Johor coffee culture has roughly three layers. All three layers exist together, giving Johor coffee culture richness and depth.
The first layer is Nanyang coffee, best exemplified by the popular old school Hainanese kopitiams like Kin Wah and Hua Mui. The second layer is the international brands like Starbucks. The third layer is the emerging local brands such as Just Want Café, Monsta Café and My Liberica, just to name a few.
In Johor, some of the local brands are even vertically integrated, meaning they have their own plantations, processing facilities and cafés. Examples are Sai Kee Kopi 434 and My Liberica.
My Liberica is the brainchild and vision of Jason who earned his agricultural degree from Taiwan National University. On returning to Johor, Jason begun turning part of the family's oil palm plantation into a Liberica coffee plantation.
All the coffees sold at My Liberica café come from their own plantation near Bukit Batu in Johor. The ripe Liberica berries are carefully hand picked.
My Liberica's café located in Taman Molek (Johor Bahru) is already a go-to place for the JB's trendy set.
Inside My Liberica café, it is very comfortable with many spaces where customers can enjoy their coffee and cakes quietly.
If you like to watch baristas in action and engage them in coffee talk, you might prefer to perch at the coffee bar.
There are all manners of coffee machines in My Liberica, with this La Marzocco espresso machine taking centre stage.
The La Marzocco machine delivers rich and full bodied espresso coffees with My Liberica's own coffee beans.
The siphon system is the method of choice for making coffee like kopi luwak or civet cat coffee. My Liberica's kopi luwak is made with beans recovered from the droppings of wild civet cats roaming free in My Liberica's vast plantation. (Note: Johor Kaki supports only authentic and ethically harvested civet cat coffee beans.)
The simple filter method is ideal for premium blends like Geisha.
The enthusiastic baristas at My Liberica pull latte art with flare and gusto.
Trendy cold dripped coffee heavily laced with concentrated caffeine is a heady brew. My Liberica is one of the finest coffee shops in Johor serving top quality coffee in a nice environment. Restaurant name: My Liberica Specialty Coffee Address: 73, Jalan Molek 3/10, Taman Molek, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/7ZUXG GPS: 1.521567,103.784838 Hours: Monday to Thursday 12:00noon to 10:00pm. Friday to Sunday 9:30am to 11:30pm. No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
Date visited: 18 Nov 2013
Johor coffee culture has roughly three layers. All three layers exist together, giving Johor coffee culture richness and depth.
The first layer is Nanyang coffee, best exemplified by the popular old school Hainanese kopitiams like Kin Wah and Hua Mui. The second layer is the international brands like Starbucks. The third layer is the emerging local brands such as Just Want Café, Monsta Café and My Liberica, just to name a few.
In Johor, some of the local brands are even vertically integrated, meaning they have their own plantations, processing facilities and cafés. Examples are Sai Kee Kopi 434 and My Liberica.
My Liberica is the brainchild and vision of Jason who earned his agricultural degree from Taiwan National University. On returning to Johor, Jason begun turning part of the family's oil palm plantation into a Liberica coffee plantation.
All the coffees sold at My Liberica café come from their own plantation near Bukit Batu in Johor. The ripe Liberica berries are carefully hand picked.
My Liberica's café located in Taman Molek (Johor Bahru) is already a go-to place for the JB's trendy set.
Inside My Liberica café, it is very comfortable with many spaces where customers can enjoy their coffee and cakes quietly.
If you like to watch baristas in action and engage them in coffee talk, you might prefer to perch at the coffee bar.
There are all manners of coffee machines in My Liberica, with this La Marzocco espresso machine taking centre stage.
The La Marzocco machine delivers rich and full bodied espresso coffees with My Liberica's own coffee beans.
The siphon system is the method of choice for making coffee like kopi luwak or civet cat coffee. My Liberica's kopi luwak is made with beans recovered from the droppings of wild civet cats roaming free in My Liberica's vast plantation. (Note: Johor Kaki supports only authentic and ethically harvested civet cat coffee beans.)
The simple filter method is ideal for premium blends like Geisha.
The enthusiastic baristas at My Liberica pull latte art with flare and gusto.
Trendy cold dripped coffee heavily laced with concentrated caffeine is a heady brew. My Liberica is one of the finest coffee shops in Johor serving top quality coffee in a nice environment. Restaurant name: My Liberica Specialty Coffee Address: 73, Jalan Molek 3/10, Taman Molek, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/7ZUXG GPS: 1.521567,103.784838 Hours: Monday to Thursday 12:00noon to 10:00pm. Friday to Sunday 9:30am to 11:30pm. No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
Today, I am happy to visit My Liberica's coffee plantation at the invitation of Jason, the owner. My Liberica's plantation near Bukit Batu in Johor has tens of acres of Liberica coffee bushes.
