🌸 chapter seven : spring 2026 - something’s brewing

a new year, a new spring.

it’s been another year of learning, tasting, and building at big short coffee. each season gives us a chance to slow down and look at what we’re working with, what’s in season, and what feels worth exploring. this spring, we found ourselves going deeper into ingredients, techniques, and nostalgic flavours seen in new forms.

we’ve also introduced our very first soft serve, continued to experiment with in-house preparations, and brought back a few familiar ideas and refreshed them for the season.

more than anything, this menu is a reflection of where we are right now. still curious, still learning, and still finding joy in smaller details. 

🌼 spring 2026 : new season’s coffee

we’ve been experimenting with flavours from around the world. this season’s coffee shows up differently across the menu, some brighter and some deeper, depending on how we choose to work with it.

🇺🇬 rwenzori kisinga (uganda)

apple cider : dark grape : toffee : praline

this one leans deeper and more dessert-like. also naturally processed, it has a fuller body and a more rounded sweetness. the fruit notes are deeper, reminiscent of stewed fruit or cider, with a toffee-like richness mellowing it out.

grown in the rwenzori mountains, the cooler climate helps develop that structure and sweetness, giving the coffee a heavier, more satisfying finish.

🇪🇹 seri biru (ethiopia)

lemon myrtle : green grape : earl grey

this is our most aromatic coffee this season. it’s a washed coffee, which gives it a cleaner, more defined profile. it’s lighter on the palate, with flavours that come through more clearly. expect something bright and lifted, with citrus and tea-like notes.

beans from ethiopia are often grown at higher elevations, which slows down how the beans develop. that extra time helps build a more delicate and layered flavour. which is why this one feels almost like a tea.

🥤 coffee cola

coffee cola began with curiosity about what cola could become.

cola is one of the most classic and recognisable drinks in the world. we’ve always had it as it is, without ever thinking how else it could taste. our perspectives changed when we first came across iyoshi cola in japan. what caught our attention was how they approached cola differently: they took cola and made it craft.

we found that approach interesting and wanted to explore what a coffee cola might look like if we made it our own, and more importantly, how it might taste for a singapore palate. to start, we make our own cola syrup with over 20 ingredients. they are mainly spices and citruses which are sous vide for 90 minutes to slowly draw out their flavours.

cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander combine to bring warmth and spice. cacao nibs and kola nut add depth and bitterness, while vanilla bean rounds everything out with a fragrant sweetness.

we also incorporated ingredients that feel closer to home. galangal, ginger flower and lime leaf bring a light aromatic quality that many of us are familiar with. citrus plays an important role in keeping the drink light and refreshing. lemon, yuzu, lime and orange add layers of acidity and fragrance, while rosehip brings a subtle fruitiness.

the syrup is then combined with seri biru coffee from ethiopia. the coffee runs through the drink as its backbone, giving the cola a roasted bitterness that ties the flavours together. to finish, we add coffee aroma bubbles, lifting the fragrance and bringing the coffee forward with every sip.

when everything comes together, the drink is aromatic, lightly spiced and refreshing. the citrus keeps it bright, the spices bring warmth and the coffee adds a gentle bitterness that lingers at the end.

made by hand and shaped by flavours we love. this is cola, but not as you know it.

🧚🏻‍♀️ ma lai gao fairy bread

this whimsical drink takes its cue from fairy bread, a childhood snack from australia. a soft white bread, spread with margarine and finished with hundreds and thousands.

it gave us an idea to create something using flavours we grew up with.

we started with ma lai gao, a cantonese steamed cake often found in dim sum shops and something from our childhood that we might be familiar with. it is light, softly sweet, and carries a deep, molasses-like flavour. 

we also looked around at a few local bakeries but they didn’t taste quite right. so we reached out to family and were pointed to a supermarket that regularly stocks ma lai gao. even so, we kept searching, and eventually found a fruit shop near our house that carried the cake. we got in touch with the owner and began ordering directly from her. 

it reminded us that some of the best finds come from the most unexpected places.

we turn the ma lai gao into a caramel fudge, cooking it down with red sugar sourced from guangxi province. as it thickens, the flavours deepen, bringing out a richer sweetness with that distinct molasses note that is complementary with the cake.

for the tea base, we steep dried red dates and hawthorn into a tea, then add fresh milk to create a light, fragrant milk tea. the drink is built in layers. ma lai gao caramel fudge at the base, followed by the red date and hawthorn milk tea, and finished with freddo espresso, a cold emulsified coffee foam.

we top it with hundreds and thousands, drawing inspiration from fairy bread. a tiny detail that adds a playful touch. we recommend taking a few big sips before stirring, so you can taste each layer individually first.

🍯 burnt honey

this is our first in-house soft serve and it’s something we’ve been wanting to try for a while.

we make it entirely from scratch, starting with fresh milk, then churning it with high quality extra-virgin olive oil and honey sourced from the rare honey company in western australia. the honey is cooked in-house at a controlled temperature to make burnt honey, transforming it into something deeper and more caramelised, with less of the floral notes you’d expect from regular honey.

the idea came from a series of travels. in greece, we came across olive oils with a richness that we couldn’t forget. later in egypt, we visited date plantations, and that combination led us here: something creamy, slightly savoury, and layered with texture.

the soft serve is paired with a house-made date and walnut crumble for contrast in each bite. it’s smooth against crumbly, so every mouthful feels balanced and textural.

to finish, we drizzle extra virgin olive oil and add a touch of smoked salt, rounding it out with sweet, savoury notes and a subtle surprising finish. it’s sweet and salty all at once, so enjoy it as you would any good ice cream!

