New Hvala Kissa at Tanjong Pagar serve decaf coffee-focused drinks and bakes for the caffeine-averse

Popular matcha cafe brand Hvala has opened a new outlet at Tanjong Pagar, and it’s quite an interesting one.

Most matcha aficionados would know the brand very well, as one of the first cafes to bring matcha into the mainstream in Singapore — way before the current worldwide craze for the grassy concoction.

So it’s rather interesting to note that the new Hvala Kissa is also placing plenty of emphasis on its coffee.

More accurately, the focus is on its range of decaffeinated coffee options, carefully sourced from places all around the world, including less seen origins such as Yunnan.

It’s great for those who want to enjoy a cafe sesh at night, as Hvala Kissa very succinctly says in its slogan: “Coffee without curfew”.

Fittingly, Hvala Kissa is located inside 100AM at Tanjong Pagar, a mall known for its wide selection of Japanese food establishments.

The decor here is minimalist and stripped down, with a bit more of an industrial vibe as compared to the elegant Japan accents that permeate other Hvala stores — but it’s just as good for chilling.

Coffee, tea, or caffeine-free?

With the aforementioned decaffeinated coffee speciality, guests can expect a whole slew of desserts using the decaf coffee to provide that familiar aroma, sans the jitters.

The blend used for the decaffeinated espresso comes from Indonesia’s Trace Roasting Co., which uses Colombian beans for a fruity profile with high acidity.

Caffeine addicts don’t have to worry, though — most drinks come with the option of decaf or regular coffee.

In fact, it gives you more freedom than ever.

For example, the ever-popular dirty tea lattes: These already come with the option of matcha, hojicha, or genmaicha for the base, with milk options of fresh, soy, or oat.

How does it compare to traditional cuppas, though? Our choice of dirty matcha latte with oat milk and decaf coffee doesn’t really feel too far off from the real McCoy.

Hvala’s comes a little sweeter and blends nicely with the oat’s flavour, while the decaf coffee adds a dose of toastiness and acidity to complement the matcha.

Anyone who enjoys more creative beverage creations can also opt for the kuromitsu (black sugar syrup) cafe latte or the Hokkaido butter latte.

Yes, butter in coffee — sorta like the notorious local-style kopi guyou.

That said, while the Hokkaido butter adds a little kiss of buttery richness to the acidic coffee, it doesn’t quite imbue that silky mouthfeel we were expecting.

Not half-baked

So, what bakes and bites can you find at this decaf coffee speciality cafe?

Hvala Kissa’s menu incorporates decaf coffee widely into its menu and you can find interesting gelato flavours such as Hokkaido flat white (decaf) — the acidity works really well in this, giving it a super nostalgic Kopiko-like profile, just like the coffee candy!

For heartier items, there’s the coffee Basque cheesecake that features cream cheese infused with decaf coffee that’s fragrant and piquant.

As far as coffee-flavoured desserts go though, our favourite at Hvala Kissa is probably the coffee pecan tart.

The roasted pecans and coffee caramel just make for such satisfyingly aromatic bites.

We also found the coffee opera cake quite delightful, too — it’s a bit more standard but the coffee fragrance comes out wonderfully, while not being too intense.

Dirty matcha fans can also try the dirty matcha pound cake or dirty matcha tart, which incorporates both coffee and matcha, for the best of both worlds!

Like chill nights at a cafe, coffee and matcha desserts, and also a good night’s sleep? Hvala Kissa is probably what you’ve always needed in your life.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on Hi Hot Pot’s affordable lunch sets at under S$20 per pax and our visit to viral carbonara udon brand Udon Shin’s first local outlet!