How do you like your coffee?
Infused with flavours such as chocolate, caramel or vanilla, a frappe guarantees you a delicate balance of coffee and sweetness.
Coffee culture is making a huge comeback in Sri Lanka with an increasing number of Sri Lankans being more receptive towards the taste of coffee. From drinking a simple cup of coffee at home to buying a hot cup of cappuccino or an iced latte at a café, many Sri Lankans are willing to explore the different types of coffee that are available.
On a hot, sunny day in Colombo (which tends to be most of the time), you will often find people gravitating towards a cold cup of iced latte. With a shot of espresso mixed with milk, an iced latte tends to be a Sri Lankan’s go-to coffee when they crave for something cool. Another drink that is popular among the crowd is a Frappuccino. Trademarked by the worldwide brand Starbucks, a Frappuccino is a highly sweetened iced coffee drink topped with whipped cream and syrup. Infused with flavours such as chocolate, caramel or vanilla, a frappe guarantees you a delicate balance of coffee and sweetness.
But it does not mean that hot drinks are overlooked by the Sri Lankan community. Mocha is considered an introductory drink which helps one get used to hot coffee. It is a drink made with espresso, milk and chocolate, making one feel familiar to the taste of coffee with the sweetness added by the chocolate. With such drinks being immensely popular in Sri Lanka’s café culture, many Sri Lankans are hesitant to try other types of coffee made through pour over and filter brew methods as they often find the taste of it to be bitter. However, price is also a determining factor in a person’s decision to buy a cup of coffee. Despite coffee drinks being inexpensive in countries such as USA and UK, the prices in Sri Lanka are on the high side to a Sri Lankan with an average income. Varying from 500 to 700 rupees for a cup of cappuccino, it is not often that you would find a Sri Lankan buying coffee on a daily basis. Instead, drinking coffee is now perceived as a social treat. Once a week or two, you buy a cup of coffee when you meet your friends or colleagues.
Price is also why instant coffee is a huge hit in Sri Lanka. Being inexpensive, instant coffee is the most purchased type of coffee in supermarkets and grocery stores, allowing
Sri Lankans to still enjoy the taste of coffee while being able to afford it. Not only is it inexpensive, but it is also quick in which you can easily make a cup of coffee in a few minutes. Most often, you will find coffee consumed with milk and sugar in almost every Sri Lankan household. “Many Sri Lankans find coffee to be bitter and they often need something to mask that. Adding milk provides a kind of sweetness and texture that they enjoy”, says Farhan Naushad, barista at Kopi Kade (he also handles the quality assurance with coffee cupping).
With coffee production peaking in the 1800s, Sri
Lanka was deemed to be one of the biggest coffeeproducing nations in the world. However, the coffee industry came to a halt when the coffee plantations were infected by the fungal disease, Hemileia vastatrix (also known as coffee leaf rust) causing production to fall rapidly. Cultivation of coffee was reduced to a relatively small amount of acres and by 1900, coffee was replaced by tea. Yet, coffee production is making a slow comeback in Sri Lanka with more companies taking initiative to cultivate coffee in homeland estates and cafes are also sourcing their coffee beans from local farmers.