TAG Espresso (Raffles City)

($5.95) (after 30% discount) I kinda regretted no adding sugar and taste like grassy texture lol. but then I managed to try their non-coffee series (except milky mint).

Raffles City Shopping Centre seems to be seeing a switch up of its tenant mix recently — there have been opening of new F&B establishments in the mall recently such as that of Omote Cosmo, as well as a newly-opened outpost of Kanshoku Ramen Bar which have both opened at the basement of the shopping mall; it is also noted that a local outpost of Cinnabon would also be opening its doors in February 2023 within the mall as well. Taking over the former premises of the now-defunct The Cookie Museum at the basement of Raffles City Shopping Mall right beside Läderach, TAG Espresso is also one of those new additions to the shopping mall. TAG Espresso is perhaps best known for their coffee capsules, which is also their core business — their coffee capsules not requiring any coffee machine to be enjoyed, whilst only requiring only either water, milk or soda water and is said to be dissolvable in hot / cold base. Occupying a space that is intended for operations as a food kiosk, TAG Espresso operates as a takeaway kiosk with no dine-in space — the counter comprising of a cashier, as well as the espresso machine and coffee grinders; there is also a space dedicated to the display case which showcases the pastries which are being offered for the day. The menu at TAG Espresso comprises of mostly beverages; the Essentials section dedicated to the espresso-based coffees such as that of the Americano, Flat White, as well as the Spanish Latte, while the Specials section comprises of house-made concoctions such as that of the Mint Latte and the Kaya Pandan Latte — there is also the Whatever section that comprises of non-coffee options such as Chocolate and Matcha / Houjicha Latte. Those whom are interested with their coffee capsules can also make purchases of their coffee capsules on site — the coffee capsules being retailed in either boxes of 7 capsules or 12 capsules depending on the type.

Having skimmed through the menu and noticing the variety of options that is being listed for in the Specials section of the menu, we found ourselves going for the Pineapple Black — the concoction comprises of elements such as that of Pineapple, Soda Water and Double Ristretto Shot, as mentioned on the menu. The Pineapple Black is essentially a twist of the Espresso Tonic / Soda that some may be familiar with — that would be essentially a shot of espresso / double ristretto shot with either tonic water / soda water. In other words, the Pineapple Black was that pretty strong cuppa that we grew to love; coming with a roasty flavour profile, it has quite a punchy medium body but ends off with a rather tangy, fruity note — all that whilst being carbonated but not excessively gassy. What adds on to the Pineapple Black here is how the cuppa also comes with a hint of sweetness from the pineapple — something akin to that of the sugar syrup often found in canned pineapples but definitely more controlled to achieve that balance of coffee and sweetness here. Interestingly, it also comes with cubes of pineapple within the cup for a bit of crunch factor; we found it interesting how these cubes of pineapple didn’t absorb much of the coffee or soda water — instead carrying that zingy sweetness that we would have expected to come with as-is, which was actually pretty refreshing especially when had after we were done with all that caffeine in the cup.

While TAG Espresso’s core business is probably not about serving espresso-based coffees through the use of a coffee machine, it is interesting to see how TAG Espresso is making use of having a physical store in the heart of Singapore to widen its reach by serving up something that is familiar with most locals for a start — it is after all pretty daunting to serve up coffee through coffee capsules that locals are not too familiar with, and may even find themselves pretty sceptical about considering the lack of knowledge and experience of the core product which TAG Espresso has to offer. By offering patrons espresso-based coffee pulled through the espresso machine, it does give their brand some sort of exposure which may allow them to venture into serving up coffee from their coffee capsules after there is some market confidence in their products. Whilst we have yet to try their more basic espresso-based coffee, we would say that the Pineapple Black is a fairly well-executed attempt on a house special concoction which certainly enticed us to give their other offerings a go in the future. That being said, we would look forward to them perhaps offering creations that are made from their coffee capsules that would be able to showcase their core offerings a little stronger; still a decent spot that would do for those looking for a quick coffee run whilst in the area!