Business District — despite being a hole-in-the-wall space serving up takeaway coffee much like how a kiosk would be like, their location at 144 Robinson Road does see a beeline during weekday lunch hours where office workers line-up to get their mid-day cuppa / Matcha. It does seem that the folks behind KYŌ Kohee are ready to expand their operations — these folks had recently opened a second outlet; this outlet also being in the Central Business District, though this time being closer to the vicinity of Downtown MRT Station on the Downtown Line as well as Shenton Way MRT Station on the Thomson-East Coast Line instead. Occupying the space of a kiosk, KYŌ Kohee is definitely smaller at their second outlet as compared to the original — that being said, there are booth seats located right beside the kiosk that patrons may conveniently park themselves at to enjoy a cuppa, though we do think that the said space might have another purpose once Asia Square is done with its renovations. Much like KYŌ Kohee’s original location at Robinson Road, the focus seems to be on their specialty coffee offerings as well as their range of Matcha beverages — the menu comprises of sections dedicated to Coffee, Non-Caffeine, Teas, Matcha, and Single Cultivar Matcha for patrons to choose from. While KYŌ Kohee had served up croffles at least during the initial phase of opening at Robinson Road, there are no food options available at their Asia Square outlet.

The selection of coffee available at KYŌ Kohee’s outlet at Asia Square largely revolves around the standard espresso-based specialty coffee options that one would typically find in a cafe that is part of the third-wave coffee movement. A few examples of the various types of espresso-based specialty coffee that are available at KYŌ Kohee at Asia Square includes the Espresso, Black, White and Mocha, though KYŌ Kohee does serve up a few special concoctions such as that of the KYŌ Coffee (labelled as a “popular” item), as well as the Dirty Kuro Goma Latte. Since we already have had coffee for lunch, we decided to switch things up a little bit and go for the Dirty Kuro Goma Latte instead — the item is available in both hot and iced options, and we found ourselves opting for the latter. The menu describes the Dirty Kuro Goma Latte to be a concoction that comprises of elements such as black sesame, espresso and milk — the entire drink does come with a slate grey aesthetic that is a little unorthodox and might be even intimidating to some. Taking a sip of the Dirty Kuro Goma Latte (Iced) though, and we found the entire concoction to be one that is especially well-balanced; the roasty notes of black sesame is the dominant flavour profile here, though one could definitely feel the nutty flavour profile of the coffee that is lurking at the back of the taste buds at the same time. There is a very light hint of sweetness that can be detected in the beverage, though all of the elements are felt balanced without being in conflict with one another — something that is worth a try especially for those black sesame lovers out there. Prices of the drinks at KYŌ Kohee’s outlet at Asia Square ranges between $4 to $12.90; the cheapest items being the Espresso from the “Coffee” section of the menu, and the Chamomile and the Mint from the “Non-Caffeine” section of the menu, while the priciest would be the items in the “Single Cultivar Matcha” section of the menu in latte form. Still, prices are pretty reasonable considering the ‘hood it is situated in — a spot worth trying for those around the area.