Hello good
people.
I went out for yet another awesome date with
an amazing being called Kev.Kelvin . This one is a bit different and
interesting. This was my first coffee date as I happen to hate coffee. My date
being a coffee lover he insisted we have a coffee date at his favourite café. I met this
guy mid last year at his work place. We were very formal until few weeks later
when we became friends. The kind of people you talk to and you just like and
later thank God for meeting someone as crazy as yourself. He says that for you
to be his friend you must be abnormal as he is, I am not sure of my abnormality
state (haha). He is very passionate about coffee and tries to turn everyone
into a coffee lover, he has failed with me but he hopes to convert me on this
date. I pray that one day I will be as passionate about what I do as he is about
coffee. He recently started a coffee blog that I think everyone should check
it.
This is how the date was-
DESCRIBE YOURSELF BRIEFLY
I love coffee and I am passionate about coffee. I think
coffee is love and a girl (that never tells a guy No). People say I am weird, I
think I am okay. It is only that I am passionate and when you passionate about
something people think you are mad. What I think about myself is that, I love
coffee, I am a coffee enthusiast, I love meeting new people and visiting new
places and I love weirdness in people. I have no problem with people being who
they really are gays, lesbians, outspoken. I am open- minded and I love
reading, I always feel jealous when I hear someone say, ‘wow I read an
incredible book’. I want to know what is in that book.
WHO IS NAIROBI CAFFEINE?
It is simply a brand talking about coffee. It does not
matter if it is bad or good coffee we talk about anything coffee. Whether it is
the farmers, baristas, we bringing everything into one whole conversation
around coffee. It is a coffee blog creating a caffeine conversation. Getting
people to love their coffee and giving knowledge about coffee.
WHY BLOG ABOUT
COFFEE? I AM SURE YOU HAVE OTHER PASSIONS.
Coffee is my main passion. Coffee is love and love is the
greatest thing in the world. For me, coffee is just below breathing.
When I retire it will be coffee, if I meet a girl it will be
through coffee, when I marry it will be through coffee, when I start a business
it will be coffee and what I will leave behind with my children as inheritance
it will be coffee.
YOUR TAKE ON THE CURRENT COFFEE CULTURE IN KENYA
I am sorry, it is rubbish. People love to show off. You meet
find people saying that instant coffee is crap, nescafe is crap, dormans is
crap. When they walk into a coffee house they have no idea what Espresso is. I
came to love coffee through those things they say are crap. Our culture is
picking up and people are drinking coffee because Java and Artcaffe are there
and the experience is amazing. It will start to get serious when people start
to understand what they are drinking. We need to understand what Dutch and Drip
coffee are. Cafes start to train their Baristas how to make good coffee. It
would not hurt to have coffee with whiskey, medicated weed (like Denmark). If
people start to appreciate coffee then our farmers will benefit from it.
WHEN DID YOU BECOME A COFFEE LOVER?
I cannot remember. I found myself loving coffee. I grew up
in a place where I would see coffee when I wake up and see coffee trees as I go
home. I never thought I will come to love coffee this much. It was while I was
surfing, back in High school, the life in Europe and I came across these
beautiful cafes set outside. I started to love coffee back in college (KCA), I
used to take Nescafe (the ones coffee lovers hate) and I would get excited. I
wondered why I loved this drink, I would take six sachets a day. I sort to
research and it just licked.
YOUR FAVOURITE COFFEE AND WHY?
It depends on the season. When it is very hot I love Dutch,
because it is strong and cold and Iced coffee. When it is cold I love Cappuccino
and Drips or brewed coffee.
AT NAIROBI CAFFEINE, WHAT ARE YOUR OBJECTIVES?
NAIROBI CAFFEINE came about not because I love blogging but
because I was trying to be malicious. I want to set up a coffee chain that is
unique. Specifically I want to set up speciality cafes, meaning we will only
deal with special coffee depending on the regions they come from. I decided to
set up the blog so that when I interview people they can tell me how they like
their coffee. I have realized that people do not know about coffee so we
educate people. Anyone who wants to know what Espresso and drips are they
should check out my blog. Building a coffee culture before setting up a coffee
shop.
YOU COMPARE COFFEE TO A GIRL, WHY DO YOU?
