Stratford Avenue marks the end of Colombo. It separates Sri Lankaโs capital city from itโs suburbs to the southeastโup and down, the short stretch of road is dotted with small shops and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and hums with faint chantings of a nearby Buddhist temple. Here is whereย Kopi Kade calls home.
Opened in 2016, the cafe stood out at the gate. A product of Nimeshan Namasivayam, Kopi Kade directly translates to “coffee shop” in both Sinhala and Tamil. Itโs also the name of a long running and extremely famous soap opera. The show centered around the idea of a kopi kade as a community hub.
The unassuming facade of Namasivayamโs Kopi Kade gives way to a clean, former warehouseโdesigned by local architect Manju Wijeratne, the space is decorated with clean-cut teak tables and chairs, bronze light fixtures, and the work of artistย Shaanea Mendis.
Before founding Kopi Kade, Namasivayam worked as a barista, coffee roaster, and a coffee taster for more 15 years in Australia, where he lived for most of his life.
โItโs more about ensuring consistency,โ says Namasivayam of running a successful cafe. โWe use very good water filtration systems and always fresh milk.โ Heโs also using Kopi Kade to build Colomboโs barista community, offering workshops to local restaurant staff and home baristas alike.
The menu here sees a constant change, with rotating single-origin coffees from Costa Rica to Ethiopia to Indonesia. โWe change the coffee every three to four weeks, not just from different countries, but from different roasters,โ Namasivayam says.
Kopi Kade also has its own 1kg Giesenย abutting the back wall, on which Namasivayam trial roasts small lots of Sri Lankan coffee.
โWe want to see if we can improve farming and processing techniques, which would result in a better cup of quality coffee,โ Namasivayam says of his relationships with a few local smallholder coffee farmers. โThereโs a lot of potential to produce good Sri Lankan coffee, as the terroir is perfect for coffee growing in the hill country.โ
For espresso beverages, the cafe uses a two-groupย Victoria Arduino VA388 Black Eagleย along with twoย Mythos Oneย grinders. Brewed coffee is offered either onย AeroPressย orย Hario V60 and ground with aย Comandante hand grinder. Thereโs also a โSri Lankan Styleโ cold brew made sweet to match Colomboโs palateโitโs a darker-roasted African coffee mixed with 40-percent milk.
Kopi Kadeโs food menu is filled with modern takes on traditional Sri Lankan dishes, like spiced lamb and prawn sliders and the Coconut French Toastโfluffy, eggy, pani polย bread covered in caramelized coconut flakes and coffee-infused coconut sugar syrup, gently spiced with cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon.
At Kopi Kade, Namasivayam has built a community of regulars with whom he shares not just new coffees, but sizable doses of information about production, taste, brewing, and coffee culture. In doing so, he hopes his coffee shop can be more than just that. โItโs an experiential learning experience,โ Nimeshan says, and one with the name recognition that just may draw the masses.
Zinara Rathnayake is a freelance journalist based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This isย Zinara Rathnayake’s first feature forย Sprudge.
Photos by Nathan Mahendra