I've loved coffee since I started drinking it in high school, and I've always wanted to attend a coffee workshop just to understand and appreciate it more.

Therefore, when Carfeidian invited us to their newly launched Coffee Filter Tasting Workshop, we happily accepted.

Located around 15 minutes by car from the JB Checkpoint (Johor Bahru CIQ), Carfeidian is a relatively new café with a rather unique concept. It's both a café and a car workshop, so you can enjoy a meal while waiting for your car to be serviced.

They've also started organising coffee filter tasting sessions for anyone interested in learning more about coffee.

The session lasted about two hours and was conducted at a very comfortable pace. Our host, Jun Rong, was friendly, approachable and ready to answer every question we had.

Roasting Coffee Beans

The workshop started with a live coffee roasting demonstration, which immediately caught our attention because it's not something we get to see every day.

Jun Rong first showed us the original green coffee beans before roasting them using a Sandbox Smart portable coffee roaster (I didn't even know portable roasters existed until this day). He explained each stage of the roasting process, from the turning point and yellowing to the popcorn popping-like sound. Once the roast was complete, the beans were immediately transferred into a cooling tray.

Introduction to Coffee

After that, we moved on to the theory portion, where we learned about different coffee bean varieties, roasting levels, washing processes, coffee cupping and how to interpret the coffee flavour wheel.

Before attending, I only knew about Arabica and Robusta coffee beans. This was my first time hearing about Liberica and Excelsa, two much rarer coffee varieties that we don't often see in cafés.

Making Pour-Over Coffee with V60

After the theory session, Jun Rong and another barista prepared pour-over coffee using two types of coffee beans: Ethiopian and Colombian.

Interestingly, both baristas have different methods when preparing pour-over coffee - one brewed using four pours, while the other used three. It showed that brewing coffee is largely down to personal preference.

Tasting Coffee

Here comes the part that I've always felt intimidated about: coffee tasting. I've never understood what people meant when they described tasting hints of grapes, wheat, and so on, and wondered if I wasn't paying enough attention or my palate wasn't as experienced yet.

Jun Rong suggested something much simpler: He asked us to think about the first colour that came to mind after taking a sip, then refer to the coffee taster's flavour wheel.

That was a helpful tip, and I found the colour wheel to make much more sense now. The Ethiopian coffee reminded me of green and yellow—refreshing and bright. The Colombian coffee, on the other hand, felt more like brown and maroon, with a richer and bolder flavour. Based on the colour wheel, this could mean I was tasting hints of citrus fruits, acidic alcohol, maybe even notes of green vegetables in the Ethiopian coffee. Meanwhile for Colombian coffee, I could be tasting hints of brown spice like cinnamon and nuts.

Well, I don't know whether my interpretation was correct or not, but it didn't matter - for the first time, I felt like I actually understood what people were trying to describe when they talked about tasting notes.

That said, I realised I still prefer coffee with milk, haha. After trying two cups of filter coffee, I was craving a latte by the end of the session. But I also came to appreciate coffee much more than before, and I can finally understand why different beans can taste so different.

Complimentary Light Bites and Drip Bags

Carfeidian also prepared thick slices of brioche toast with kaya and butter, which made for a really nice snack. They also gave each of us an Ethiopian coffee drip bag and a Colombian coffee drip bag to bring home.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. It never felt overly technical - instead of trying to turn us into coffee experts, Jun Rong simply shared his passion for coffee in a way that beginners could easily understand.

If you've always wanted to learn more about coffee but weren't sure where to begin, I think this is a great place to start. Carfeidian plans to hold this Coffee Filter Tasting Workshop once a month, limited to six to eight participants per session to keep it interactive. You can contact @carfeidian on Instagram to find out more!

After the workshop, we stayed behind for lunch as well.

If you're curious about what Carfeidian serves besides coffee, check out my full café review where I tried these dishes including their unique Chilli Crab Shakshuka.

Carfeidian

📍11, Jln Chengai, Taman Melodies, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia