Sin See Tai

A space for community and great coffee tucked away in a small alleyway along Jalan Bunga Raya. I'd like to start off by clarifying that this is not The Daily Fix Café located along Jonker Street; it's a different café that also supplies beans to TDF. The roastery is housed within the café. I was visiting Melaka with a friend for the first time in March 2026. It was a hot day, and we'd just had some heavenly Chicken Rice Balls. Wandering through narrow roads and alleyways, we were searching for a space to cool down and finish off our meal with some good coffee. We walked into this beautiful alleyway across the main road. Most shops were closed; one shop selling sundries was open. It looked like it had been there for many, many years. Distracted by the old shop, we didn't notice it at first, as it's hidden away with small trees and plants that decorate the facade.

The two-story cafe is located in a small shophouse that has still maintained its traditional architecture. The entryway is quite narrow, but it adds to the charm. As we entered, we were greeted by the baristas, who were very friendly and patient despite being a bit busy. We looked around at their offerings while browsing through the menu.  We then placed an order for the Melaka Liberica manual brew along with the Batu Pahat chocolate drink.

After placing our orders, we navigated through the narrow walkway towards a steep staircase. The staircase was a bit of a challenge for my friend, opening up two large adjacent rooms, decorated with rugs, sofas and tables. The space was very lively, full of people chatting, reading and enjoying their coffee. We walked around for a bit and decided to sit by the window with a view of the alleyway below. We started talking about the charm of the cafe and our expectations for this coffee. I have tried the Melaka Liberica variety before. Malaysia prefers subtle, balanced flavours as opposed to stronger fermented ones when it comes to speciality coffee. Melaka Liberica is one of the only varieties that is more fruity and fermented, with a stronger taste profile. As someone who developed his speciality coffee palate in Indonesia, I prefer stronger, fermented flavours. Having tried this variety a few times before, I wasn't very impressed. I was always missing the fermented mouthfeel and the flavour evolution that comes with brews with this profile.

Therefore, I was very excited to try the Melaka Liberica in Melaka. Our coffee arrived after about ten minutes, and all my expectations were immediately surpassed. After I took one sip of my coffee, I knew this was exactly what I was looking for. The brew had a well-rounded flavour profile, strong notes of fruit with a fermented aftertaste that kept evolving with every sip. The mouthfeel was perfect, with a bit of sweetness at the end to finish it off. Truly glorious. I was very satisfied. Justice has been delivered. After trying so many versions of this drink, some that were too expensive, I finally found the perfect brew, at its origin, Melaka.

I also want to talk about the chocolate drink. I have also been trying a lot of chocolate drinks across Southeast Asia. There are some great places serving unique flavours across Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Batu Pahat variety is definitely one of the better chocolate drinks I've tried in terms of flavour and quality. The drink had this really addicting earthy flavour with a strong fermented aftertaste and hints of spices and fruit. It was the perfect drink to cool down at the time. The drinks are quite affordable for the quality. It's definitely worth trying. I also bought the Salted Gula Melaka Cold Brew on my way out, because you gotta Gula when you're in Melaka.

We were feeling refreshed as we left the cafe, following the cool breeze along the banks of the Melacca River. I highly recommend this place and will definitely be back during my next visit.

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