I don’t compare coffee to a girl, I compare coffee to
love. Love is mostly synonymous to girls. Friends meet for coffee and they
spend hours talking that in itself is love. When you ask a Barista to make you
Hand drip coffee, they spend 5-7 minutes making a single coffee, putting their
passion into it. Coffee brings people together.
But when farmers harvest they see money not love. It is very hard to see a
single person sitting at a café feeling miserable.
YOU GOING OUT ON A DATE WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL LADY, BUT
SHE DOES NOT TAKE COFFEE, KINDLY INTRODUCE HER TO COFFEE AND RECOMMEND.
First of all, I will tell her that she has to take coffee. I
know many tricks, so I will not tell her to take the usual coffees like Cappuccino
and drips. I will go for something fancy and seduce her by telling that coffee is
interesting. Tell her about Frappes, Espresso, Cremoka (this can make a guy get
kissed). We will start with Frappes and slowly graduate to a time when she can
take brewed coffee and add syrup to make it sweeter.
APART FROM COFFEE, DO YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?
No. They think I love coffee too much. They find me
sophisticated and weird. Coffee is a lifestyle, so you will see me hanging out
at cafes and not Uhuru park.
USING COFFEE, DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL LADY.
I love my coffee strong, meaning most of the time I take my
coffee on a double or drip. I love the natural taste of coffee and for you to
understand that you must be sophisticated enough to appreciate the real taste.
To compare that to a girl, I like her to be weird, normal is too boring because
when you are abnormal and weird you tend to pursue your passions. She should be
authentic, hot when I say hot I don’t mean her dressing, she can be hot from
her brains downwards. She needs to be very strong and love weird and craziness
and she needs to be traveller. She does not need to love coffee, I will make
her love it, it is my duty.
COUNTRIES KNOWN FOR THEIR COFFEE THAT YOU WISH TO
VISIT
Italy, Turkey and France to visit Paris. I think people from
Turkey are very bitter, as they only take Espresso most of the time. I want to
understand how they take strong Turkish coffee. If I go to Italy I would visit
Venice and Florence. In African it is Ethiopia, they have beautiful girls as
their coffee.
YOUR TAKE ON THE COFFEE FARMING INDUSTRY IN KENYA, WE
HAVE SEEN DISAPPOINTED FARMERS CUT DOWN COFFEE TREES.
I am also
disappointed. Kenyans should consume their own coffee, which they do not.
Government gives us Kahawa no. 1 as coffee. This is simply playing with our hearts.
We have the best coffee and Kenyans need to enjoy this. We are used to Nescafe,
what the hell is that? Where does it come from? The trade should be a bit
relaxed, where farmers can sell directly to cafes and roast it within cafes
establishment. Lowering the legalities within the industry as it is controlled
by cartels. It should be like Sukumawiki, where farmers take them to the market
for people to buy. If I set up a coffee shop, I should go to Nyeri and look for
a farmer who will be supplying coffee cherries/berries and I roast them to make
coffee. A farmer gets Ksh 20 for a kilo of coffee cherries while I pay Ksh 300
for a cup of Cappuccino.
CAN YOU GO A WHOLE DAY WITHOUT COFFEE?
No Never.
THEN YOU ARE A COFFEE ADDICT?
No. I am not. I am a coffee enthusiast.
HOW IS YOUR DAILY CAFFEINE SCHEDULE?
I do not have a specific schedule. My first cup is around
8.000am at the office and office coffee is pathetic. Depending on the day,
sometimes I feel overwhelmed and I can take two cups at the same time. At
around 11.00am I will take another cup and at 2.00pm and if you call me for a
coffee date I will still take another one. I am a big fan of coffee, wake me up
at 3.00am and I will take coffee.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CAFFEINE?
It gets you to be creative, if you are on a date it helps
you make a girl smile.
It has anti-oxidants.
Coffee reduces risks of several cancers.
For girls it is known to reduce weight.
Coffee helps reduce memory loss in old people.
Coffee does not have side effects it only does when you take
like 10 cups a day.
YOUR TOP FIVE CAFES?
1. G-CAFÉ at Mountain mall along Thika road.
2. ARTCAFFE- they have turned coffee into a lifestyle. They
have salsa nights.
3. JAVA
4. MAMBO ITALIA
5. LEAF AND BEAN
APART FROM COFFEE, WHICH OTHER DRINK DO YOU TAKE?
Peroni-an expensive beer that I do not get in my local bar. I
like beer but not as much as coffee. I take Peroni and if I cannot find it, I
will take Tusker malta.
