Specialty coffee for the corporate crowd

THE unstoppable force that is the coffee-drinking scene here, powered by a growing number of local roasters dedicated to high-quality coffee, is about to enter a new phase that will have coffee-lovers licking their lips in approval and - if it takes off - turn Singapore into a prime mover in the specialty coffee stakes.

The New Black is a coffee purveyor with a fresh take on the art of coffee and hopes of changing coffee-drinking habits in the CBD in a spectacular way. The plan: to introduce a small, self-contained, state-of-the-art coffee bar into the lobbies of Grade A office buildings, offering tenants and visitors a chance to taste not just decent coffee, but the best artisanal coffees from top roasters around the world. The company launches its initial concept store on Friday.

With a carefully curated seasonal collection from a rotating roster of star roasters like Tim Wendelboe in Oslo, Verve Coffee Roasters in Santa Cruz, California, Workshop Coffee in London and Small Batch Roasters in Melbourne, The New Black doesn't offer its own brand of coffee; instead, it's gone straight to the gurus of the specialty coffee world.