Atlas Coffee Embassy, Johor Bahru

Coffee is a kingdom.

JH Yee, the 27-year-old Malaysian Barista Champion 2012, has another feather in his cap. The Time Out Kuala Lumpur Personality of the Year has returned to his hometown, Johor Bahru, to launch his latest venture, Atlas Coffee Embassy.

Walking in, you may wonder if you had entered a café in the fashionable back alleys of Omotesando in Tokyo. The pale wooden floors and white brick walls lend a subtle Japanese-Scandinavian ambiance to the space. This Zen-like décor is courtesy of Jeff Ong, a Malaysian designer based in Japan.

The Japanese connection goes even further: you can spot Japanese editions of magazines such as Kinfolk, Brutus, and Huge. There is lots of natural sunlight at Atlas Coffee Embassy.

Coffee-wise, Atlas Coffee Embassy serves their very own Atlas Signature Blend, a mix of Brazil Santo Antonio, Sumatra Tiga Raja Simalungun, and Costa Rica La Trinidad. Yee formulated this blend with Andrew Kent, the general manager of Singapore’s Common Man Coffee Roasters. There are also seasonal single origin beans for their V60 drip coffee and cold brewed coffee.

Brewing the best cuppas may not be hereditary but Yee is making a good case for it by mentoring his younger brothers: 26-year-old Keith Yee is the head barista at Jimmy Monkey Café and Bar in Singapore while 17-year-old JQ Yee now mans the espresso machine at Atlas Coffee Embassy. Whether it’s nature or nurture, the elder Yee has the Midas touch where it comes to beans and brews.

Sounds like the barista champion will paving the way for Johor Bahru to become the next coffee capital. Lucky Johoreans – they may just have some of the best coffee down south.

趁著回鄉之便，
我們倆幾度造訪了Atlas Coffee Embassy；這家期待已久的咖啡館。
作為Top Brew老顧客的我們，對JH Yee的咖啡一直都非常有信心。
可是裝潢呢？是否會如Top Brew般，簡單得有些單調？
這點在我們第一次踏入Atlas時就釋疑（也有點釋懷吧 :P）了。
明亮的光線、白色的基調再配上木製家具，原本是很斯堪的纳维亚風格，
可是經過設計師的巧手，卻帶來了淡淡的和式風味，非常的討喜。

咖啡依然香、醇如故。
尤其是意式咖啡，這在許多咖啡館都喝的到，
難喝的其實也不多，可是真正好喝的卻是鳳毛麟角。
而更讓人驚喜的是除了Top Brew的招牌鬆餅外，
這食物的選擇變得更多元化了，
我們試了幾樣感覺都很不錯，
從小細節上不難發現團隊用心之處。