“Less is more,” says owner Nicholas Tay when he is asked about the ethos of The Hub. His wife, Yuki Teh, who runs the establishment with him laughs in agreement. The Hub is aptly named so as it acts as the coffee hub of KL; coffee beans from all over the world are roasted here.
The Hub has been in operation since 2015 and at that time, there were few options for filtered coffee. “A lot has changed since we opened. If you wanted filtered coffee, maybe 10 shops would serve coffee, but only three would carry filtered coffee with just five varieties.” Tay shares. He firmly believes that the quality of the coffee you drink stems from two main factors: the quality of the raw material and the method of roasting the beans. “Any coffee will taste good if the beans are without defect and well-roasted. If the roasters buy expensive beans, they’re usually afraid of burning them which leads to beans that are usually under roasted. This leads to high levels of chlorogenic acid (the sour taste one would find in some coffees). I for example get a bad stomach after if I consume too much of it.”
Tay points out that when The Hub was first opened, they faced a lot of naysayers that said they would close quickly. “They said no one would be interested in so many coffee varieties much less pay so much for a cup of coffee. More than half of our coffee beans are top shelf quality which costs at least RM30-RM40 a cup.”
He traipsed around the globe for two years to discover the methods of coffee roasting – having spent more than RM100,000 just to learn what he thought would be a suitable means of conveying coffee to the locals in Malaysia. “Roasters must have skill. In Scandinavian countries, I found their coffee to be sweet with intense flavours and absolutely no bitter or burnt taste. Japanese coffees are light and sweet, but their flavours aren’t as intense. I wanted to know how they roasted their beans but of course, not many people are willing to teach their trade secrets. Finally, a friend of mine from Greece flew down to Malaysia to teach me. I then had a Norwegian teacher who had classes in Thailand.”
Tay affirms that coffee should be sweet. “African coffee tends to be more acidic and if not roasted properly, customers might not be able to appreciate it. Our philosophy here is to roast the beans enough to bring out the sweetness. If it is sweet, anyone will be able to drink it. Just like fruits – some people like mangoes, papayas, strawberries and such. There is no right or wrong; the fruits just must be ripe which means sweetness. Same goes for coffee.”
2018 was a pivotal year in which Regine Wai Yee Beng represented Malaysia in the World’s Brewers Cup Championship in Brazil. She came to the husband-wife team and asked if they could coach her in making coffee using the beans from The Hub. A deal was made, and Regine won second place. “Everyone changed their minds then. Our regulars trust us and let us choose what sort of coffee to serve them.” Tay explains. Today, The Hub rotates their coffee menu almost every week with 30-40 types of coffee for your palate – they also supply their coffee beans to many cafes and eateries around KL. Tay and Teh have invested at least half a million ringgits on machinery (check out their milk distillation machine at the entrance) used for their coffee establishment and their desire to excel compel them to organize training sessions for their staff in which they invite coffee experts to share their knowledge. If you’re in Damansara Heights, The Hub has a new outlet in the area.