Jason, who is passionate about coffee, showed us around his Liberica plantation which included a thrilling bouncy ride on his 4-wheel drive station wagon.
We were lucky to visit during the harvesting season. These are reddish coloured Liberica coffee berries (the size of grapes) ripe for harvesting.
Workers hand pick the ripe coffee berries - very hard work under the scorching hot sun.
Credit: Wikipedia
Also coveting the coffee berries are the Palm Civet Cats that live free in the plantation among the oil palms and coffee bushes. Perhaps better than humans, civet cats know how to cherry pick the best berries.
Inside the coffee berry are two seeds wrapped in a thin layer of juicy sweet tasting flesh. Civet cats love the flesh wrapping the coffee seeds.
Sometimes, civet cats get to the coffee berry before the pickers. This coffee berry had it's seeds eaten by a civet cat.
After swallowing the coffee berries, the cat digests the flesh and pass out the coffee seeds with the excrement. Civet cat droppings are found in random places, littered around My Liberica's sprawling coffee plantation.
At the My Liberica plantation, workers search for and collect this civet cat excrement. One can easily appreciate that the work is tedious and time consuming. Supply is also limited.
(In some other places, captive civet cats held in small wire cages are force fed coffee berries to mass produce the coveted civet cat droppings with coffee seeds. This practice is frowned upon by animal welfare advocates.)
The harvested civet cat excrement is washed clean and roasted.
The bottle of the prized roasted Kopi Luwak beans at My Liberica specialty coffee boutique.
Jason let us try My Liberica's Kopi Luwak.
Only the required amount of roasted Kopi Luwak beans are grounded just before brewing to ensure that it is always the freshest.
The freshly ground Kopi Luwak powder. It has the most robust, densest, and richest coffee fragrance that I have smelled so far. I love it.
The freshly ground coffee powder are poured into the siphon coffee maker.
Jason stirs the coffee with a bamboo stirrer and checks whether the coffee is ready using the most precise instrument known to mankind - the trained nose.
Kopi Luwak at My Liberica RM58++
The freshly brewed aromatic Kopi Luwak.
Both of my coffee kakis who are experienced coffee enthusiasts were impressed with My Liberica's Kopi Luwak. They liked the sophistication of the Kopi Luwak flavours which come in layers, like waves of pleasure one following another. They shared that My Liberica's Kopi Luwak's flavours is multidimensional whereas "normal" coffee is relatively uninteresting in comparison.
As a coffee novice with lots more to learn, I enjoyed My Liberica's Kopi Luwak because I like the robust, clean coffee flavour. I couldn't detect any acidity, so the coffee felt smooth and was enjoyable on the tongue.
At RM58++ for a small cup, My Liberica's Kopi Luwak is a novel luxury most may only indulge in out of curiosity occasionally. Some coffee connoisseurs with an acquired taste may treat themselves to this more often.
If you like to try Kopi Luwak, I recommend My Liberica because you are assured that it is genuine wild civet cat coffee beans harvested ethically.
Restaurant name: My Liberica Specialty Coffee Address: 73, Jalan Molek 3/10, Taman Molek, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/7ZUXG GPS: 1.521567,103.784838 Hours: Monday to Thursday 12:00noon to 10:00pm. Friday to Sunday 9:30am to 11:30pm. No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
Date visited: 18 Nov 2013
Today, I am happy to visit My Liberica's coffee plantation at the invitation of Jason, the owner. My Liberica's plantation near Bukit Batu in Johor has tens of acres of Liberica coffee bushes.
Jason, who is passionate about coffee, showed us around his Liberica plantation which included a thrilling bouncy ride on his 4-wheel drive station wagon.
We were lucky to visit during the harvesting season. These are reddish coloured Liberica coffee berries (the size of grapes) ripe for harvesting.
Workers hand pick the ripe coffee berries - very hard work under the scorching hot sun.
Credit: Wikipedia
Also coveting the coffee berries are the Palm Civet Cats that live free in the plantation among the oil palms and coffee bushes. Perhaps better than humans, civet cats know how to cherry pick the best berries.
Inside the coffee berry are two seeds wrapped in a thin layer of juicy sweet tasting flesh. Civet cats love the flesh wrapping the coffee seeds.
Sometimes, civet cats get to the coffee berry before the pickers. This coffee berry had it's seeds eaten by a civet cat.
After swallowing the coffee berries, the cat digests the flesh and pass out the coffee seeds with the excrement. Civet cat droppings are found in random places, littered around My Liberica's sprawling coffee plantation.
At the My Liberica plantation, workers search for and collect this civet cat excrement. One can easily appreciate that the work is tedious and time consuming. Supply is also limited.
(In some other places, captive civet cats held in small wire cages are force fed coffee berries to mass produce the coveted civet cat droppings with coffee seeds. This practice is frowned upon by animal welfare advocates.)
The harvested civet cat excrement is washed clean and roasted.
The bottle of the prized roasted Kopi Luwak beans at My Liberica specialty coffee boutique.
Jason let us try My Liberica's Kopi Luwak.
Only the required amount of roasted Kopi Luwak beans are grounded just before brewing to ensure that it is always the freshest.
The freshly ground Kopi Luwak powder. It has the most robust, densest, and richest coffee fragrance that I have smelled so far. I love it.
The freshly ground coffee powder are poured into the siphon coffee maker.
Jason stirs the coffee with a bamboo stirrer and checks whether the coffee is ready using the most precise instrument known to mankind - the trained nose.
Kopi Luwak at My Liberica RM58++
The freshly brewed aromatic Kopi Luwak.
Both of my coffee kakis who are experienced coffee enthusiasts were impressed with My Liberica's Kopi Luwak. They liked the sophistication of the Kopi Luwak flavours which come in layers, like waves of pleasure one following another. They shared that My Liberica's Kopi Luwak's flavours is multidimensional whereas "normal" coffee is relatively uninteresting in comparison.
As a coffee novice with lots more to learn, I enjoyed My Liberica's Kopi Luwak because I like the robust, clean coffee flavour. I couldn't detect any acidity, so the coffee felt smooth and was enjoyable on the tongue.
At RM58++ for a small cup, My Liberica's Kopi Luwak is a novel luxury most may only indulge in out of curiosity occasionally. Some coffee connoisseurs with an acquired taste may treat themselves to this more often.
If you like to try Kopi Luwak, I recommend My Liberica because you are assured that it is genuine wild civet cat coffee beans harvested ethically.
Restaurant name: My Liberica Specialty Coffee Address: 73, Jalan Molek 3/10, Taman Molek, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/7ZUXG GPS: 1.521567,103.784838 Hours: Monday to Thursday 12:00noon to 10:00pm. Friday to Sunday 9:30am to 11:30pm. No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
Janet, the Operations Manager of the newly opened Toast Box café 土司工坊 in Taman Johor Jaya invited me for a visit.
The large corner outlet in Johor Jaya stood out in the busy neighbourhood which is a JB makan hotspot. The outlet is easy to spot as it looks so attractive and inviting. Janet told me that this is the largest Toast Box 土司工坊 outlet in Southeast Asia. (When a big overseas F and B player comes in in such a big way, it's another sign of the thriving JB food scene.)
Inside, the interior décor has an elegant dreamy white theme which is very pleasing to the eye. It reminds me of those trendy wedding studios and there are a few famous ones here in Johor Jaya LOL. I feel light hearted and cheerful just by stepping into the outlet.
Everything is clean, neat and well thought through. Make your order at the counter or at your table from the extensive menu and all your orders will be served to you. This is Toast Box's first full service outlet in the world (imagine that) :D
Traditional Nanyang Kopi RM2.30
First things, first. When in Toast Box, one must of course drink their Nanyang style kopi. I like the medium body and mild flavours of Toast Box's old style kopi.
When I am in Singapore, Toast Box's kopi is one of my preferred options as it is widely available and is consistent in body, taste and flavour across it's outlets. The young staff are well trained.
The coffee beans are roasted right here at the Johor Jaya café with this machine. Only the Johor Jaya café has this roaster - none of the other Toast Box outlets has this, not even in Singapore.
Traditional kaya and butter toast at RM2.30 a set, pairs well with good old kopi.
Toast Box uses the famous Xiao Mei otak otak from Muar for their otah baguette.
The popular otah baguette was a tad dry for my taste. A little moistness would make it perfect for me :D
We tried Toast Box's Chicken Curry with rice (RM7.50). The curry was rich with coconut milk and was mildly spicy. The chicken and potato chunks were nicely tender. I am glad that Janet insists on going the extra mile, using only chilled instead of frozen chicken for this dish - it's just like mum's cooking.