🍍 pineapple tart

this spring coincides with lunar new year, and pineapple tarts are something we always reach for during this season. it’s a personal favourite we wanted to reimagine as a drink.

this drink was also inspired by a visit to a dear friend’s house, where we had mugicha for the first time. we were drawn to its nutty, umami character and the gentle char from the roasting.

we start by juicing fresh pineapples and combining it with mugicha, espresso, coconut milk, and a browned butter toffee sauce. for the toffee, we use a technique called fat washing to extract a smooth, flavourful base, which we then cook down into a thick sauce. 

the pineapple mixture is then clarified, giving the drink its clear, golden finish. this process removes heavier particles, leaving behind a lighter, more refined liquid that still carries all the flavour. hold it up to the light and it glows a warm amber.

for contrast and texture, we finish with coconut chips, just a small touch that keeps each sip interesting.

🥭 green mango

we like working with what’s in season and making the most of it. green mango is in season during this time of the year in singapore, and when we think of this fruit, the iconic thai green mango salad (som tum mamuang) comes to mind. 

the dish is crunchy, sharp with contrasting flavours of sour, spicy, savoury and sweet. it comes through in layers, creating a kind of flavour that builds up as you eat. we start by sous-viding green mango with kaffir lime leaves and passionfruit. this draws out its natural tartness while layering in citrus and fragrance.

to balance the brightness, we make a fish sauce caramel using palm sugar and red boat fish sauce from vietnam. we use red boat 40n for its purity and intensity. 40n refers to the protein (nitrogen) level, so the higher it is, the more concentrated the umami flavour. it is made from just anchovies and salt, first press only, and fermented for about 12 months. the result is a cleaner, more concentrated umami with less harshness.

when cooked down with palm sugar, it becomes a rich caramel that is savoury, slightly sweet, and leaves a lingering umami finish. these elements are then combined with seri biru coffee from ethiopia, bringing structure and a gentle bitterness that holds everything together while still letting the fruit come through.

to finish, the cup is rimmed with tajin salt and paired with a chilli lollipop made from kaffir lime leaves, fresh lime, tajin and gochujang.

the drink is bright, savoury and refreshing, with a gentle heat. the green mango keeps it sharp and juicy, the fish sauce caramel adds umami depth, and the coffee carries a soft fruitiness through the drink.

recommended: take a sip first, then chase it with the chilli lollipop. the chilli adds a citrusy spice. 

🍊 mont blanc 7.0

one of our best-sellers since the first chapter (iykyk), and something we’ve been continuously refining and improving over time. this season, we’re keeping things interesting by using our uganda beans for the cold brew base, prepared in the same way our customers love, with notes of apple cider, dark grape, toffee and praline.

we’ve also elevated our cold foam with a more premium french vanilla cream, enhanced with subtle citrus and nutmeg undertones.

we use a rotovap (rotary evaporator), a tool more commonly found in science labs, to create a mace hydrosol. mace is the dried outer covering of the nutmeg seed. it’s warm, mildly sweet and delicately peppery, similar to nutmeg but more refined.

by pulling a vacuum, it lowers the boiling point to around 60°C, allowing us to gently extract the aromatics without overheating. this is then sprayed onto your drinking hand to elevate the sensory experience, so as you lift the cup, you catch its warm, gently spiced aroma.

🍒 cherry shrub sherbet (tea-based)

this drink came from a memory we kept returning to. it’s something we’ve seen our family drink growing up in australia. older styles of sherbets were often prepared from cordials or powders mixed with water. they were sweet and tangy, with a gentler fizz than modern sodas. this is our take on that childhood drink, adjusted to how we like things to taste today.

our cherry shrub sherbet is tea-based drink made with sour cherry, apple vinegar shrub and osmanthus oolong tea. it’s perfect for anyone who loves a good sour, refreshing fruit vinegar-style drink. 

we begin by making the apple cider vinegar shrub by infusing real cherries in apple cider vinegar and letting it develop over time, drawing out a bright, tangy sweetness. 

the tea base is then built with this shrub and oolong tea, bringing together fruit, acidity, and light floral notes. it’s topped with a lemon sherbet cream we make in-house, giving a soft, cream soda-like flavour without the fizz, and finished with vanilla bean seeds.

we recommend drinking directly from the cup to get both the cream and cherry shrub in each sip!

☀️ chapter eight - summer 2026 - coming soon!

thanks for sticking with us till the end. this past year has been one of steady learning, small wins, and quiet growth: shaped by every cup shared with you and every moment behind the bar.

we’re especially looking forward to what’s next in the coming months. thank you for being here with us, and for continuing to grow alongside this space. it still feels a little unreal, but we can’t wait to share it with you when the time comes! 💙