Smooth Brew

Tell us about yourself and where you’re from!
I’m Ethan. I’m from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and I’m currently managing the launch of a new café, Sojourner Coffee, on Phillips Street.

How exciting! Why Singapore?
I was working with The Hub Coffee Roaster in KL—a championship café. To further my expansion, I came to Singapore to see what other cafés I could try working at, somewhere different for a change of pace.

What is it that you enjoy about coffee?
The thing about coffee that attracts me most is that it’s a very personal experience, whether you’re the one making it or enjoying it. There’s this warm and trusting feeling that forms between baristas and customers, or even between different baristas. There’s always space to learn more, to exchange knowledge about what makes a good cup of coffee, and what makes coffee the preferred beverage of some but not others.

This is why I’m pursuing it as a career.

That’s nice to hear! How has your experience working in Singapore been like thus far?
It’s quite a different working culture that I’m experiencing here. Back in KL, we focus more on the entire concept of the place. We serve specialty grade coffee, but at the same time, we want to create a very chill environment.

Here, it’s more towards the grab and go culture, but at the same time, the space is very nice, so it’s still cosy enough for office people to come and buy their coffee.

Yeah, the space is really pretty! What was the setup process like?
The process had its ups and downs, and we’re currently trying to adjust the cashflow. Since we’re started by the CEO of Huggs Coffee, we’re trying to reach a certain point where we can establish Soujourner Coffee as a separate entity entirely.

Well, here’s wishing you and the team all the best! We hear you’re a cosplayer as well—tell us more about how you got into that!
It’s been two years of cosplaying for me, but I’d say I’m more of a closet cosplayer. Which means that I’ll go for events in a wig and a casual outfit, or a more elaborate cosplay outfit without a wig. I’m not like the fanatics who will put on full makeup and everything.

Well, that still takes effort! Have you attended any cosplay events in Singapore?
I just attended my first one at Suntec City! But I’m still trying to see what the cosplay community is like here, as compared to more familiar places like KL and Johor Bahru. In fact, I plan to go for more cosplay events in JB.

It’s nice to see how something like cosplaying transcends borders and cultures. Who or what types of characters do you typically cosplay as?
At first I would dress up as anime characters, like those from Attack on Titan or Death Note. But recently, I’ve been asked to cosplay as one of the main characters in the game Love and Deepspace, so I guess I’m heading more towards game cosplaying now.

Last question: combining both of your interests, if you were a coffee, what would you be?
Cold brew with milk specifically. It’s less intense on the burnt flavours, but also creamy from the milk, and even more so if it’s flavoured with things like vanilla or hazelnut. So yes, my final answer is a vanilla hazelnut cold brew with milk (laughs).