This is like home cooked rice eaten with the chicken curry. We can also choose toasted baguette for dipping in the curry.
Janet was eager for us to try the Singapore style laksa, one of Toast Box's signatures. The laksa gravy is heavy with coconut milk, spices, chili and hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimps).
Each bowl of laksa comes with two of these large fresh prawns. The shelled prawns really got me sitting up :D
Janet let us try the laksa with popular mee tai mak 老鼠粉. The mee tai mak is slightly chewy and bouncy, and appeals to many people. Call me old fashioned but personally, old school bee hoon still works better with me. Shall ask for bee hoon next time :P
This good laksa at RM7 with two large prawns is such good value, especially in the nice, cosy environment. This laksa at Toast Box, I think is hard to beat.
Toast Box Johor Jaya is a good place to hang out for tête-à-tête with friends. The variety of food and drinks is extensive, competitively priced and the environment is clean and beautiful. Needless to say, there is free wifi LOL
Restaurant name: Toast Box 土司工坊 Johor Jaya Address: No. 2 & 4 Jalan Dedap 13, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/zgJ59 GPS: 1.543071,103.801231 Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 7:00pm. Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays from 7:30am to 7:00pm. No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
Date visited: 12 Nov 2013
Janet, the Operations Manager of the newly opened Toast Box café 土司工坊 in Taman Johor Jaya invited me for a visit.
The large corner outlet in Johor Jaya stood out in the busy neighbourhood which is a JB makan hotspot. The outlet is easy to spot as it looks so attractive and inviting. Janet told me that this is the largest Toast Box 土司工坊 outlet in Southeast Asia. (When a big overseas F and B player comes in in such a big way, it's another sign of the thriving JB food scene.)
Inside, the interior décor has an elegant dreamy white theme which is very pleasing to the eye. It reminds me of those trendy wedding studios and there are a few famous ones here in Johor Jaya LOL. I feel light hearted and cheerful just by stepping into the outlet.
Everything is clean, neat and well thought through. Make your order at the counter or at your table from the extensive menu and all your orders will be served to you. This is Toast Box's first full service outlet in the world (imagine that) :D
Traditional Nanyang Kopi RM2.30
First things, first. When in Toast Box, one must of course drink their Nanyang style kopi. I like the medium body and mild flavours of Toast Box's old style kopi.
When I am in Singapore, Toast Box's kopi is one of my preferred options as it is widely available and is consistent in body, taste and flavour across it's outlets. The young staff are well trained.
The coffee beans are roasted right here at the Johor Jaya café with this machine. Only the Johor Jaya café has this roaster - none of the other Toast Box outlets has this, not even in Singapore.
Traditional kaya and butter toast at RM2.30 a set, pairs well with good old kopi.
Toast Box uses the famous Xiao Mei otak otak from Muar for their otah baguette.
The popular otah baguette was a tad dry for my taste. A little moistness would make it perfect for me :D
We tried Toast Box's Chicken Curry with rice (RM7.50). The curry was rich with coconut milk and was mildly spicy. The chicken and potato chunks were nicely tender. I am glad that Janet insists on going the extra mile, using only chilled instead of frozen chicken for this dish - it's just like mum's cooking.
This is like home cooked rice eaten with the chicken curry. We can also choose toasted baguette for dipping in the curry.
Janet was eager for us to try the Singapore style laksa, one of Toast Box's signatures. The laksa gravy is heavy with coconut milk, spices, chili and hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimps).
Each bowl of laksa comes with two of these large fresh prawns. The shelled prawns really got me sitting up :D
Janet let us try the laksa with popular mee tai mak 老鼠粉. The mee tai mak is slightly chewy and bouncy, and appeals to many people. Call me old fashioned but personally, old school bee hoon still works better with me. Shall ask for bee hoon next time :P
This good laksa at RM7 with two large prawns is such good value, especially in the nice, cosy environment. This laksa at Toast Box, I think is hard to beat.
Toast Box Johor Jaya is a good place to hang out for tête-à-tête with friends. The variety of food and drinks is extensive, competitively priced and the environment is clean and beautiful. Needless to say, there is free wifi LOL
Restaurant name: Toast Box 土司工坊 Johor Jaya Address: No. 2 & 4 Jalan Dedap 13, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/zgJ59 GPS: 1.543071,103.801231 Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 7:00pm. Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays from 7:30am to 7:00pm. No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