Wine-red wines. I am very much acquiring a taste in wines.
DO YOU TAKE TEA?
My mother used to force me to take tea when I was younger
but now she doesn’t. I converted my mum to love coffee. If I converted my mum
to love coffee, then which girl can I not? None. I take tea when I am at my
grandmother’s, because she is old and does not understand what the hell coffee
is all about. For any other person, if I come to your place and you give tea I
will refrain and take water.
YOUR WORST AND BEST COFFEE EXPERIENCE?
Worst- I went to an establishment here in town and asked for
a Latte. Half the cup was froth. It is a coffee shop but they sell Ugali more
than coffee.
-I have to
take office coffee.
Best- G-CAFÉ all the way. I can have Denmark coffee here. I
love the place.
 |
| Coffee Lover |
YOU ARE ALSO A POET DO YOU HAVE ANY COFFEE POEM?
Yes I do.
COFFEE.
When I think social, coffee comes to mind
I am so in love, addicted to myself
Every single morning, I imitate myself the whole habituation
process has coffee.
That look on my face when I have just had coffee,
The drink has no surrogate
I don’t believe it has a variant either
People say it has a variant, I don’t subscribe.
Hot Black strong
No sugar.
What happens when a man like myself meets a reflection of
me? A woman who loves the romantic mirage of coffee
My mind gets fixated, it is as if the drink I love
transforms itself Into warmness of a human being, I can easily get addicted.
The essence of life is love.
Love is what bounds us, creates us and keeps us together
People don’t hate each other; they get frustrated with each
other Frustrated that neither is willing to sit and discover love.
Let’s have coffee, is all it takes
Wars are fought, people seldom love, and smile less.
If we believe coffee is a culture
Let’s go for a date, lets wary parties enjoy a cup, lets
brew love.
All hail to the one drink, that will be here after we are
long gone
All hail to all the coffee lovers
All hail to the culture; coffee is culture, coffee is
humanity Coffee is love.
KELVIN KEV
GIVE US FIVE COMMON COFFEE VOCABULARIES THAT MOST
PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW APART FROM THE COFFEE LOVERS, LIKE BARISTA AND PALATE.
Batista-the person behind a counter making coffee. Coffee
maker is the machine.
Palate-taste buns. They should develop to a certain level
where you can tell the contents of coffee by just tasting.
Plunger-a flask like equipment, people can use to brew
coffee at home at ksh 900 only.
V-60-a cone shaped apparatus used to hold coffee paper
filter and ground when making hard drip coffee.
Frappes-cold coffee drinks that come topped with whipped cream
flavours.
Espresso- it is when you pass hot water through fine
grounded coffee. It is used to make other coffees.
CLARIFY SEVERAL COFFEE MYTHS LIKE COFFEE IS A DRUG
1.
Coffee can make you horny- that is a lie
2.
Coffee make you energetic- this is a lie
3.
Coffee is for the rich. Anyone can brew coffee
at home.
YOU ARE ALSO A BOOKIE, HAVE YOU READ ANY COFFEE BOOK
APART FROM COOK BOOKS?
We have a problem in Kenya and our bookshops have a problem
too. You find that, because we do not have a coffee culture you find that
bookshops do not stock coffee books. If I need a coffee book I will have to
order it from Amazon. Cafés have not written anything about their coffee and
history. I think I will be first one to write about that. A whole country known
for coffee do not have coffee books.
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAFES AND BOOK
READING? YOU LOVE TO READ AT A CAFÉ
I would classify it
as the relationship between a church and the Bible. You can read peacefully
without any disturbance. I cannot walk into a bar, drink beer and read a book,
it is very noisy and I will be looking at the girls.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR?
I am currently
reading the 48 LAWS OF POWER. It is an interesting read and I like it.
My favourite writer
is Paulo Coelho. I have read everything about him. I have to read his books
twice a year. They are very inspirational.
WHAT ARE YOU HOBBIES APART FROM COFFEE?
Watching documentaries,
reading a book by the waterfall and nature walks.
ONE OF NAIROBI CAFFEINE’S INTENTIONS IS TO TURN PEOPLE
WHO DO NOT TAKE COFFEE INTO COFFEE LOVERS, HOW DO YOU INTEND TO DO THAT?
By telling people things they do not know about coffee.
