Blue Bottle Coffee: Cult US Coffee Chain Opens At Raffles City For A Limited Time Only

Blue Bottle Coffee has a pop-up at Raffles City

Image credit: @bluebottle

PSA: Blue Bottle Coffee has opened a pop-up in Singapore. This marks the cult coffee chain’s first-ever opening in Southeast Asia, and for a limited time only, in the new LUMINE Singapore flagship store at Raffles City.

Image credit: @lumine.sg

Before you get overly excited, hold up—this isn’t going to be a full-fledged coffee bar with baristas and the like. Instead, it’s a gift shop stocking merch including their famous Craft Instant Espresso, NOLA Craft Instant Coffee Blend, and ceremonial grade, stone-milled matcha from Uji, Japan. There will also be drinkware and other coffee-drinking accessories, as well as a Singapore-exclusive reversible tote bag.

Don’t let this news get you down, because it’s been reported that this initial opening is just the first step in a wider expansion plan for Blue Bottle Coffee in Singapore.

Image credit: @bluebottle

For those of you who aren’t caught up to the cult following of this American brand, it was founded in a San Francisco garage back in 2002 by ex-musician James Freeman. Today, they have more than 100 stores worldwide, and you can spot their signature blue bottle logo in USA, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and China.

Image credit: @bluebottle

Inspired by kissaten, or Japanese tearoom-slash-coffee shops, Blue Bottle Coffee rose to fame thanks to their focus on the craft of coffee roasting and brewing, as well as creating a space for people to really enjoy their cuppas. The Japanese influence doesn’t end there: Freeman also drew inspo from the culture’s commitment to perfection, hospitality and customer service, and minimalism, which you might notice in the aesthetics of any Blue Bottle store.

Back to the Craft Instant Espresso, which you will be able to get your hands on at their Singapore store. One hopes that both the 60g bottle and single serve packets will be on sale; the 15-serve bottle is priced at US$25 (~S$33.20), while the box of five instant sachets retails for US$15 (~S$19.90) in the States.

Image credit: @bluebottle

All you’d need to have the Blue Bottle experience at home is 30ml of hot water, and a milk frother if you’re looking to have a latte—fingers crossed that you’ll find the Craft Instant Espresso Essentials Kit (US$75, ~S$99.60) in the store. This set includes a Blue Bottle Cupping Spoon, which scoops the exact amount of instant espresso you’ll need, and a Subminimal Nanofrother.

Image credit: @bluebottle

It’s not clear what merch will be on sale, but their Blue Bottle Pour Over Kit (US$65, ~S$86.30) might be something to look forward to, with their house-designed Blue Bottle Dripper and a custom-made glass carafe. Alternatively, zhng up your coffees with the Kinto Double-Walled Glass Set (US$34, ~S$45.10),

Freeman vowed when he founded the brand that he would only sell small batch-roasted coffee that reaches consumers in less than 48 hours after they’re roasted, so it remains to be seen if the LUMINE Singapore store will stock any of their whole beans. We’ll update this post with more information when it’s available.

Coffee lovers, we’ve got a roundup of unique kopi stalls in Singapore where you can satisfy your cravings. On the drinks front, popular tea brand CHAGEE is back with a bang at orchardgateway, with upcoming branches in Plaza Singapura and Raffles City too.

Address: 252 North Bridge Road, #01-01, Raffles City, Singapore 179103
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 10pm
Tel: TBD
Website

Feature image adapted from @bluebottle