Interview with LS Yip, Founder of Beans Depot
In my search for the best beans, I often get myself attached to a coffee farm as part and parcel of my coffee journey. One time I was on a mountain that’s 1400 meters above sea level in Chiangmai, Thailand, where all the resources are limited and precious. Looking at the condition of the host family for sharing their best facilities with us, my heart feels warm. After a long day of work on the farm, I tried to bath in a 15 square feet bathroom with cold water under the temperature of 15 degrees Celsius in the air. It was a life time experience which I’ll remember forever.
What’s the worst part of your job?
Whenever I’m away from Beans Depot and need a caffeine fix, I go to Tossed Café in Jaya Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya where they serve fantastic food too.
What’s one of the scariest things you’ve seen behind the scenes?
I have nightmares about finding corn in a sack of coffee beans: that’s pretty scary to me.
A day in the life of a barista is…
What do you do for fun?
Play games on my handset.
What’s something you’d like guests to know about Beans Depot?
Beans Depot is a “playground,” “dreamland,” “laboratory,” “café,” “lounge” and “training/tuition centre” for all coffee aficionados. You get to play with different brewing equipment, fulfil your desire as a barista or bartender, experiment with a signature blend of your own, have a cuppa or alcoholic drink and practice your barista/coffee brewing skills here. We specialize in coffee bean roasting and coffee cocktails, and we’ve been featured in famous cuisine magazines.
Berries Galore with cappuccino.What’s your view on the Kuala Lumpur coffee scene?
We’ll be soon relocating to a bigger shoplot with an extended kitchen to facilitate a better food menu.
Very interesting. This coffee making (roasting etc etc.) appears to be a fine art.
However what is a "Barista"??? Sounds Spanish or Portuguese – the latter being
the language of Brazil.
Cheers
Colin
I'm surprised you haven't been swept up with all the coffee roasting, cupping, making fuss in Australia. Aussie coffee shops seem to be the inspiration for many of these small batch roasters in KL. Barista – person who works the coffee machine – it's become quite the art form.
Yes – Moncia, you are quite right about the boom in coffee establishments in Australian
cities and towns etc but as fast as they appear on the scene, within a few months about 90% of them go broke – 'Supply and Demand Laws", eh?
Sad but true!
Now is "Barista" a Spanish or Portuguese word for this coffee machine worker?
Cheers
Colin
Actually I think it's Italian, and literally translates to barmen. Nevertheless all three languages have Latin roots, so it's most likely the same or similar in all three.
Insightful interview. I did not know about Beans Depot even though it has been around for quite a while. I will let my sister in law know about this because she likes to experiment with coffee beans. Thanks!
awesome interview, i know that we can make a great result if we passionate about it…
Dedy@Dentist Chef