An Elated Coffee Experience like no other
In March, I was invited to what was the finest coffee tasting experience I have had so far. This micro-lot coffee tasting event at Two Neighbors was comparable to fine dining which is typically placed in an opulent setting, offering sophisticated and lavish dishes padding the atmosphere with mellifluous background music but with coffee.
Within no time, Two Neighbors decided it was time to reveal Season Two, and just like Netflix a teaser was released last week on what to expect i.e. the announcement followed by a three course coffee menu. Seatings were limited so whoever managed to reserve them, consider yourselves lucky because the bar just got raised again.
To recap on what this tasting is all about — POV: you are seated with other coffee enthusiasts and placed in front of you is an elegant setting of a neatly arranged tray with information of the coffee being served to you. Carefully paired with the coffee is single origin dark chocolate from Mirzam.
On the coffee menu:
SIDRA NATURAL by Seven Fortunes
All coffees were paired with single origin dark chocolate by Mirzam.
All the elements now come together as a barista takes center stage taking you back to the origin to experience the way the coffee was grown, harvested and processed. You can then watch them live carefully brewing an experience waiting to unfold at the tip of your tongues.
There’s something about tasting coffee with like-minded enthusiasts, sharing what your palette is picking up tuned to your personal experiences and learning from those you least expect to. It’s fascinating how easy it becomes to break the ice over a cup of coffee — the initial resistance quickly disappears and mutates into receptivity.
The setting also has something to do with this because it is the space that sets or break expectations. I have raged about Two Neighbors’ interiors before, dangerously close to fanboy levels. I’m in no way a connoisseur when it comes to design but it’s so tastefully sophisticated it becomes hard not to be awestruck.
From being greeted by the highlight of the cafe — the coffee bar that houses the champagne gold AREMDE is stunning — to the unique Martian red interior emanating a feeling that you are surrounded by a structure made out of raw-earthy-mineral-clay molded and smoothened out with hands turning edges into soft contours.
By the end, you are left feeling elated. It is easy to claim that this concept needs to be duplicated across other cafes but I know only a handful might be able to pull it off the way Raza Abbas envisioned it and still have some kinks along the way. The experiences he creates is second to none.
Raza recently wrote some insights on why being a restaurateur in the UAE is not for the faint hearted. His customer-focused approach for retention is great advice and aligns with this coffee tasting event. It is not often that you see a leader push his team into the limelight with such fervor. The effort put across Two Neighbors will not only boost their recognition exponentially into the hearts of their customers but also raise the bar in defining what true hospitality looks like.
