Address: 277 Orchard Road, orchardgateway, #01-08 Singapore 238858
Opening Hours: Daily 9:30am – 10:00pm
TikTok
@candidcuisine You'll find more than coffee at There was no coffee. setup is almost like a bubble tea/cafe hybrid and so quite a wait. they also sell durian lattes, mint latte, banana latte and coconut latte #sgfoodie #coffee #wheretoeat #halloween2022 ♬ Cool Kids (our sped up version) – Echosmith
Following the mainstream success of China specialty coffee shops, Shenzhen’s There Was No Coffee forays beyond the Great Wall with its first outlet in Singapore.
With its unique space-themed interiors and a KAWS mascot awaiting coffee connoisseurs, my first impression is that it’s a bubble tea place inside. On the outside, one might think it’s another sneaker store.
But look inside and it’s not your ordinary coffee shop.
There was no coffee menu
Latte and Flat Whites, mainstays in cafes, take a backseat, while emphasis is placed on cold drinks at There was no coffee. There was no coffee looks like truly there’s really no coffee at this outpost. Coconut lattes, durian lattes, mint chocolate lattes and banana lattes. You get the gist. I’m no cold drink drinker; drips and flat whites are more of my thing.
For % Arabica fans, There was no coffee is a deviation from your coffee routine with its latte, robust and freshly brewed, perhaps, only at the beginning. We’ll see how they fare past the 6 month mark, when the queues have likely died down, and they’ve only got 3 months again to keep the crowds going.
As iced coffee clouds and Einspanners are invading the island (abseil, Miracle coffee, 51 Tras, B for Bagel), bubble teas are going bust and regular joes are dying. But let’s not forget why there’s coffee. As long as the cafe makes us happy and keeps us awake, hybrid coffee shops have a space in our routines.
P.S. I can connect the space theme with the feeling of drinking the first sip, maybe?