Coffee, tea & hot chocolate for the curious of mind & experimental in spirit: Barista Mervin Chin's latest initiative teases the imagination by exploring the boundaries of a beverage, tailored for patrons who'll put in the time, thought & effort to slowly sip, consider & savour the nuances of each pouring.
Casual customers can bank on the familiarity of ordering a short black or flat white, but for a comprehensive introduction to Rinse, take a seat at the brew bar & experience a drinks degustation, beginning perhaps with a French Rose Matcha, founded on Niko Neko Matcha's classic Yuri tea, with leaves harvested from the fields of Uji; in this instance, floral front notes serve as a prelude to the tea's rich, roasty bitterness that clears the palate with its lively sharpness.
True to the ethos of a multi-roaster coffee bar, Rinse hopes to work with a revolving door of brands, collaborating with Selangor-based supplier Auresso to offer quality coffee at reasonable prices - South Melbourne's Cottle is the current choice of roaster, with this Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Abayaya taking us from rose to jasmine on this journey. The coffee's nothing short of satisfying, no less than can be expected of a barista who named his cafe Rinse because of how coffee makes him feel vividly cleansed in his soul. In an effort to share his passion, Mervin has also devoted a room to 'education & training' within Rinse, where cupping sessions and complimentary classes on coffee & tea will be scheduled.
The climax is a harbinger of Rinse's plans to pursue eclectic processes to power & present its offerings. Hot chocolate, smoked while you watch, showcases its share of visual drama, but what makes the final result fulfilling is a combination of the careful sourcing of ingredients (from the chocolate to the bourbon-soaked oak wood chips) & the conscientious craftsmanship at the counter.
Desserts furnish further evidence of Rinse's good taste, with our favourite tart-maker in town represented (the Uji Matcha Tart with Anko Beans by Ling's Kitchen seems like the perfect pairing for the tea, while the Earl Grey or Gula Melaka Egg Tarts may complement black coffee), alongside other sweet treats by Damansara Perdana-based Bisque.
Rinse KL
15 Jalan Damar 15/1 Bandar Sri Damansara, Selangor. Tues-Sun, 9am-5pm. Tel: 012-307-6648
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