Coffee Architecture: A Place That Feels Like Home
“Coffee has to go through a series of processes and changes to reveal its true identity. If we pay attention, we can taste decisions on species, variety, processing, milling, roasting and brewing. Every step – every set of hands – matters.”
– Simran Sethi –
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee stings my nose, as I open the door to Coffee Architecture. It is a bright space done in grey and brown tones, with splashes of colour against the wall in the form of artwork by local artists that are for sale. People cluster around small tables, deep in conversation. I greet Emmanuel, head barista, and slide onto a high chair at the bar area, where I can indulge in the dance of coffee-making, and slip into easy conversation with owner, Nooran.
I order their signature coffee. A cold brew, mixed with the pulp of red grapes, blitzed into a creamy consistency, and poured over an ice-cube, almost the size of a tennis ball. Decorated with a slice of dehydrated orange, it is a feast for the eyes. I am mesmerized as it slowly separates into different layers. Only then, do I take a long sip, and allow the liquid to cascade over my tongue. Slowly. My taste buds perk up. It is sufficiently complex to make it interesting, although words to describe it past smooth and fruity, fail me. I am no coffee expert, just someone who loves a well-brewed cup of coffee.
The knowledge, experience, skill, and creativity of a barista’s unique take on the humble coffee bean, is a joy to taste. Especially as there are so many different factors that influence the final product: the coarseness of the grind, the temperature of the extraction, the extraction time, the coffee-to-water ratio, the quality of the water, and the brewing method and technique. Not to mention the role milk plays, if a latte, cappuccino, or flat white is your preference.
Coffee Architecture is a place to retrain one’s taste buds, and explore new flavours and tastes, instead of blindly running after the Instagram pack chasing after the latest trend. You won’t find a Spanish Latte here. Or sugar, for that matter.
Nooran’s passion for coffee is tangible, and although her day job as an architect, keeps her busy, she still makes the time to refine her skills as a barista to participate in competitions. Her eyes sparkle with joy, when she talks about her business venture, and dreams for the future. She praises the skill and dedication of the team she has gathered around her, and together they make every person, who walks through the door, feel special and welcome. For them it is not just about brewing a good cup of coffee, but sharing their knowledge and passion.
Like the earliest coffee houses that sprung up in Europe around 1650, Coffee Architecture, is a place for intellectuals and creatives to meet, gather, and exchange ideas and stories. It has been built around two main ingredients; people and coffee – a social experience moulded around a shared cup of coffee. You will bump into me here, at least once a week, as, at last, I have a neighbourhood coffee shop that ticks all the right boxes, located in the same building I live. What a luck.
## Find Coffee Architecture in Abu Dhabi HERE.
To Read:
Bread, Wine Chocolate – The Slow Loss of Foods We Love by Simran Sethi (there is a whole section on coffee, and makes for a fascinating read)
Interesting “facts”:
# The following is perhaps the oldest printed advertisement for coffee, from 1652!
# A lighter roast is higher in caffeine.
# Roasted beans are best consumed 4-6 days after roasting, when they hit their peak.
# The ideal ratio between coffee and water is said to be 10 g of coffee to 200 ml of hot water.
** Click on the Coloured Words for built-in links to the respective websites.
* * * * *
Remember to also sign up for our newly embarked adventure in Portugal, A Taste of Freedom, where we are in the process of rebuilding a ruin into a tiny house. All while we are still residing in the UAE. It is a long-term project, as we do not have unlimited resources, and only progress as fast as we can put money aside for the different steps required. We also have a Facebook page for it. So, please join us on this adventure of transforming a dream into a reality.
Sounds like an amazing place and as a coffee lover would be great to try it … but rather far away for me 🙂
🙂 It would make for a rather expensive cup of coffee!
I’ve found a place in Abu Dhabi I might actually want to visit!
🙂 I know you are not exactly charmed by this part of the world. The coffee is really, really good. And the people delightful.
There is an art to everything, and it is exciting when you find someone who has it perfected in their own unique way ~ sounds like a cool place.
I agree, Randal. And I love how people put their own personality into what they create.
I also like the layering of their Signature Coffee, Jolandi. and wonder if the blended grapes add sufficient sweetness, to balance the bitterness of the coffee. I usually cannot drink it without a sweetener (honey being my preferred additive, which causes serious coffee aficionados to shake their heads).
It does, Tanja. For me, at least. I don’t drink sugar in my coffee, but I also do not like strong, bitter coffee. The coffee beans they use, and the way they brew it, results in a coffee that is not bitter at all. It is soft on the tongue. Just the way I like it.
It sounds delicious, Jolandi. How convenient to have the café so close.
I know. It is like a dream come true, Tanja.
I already heard about this place and actually near there so will check this out when with friends.
If you love a good cup of coffee, you should definitely try the coffee here.
It’s almost always a joy to experience someone good at their craft, when someone has lovingly created something, it is palpable. I decided long ago that what turns me on about a man is his talent, what he is passionate about, and what he’s good at.
I am completely with you on this one, Lani. It is wonderful to see people’s eyes sparkle, when they not only talk about their passions, but actively live them out. So inspiring.
That place sounds awesome. I wish I had that in my neighborhood. Cheers
It is a dream come true, Christopher.
I used to love coffee when I was in college, but I stopped drinking it because I get headaches. It’s like I’m in the minority. On the other hand, my husband is a coffee addict! 🙂 I love quaint coffee shops and cafes. There’s so much heart in them. And most of them have warm tea or cookies! 🙂
Although I love a good cup of coffee, I often only have one a day, if any. I also appreciate a good cup of tea. Not to mention those cookies. 🙂 Like you, I love quaint coffee shops, and if you want to treat me, it is not with a lavish dinner, but a visit to a quirky coffee shop.
nice!
i’ll have to sip
this cup even
slower so
that it reveals
itself fully
to me 🙂
Love it! Slowly is the best way to enjoy it. 🙂
Your post is as beautiful as the layers in your coffee glass. Happy for you that you have a lovely hangout so close to home. If at some future point we meet in Portugal, I will treat you to a European cup. 🙂
I’d love that! 🙂
I really enjoyed the way you described the experience. Thinking of the design of the space I can almost imagine myself sitting there with my own coffee.
https://architecturella.wordpress.com/
Thank you, Stephanie. I wish you could meet Nooran. The two of you would have lots to talk about. Architects and coffee. Really a very good paring.
It’s incredible how the way we appreciate coffee, and cafe’s had evolved through my lifetime, I remember the days we used to have the awful percolated coffee cup for fifty cents, and no one thought a cup of coffee was a big deal, just something to keep you awake, and going through the day, the difference between your neighborhood cafe place, and the past it’s like light years away! 🙂
Coffee culture has certainly evolved. So glad there is much more on offer these days than an awful cup of percolated coffee! I also love how these spaces offer a chance to meet and interact with interesting people.
Aaahh…somehow i can smell it from your pic.
Nothing like the smell of coffee. 🙂
Have you read The Monk of Mokha by David Eggers about the young Yemeni man living in San Francisco who dreams of reviving the ancient art of Yemeni coffee and travels back there to rediscover it? I’d love to read it, your post reminded me of it, thank you, I live the idea of the place you’ve discovered.
The Monk of Mokha http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35215524-the-monk-of-mokha
I haven’t heard of it, but I’m so glad you mentioned it, Claire. It looks like a very interesting read. Just the kind of book I love. Thank you for alerting me to its existence.
Great, I might have to get it soon too, I keep thinking about it and especially it being a true story.