There really seems to be many coffee kiosks that have popped up around the Central Business District of the late — the latest of the lot seemingly being 3 Mins Coffee that has recently sprouted up at Downtown Gallery. Taking over the former premises of the now-defunct Saybons, 3 Mins Coffee joins the other establishments that have been serving up specialty coffee at Downtown Gallery for a while — this would include that of Lunar Coffee Brewers, PatisserieG, The Providore and 6oz Espresso Bar amongst others. The “3 Mins” in its namesake refers to their dedication in serving up their patrons with a cuppa within 3 minutes. Despite being more of a coffee kiosk, there is a simple dine-in area where one can have a cuppa and a pastry seated down — the seating area comprising of a few dining tables that seats about three pax each, as well as some bar table seats by the window overlooking Shenton Way. The menu at 3 Mins Coffee is rather simple; with a menu that focuses on specialty coffee, one can opt for either espresso-based coffee or pour overs here. Non-coffee beverages include chocolate and a Matcha / Genmaicha Latte, while there are also a variety of teas available as well. For those feeling peckish, 3 Mins Coffee does serve up a small variety of bakes such as danishes and muffins where one can pair with their coffee as well.

Visiting 3 Mins Coffee during lunch hours on a weekday, we needed to get one of their bakes to go along with the cup of Flat White that we had decided to go for. Amongst the selection of bakes in the wooden display case located by the side of the counter, we eventually found ourselves settling for the Maple Pecan Plait — something which we thought seems to be less commonly found at other establishments that we had visited in recent times. The staff behind the counter did tell us that they do not make their pastries and cakes from scratch on-site here — that being said, while these pastries are ordered in already made, the baking process is still done in-house to ensure freshness. We were asked if we would like for the pastry to be served warm for us; something which we were agreeable to. The danish itself was crisp and flaky; carried a somewhat of a light hint of buttery note that we were sort of expecting. What we were pretty intrigued by was how the pastry has pockets of maple syrup that is hidden within the plaits; carried that hint of floral sweetness that went so well with the chopped pecans on the top that complimented all of that with its evident nuttiness. Needless to say, the Maple Pecan Plait went well with the Flat White which we had; itself was a decent pull that featured a house-blend consisting of 50% Guatemalan beans and 50% Colombian beans that they roast by themselves — a cuppa that was more fruity, though albeit milkier considering how they had made it to be.

Whilst 3 Mins Coffee does add to the variety of options that one could go for specialty coffee within the Central Business District, we did feel that its location might put them in a less favourable position against the strong competition that is already within the same building it is in. Being situated in the same location as more notable names that are have a big presence within the local specialty coffee scene such as that of Lunar Coffee Brewers and 6oz Espresso Bar, it would be difficult for 3 Mins Coffee to break through what its competition has established for themselves for the number of years that they have been around. That being said, what 3 Mins Coffee does is pretty commendable — their dedication in serving up a cuppa within 3 minutes to target the busy office folks in the vicinity that they are in, as well as how they do serve up specialty coffee that is brewed using beans roasted by their very own does showcase some of their know-how behind the craft in their coffee in general. We also liked how they do serve up a variety of bakes that despite being pre-made to a certain degree and supplied to them, are baked in-house to ensure freshness for their patrons — though the spatial restrictions therefore leading to the lack of proper food options at 3 Mins Coffee might put them in a spot slightly lesser as compared to those that serve specialty coffee and mains in the eyes of the office folks during lunch hour. That being said, it would be interesting to see how 3 Mins Coffee go from here …