I took a trip to Borneo recently to see the magnificent orangutans as they cling desperately to the last remnant of forest not yet bulldozed for palm oil plantations. As is the case whenever I land in a new town or country, my search begins for a caffe latte, made with espresso not nescafe! Staying in Kota Kinabalu the only option was the Coffee Bean chain. The coffee had that bland taste, lacking in any richness or depth. Their lattes came served in a tall glass with a tall 
plastic stirrer. It looked more like a cocktail than a coffee. I named this the Swizzle Stick Latte. I tried asking for a double shot but this didn't improve the flavour. When I left the city area and headed off into the mountains and over to Sandakan to see the orangutans, I gave up on the search for a caffe latte and decided, especially as there was only that foul tasting long-life milk, to do as the locals do and partake in the strong,black Borneo coffee. I found this coffee quite palatable but the 3 cups a day I was consuming did start to give me heart palpatations so I was forced to cut back.
I did come across this amazing petrol driven coffee grinder at a market in Kota Kinabalu. It was noisy but it seemed to do the trick!
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Hi Deb,
ReplyDeleteI would love to try that coffee from the market, sounds exotic to me. In some countries, the local coffee taste is far better compared to the coffee chain shops. I visited few Coffee Bean chain in Manila and yes, the latte taste really weak, almost bland. The only consolation was, I was able to use their wifi for free.
Hi Ed,
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you. I'm glad to hear you got something worthwhile from your visits to the Coffee Bean! Yes I agree, often the local coffee is a much better option. I'm sure if you ever visit Kota Kinabalu, that coffee grinder and seller will still be at the market!
Cheers
Deb