YOU ALSO DO CAFÉ REVIEWS, HOW HARD OR EASY IS IT TO
APPROACH A CAFÉ OR BARISTA FOR A REVIEW?
Baristas are the easiest to approach because they are open
minded and love to speak about the art and passion. Managers are hard to
approach, because of the culture where bloggers review cafes and critic about
the café.
COFFEE SEEMS LIKE AN EXPENSIVE LIFESTYLE, CAN AN
ORDINARY KENYAN AFFORDABLE A QUALITY COFFEE REGULARLY?
Yes. It appears expensive because of the cartels involved.
If we had many cafes all over from Turkana to Mombasa then we would have
competition and thus reducing the cost of coffee. We only have the big two:
Java and Artcaffe but coffee can be cheaper.
DO YOU HAVE ONE PARTICULAR CAFÉ THAT YOU DREAM OF
REVIEWING?
Locally no. I view all as the same. I have not reviewed Java
and Artcaffe and am not planning to. I love to review small cafes as they are
the ones improving the culture like G-CAFÉ.
Internationally, I dream of reviewing Italy’s cafes. I am
made to understand that wazee at Old Town in Mombasa take their
coffee communally, I would love to review such. I cannot review a coffee shop
that gives me nescafe and hot water as coffee, NEVER.
WHO ARE THE NAIROBI CAFFEINE’S TARGET AUDIENCE?
It is everybody who needs to have a coffee conversation. I
want a cult following, where if I review a café everybody runs to take coffee
there.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON COFFEE IMPORTATION INTO KENYA
WHILE WE HAVE OUR OWN COFFEE?
Kenyans do not appreciate their own coffee because they have
no knowledge about it. I do not blame Kenyans but I appreciate the cafés we
have as they use our coffee.
WHAT ARE BLOGGING CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED SO FAR?
Website. Website. A
coffee blog should be interesting. Because we did not have any coffee blog mine
was the first one, designers have no idea what I want. The first has crashed
and I was very sad.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE KENYA’S BLOGGING INDUSTRY?
I had not realized that blogging has really gained some boost
in Kenya. When I started blogging, I got researching and I realized that there
are so many bloggers. People can blog about anything from under-wears to cows.
Bloggers are like journalists, they are able to bring to light things that
people are not aware. I admire bloggers who write about corruption.
WHERE DO YOU SEE NAIROBI CAFFEINE IN THE NEXT 2-5
YEARS TO COME?
It will very big. Everything coffee. Others brands will be
advertising with us. We will start to sell coffee apparatus and Kenya’s coffee.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE COFFEE QUOTE?
Yes I do.
-I do not understand this decaffeinated (coffee without
caffeine) coffee, it is like sex without the sex.
-Until such a time that there are strong men in the world, women
will always be encroached to take strong coffee.
-Friends and coffee are a perfect blend.
-It is better bad coffee than no coffee at all.
YOUR ROLE MODEL COFFEEWISE?
I don’t have a role a model. I am my own Republic in
coffee. I have not met any other person
as crazy about coffee as I am. I am very proud of the best Barista, Martin Shabaya,
in Kenya he works at Artcaffe. The fact that he can be the best Barista is an
honour and travelling the world to show your passion is great.
YOUR LAST COFFEE WORDS
If you do not know what an Espresso is don’t order it ask
the waiter what it is. If you have no idea what a cappuccino is ask, do not
order the word. Coffee is not always bitter. If you have a sweet tooth you can
have the frappes For the coffee lovers you can have the real romantic drips and
brews.
Thank you for passing by and enjoying this date with me. I am officially a coffee convert. I had no
idea coffee could be this interesting. The next time I am invited for a coffee date I will
surely attend. Check out
NAIROBI CAFFEINE for coffee reads and experiences.
 |
| Coffee convert |
cremoka
 |
| mocha |
Location-G-CAFÉ at Mountain mall, along Thika super highway
Kev had-Cappuccino (made of equal portions of espresso and
steamed milk then topped with a thick froth)
-Hand
drip coffee (made solely from ground coffee and water, through a 5 minute drip
process).
Cera had- Cremoka (filma ,espresso, milk, sugar and always
served cold)
-Mocha
(espresso, steamed milk, chocolate syrup and sprinkled with chocolate powder).
We ate Waffles topped with ice cream.
FUN.LEARN.SHARE
FUN.LEARN.SHARE
