SUNDAY VIBES
THE whirring of machines. The babble of chatter. The bustle of crowds. And then... that familiar heady scent of coffee. Like a bee to honey, I allow my nose to lead me straight into the inner sanctum of a cavernous hall where pockets of people are milling around different stations, which have been set up especially for this year’s The Coffee Tour at Taylor’s University, Lakeside Campus, Selangor.
Anxiously, I scan my surrounds, hoping to catch sight of my interviewee for today — one Jasen Lee, the managing director of coffee roaster and distributor of Global Coffee Resources (GCR), an innovative beverage supplier for both premium and specialty coffee in Malaysia. Currently the leading player in the provision of coffee systems in the food and beverage industry, GCR is also the organisers of this year’s Coffee Tour, an event first initiated in 2016 and whose aim is to promote and introduce the latest in coffee-making equipment as well as beverage trends that benefit the specialty coffee and food service industry in Malaysia.
In one corner, a board bearing pertinent information about the day’s agenda catches my attention and I make a beeline for it. “10.30am to 11am — sustaining a cafe business. 11am to 11.30am — moving towards Malaysia’s dairy market to capture next growth wave. Mixing with Jeff Ho workshop.” the first half of the text reads. There’s also a barista competition, how to taste coffee workshop and even the art of Boba workshop in the programme line up.
“Coffee, Miss?” A perky voice coming from a bespectacled teen bearing a tray of piping hot coffee in tiny paper cups interrupts my reading. I throw her a grateful beam before reaching for a cup, my first dose of caffeine for the day.
“There’s a lot more to sample around the different stations,” says another voice, this time, deeper. Turning, I find myself gazing at a tall, blazer-clad gentleman, his eyes dancing in amusement under his dark-rimmed glasses.
“Jasen Lee,” he declares, before offering his hand in a firm handshake. “And you must be from NST?” My head bobs in answer and Lee smiles before saying: “Come, let me take you through this tour. There’s a lot to see.” From the source.