We frequently get a lot of questions from people who are looking to kickstart their coffee journey. From how to drink fresh and quality coffee, to which brew gear is suitable for a newbie as well as tips on levelling up their coffee game.
Here, we have interviewed Wan Yen, who’s in charge of Perk’s business development and heads Perk Malaysia, on how she started her coffee journey. (PS: She’s born and bred in KL!)
Check out this fun and informative interview and we hope it inspires more of you to explore more of the coffee world!
1) Who was the first person that introduced coffee to you?
Gosh, it’s been so long I can’t remember! But I’ve always taken coffee as a nice-to-have and not need-to-have. But once I got married, I was a bit more serious about coffee because my husband takes coffee as a definite need-to-have.
2) Why and how did you decide to take your coffee journey to the next level?
I would like to think we progressed like the average Joes. We started with supermarket shelf brands, then as and when we travelled we’d buy some beans whenever we saw it. We love our kopi and would always keep a small bag (they kept on hardening with the humidity) of those Sin Sing kopi beans – I’d Aeropress it and mix it with condensed milk!
3) Your first coffee brew gear?
Aeropress, thanks to Paul!
4) As a coffee enthusiast now, how does it feel to be working in Perk, one of the best coffee subscription services in Singapore and Malaysia?
So I met Paul when he was in KL visiting a few years back. He told me about Perk, and it made a lot of sense – why is getting fresh coffee so hard, when you drink it every day? We eat bread every day, we get that fresh, why aren’t we given that for coffee? And subscription works in automating the mundane.
I told him I’m no coffee aficionado, I owned a souvenir Vietnam dripper and an unused Christmas present French Press. After talking to him, I eventually got an Aeropress and that kick-started my journey in getting coffee – from the crummiest supermarket shelf ones, to freshly roasted at artisan cafes. My grinder was bought during a holiday in London with my husband – it’s not the best, but it has sentimental value.
When he told me he wants to start Perk in Malaysia, I immediately told him I wanted to be involved. And it feels great because of the fringe benefits – I get freshly roasted coffee every day. I tell you, no matter how crummy your day was (and trust me, I have a toddler and an infant, I know what crummy days are), making yourself that phenomenal cup of coffee is no longer a nice-to-have, but a need-to-have. Not because I need the caffeine, but I need that luxury that is all mine to enjoy. (Note: I make coffee twice a day – in the morning for my husband (and I take a token sip to check the brew), and then at about 11.00 pm when the dust has settled and I’ve got a few hours before calling it a night)
5) Any tips for those who would like to kickstart their coffee journey?
Make a coffee that YOU love! There are so many opinions out there, so many variables in brewing coffee (since I had kids, I only use a V60 – anything else is too much work), brew one that you love and enjoy it. All of us at Perk keep on experimenting with different brews, we keep on cupping the week’s roast, it really is an exciting journey for us personally.