Ice long black ($5++) & Ice praline mocha ($7++)!
Saturday cafe — ice long black $5 + ice praline mocha $7. Cold coffee pairing at specialty cafe.
Saturday cafe afternoon — ice long black $5++ + ice praline mocha $7++. Cold coffee pairing at specialty cafe.
We ordered:
- Ice long black — $5++
- Ice praline mocha — $7++
Total: $12++ (plus service + GST = ~$14 nett).
The ice long black ($5++) is the cold variant of the Australian/NZ long black coffee. Standard ice long black preparation:
- Cold water filled in the glass first
- Double espresso shot pulled directly into the cold water + ice
- The proper espresso-to-water ratio (1:2 typical)
- Crema preserved on top
The ice long black is the proper “concentrated cold coffee” format. Different from iced americano (where the espresso is pulled first then diluted) or cold brew (which uses the entirely different brewing method), ice long black maintains the long black format but cold.
The flavour profile:
- Strong espresso character (the proper bean flavour shows through)
- Cold-water dilution preserves the cream-like crema texture
- No milk — pure coffee character
- Lower acidity perception when cold vs. hot
The ice praline mocha ($7++) is the chocolate-hazelnut-coffee cold drink. Standard praline mocha:
- Espresso shot pulled over ice
- Praline syrup or sauce (hazelnut + chocolate combination)
- Cold milk added
- Sometimes whipped cream + chopped hazelnuts on top
- Sometimes additional chocolate or praline drizzle
The praline component references the Belgian/French praline tradition:
- Caramelised sugar + roasted hazelnut
- Sometimes ground into a paste (the proper praline paste)
- Often combined with chocolate (the proper Italian gianduja influence)
- Sweet-nutty-roasted complex flavour profile
The praline mocha represents proper European-influenced specialty coffee. Different from the standard mocha (chocolate + coffee + milk) or the standard caramel coffee (caramel + coffee + milk), the praline mocha adds the proper hazelnut element that elevates the chocolate-coffee combination.
The combination of ice long black + ice praline mocha is proper diverse coffee pairing:
- Ice long black — pure coffee character, simple, strong
- Ice praline mocha — complex flavoured coffee, indulgent, elaborate
- Different drinks serving different drinking preferences
- Both partners get proper distinct coffee experience
At $5-7 specialty cafe pricing tier, this represents Singapore mid-tier specialty cafe range. Different from budget cafe ($4-5) or premium destination cafe ($8-12+), the standard specialty cafe sweet spot.
Singapore specialty cafe scene running this pricing tier:
- Common Man Coffee Roasters
- PPP Coffee (formerly Papa Palheta)
- Strangers’ Reunion
- Pacamara Boutique Coffee
- Coexist Coffee
- Various third-wave specialty cafes
The Saturday afternoon cafe coffee pairing format is proper weekend wind-down. Different from the morning coffee energy or the evening dinner alcohol, the afternoon coffee stop provides proper gentle-stimulant + cafe-pause format.
Overall: 4.6 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid specialty cafe cold coffee pairing. Would re-visit.
