“The Ultimate” in every sense

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf continues to thrill Colombo

By Nizla Naizer

I’m a devout coffee-holic. Nothing gets me through the day better like a well brewed cup of coffee. So it was a match made in heaven when a quick pit stop at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf one evening brought me in close proximity to a drink that got me not only through the evening but through the next few days. The Ultimate- one of Coffee Bean’s signature ice blended coffees where dark coffee extract is blended with chocolate covered espresso beans and chocolate; is the ideal perk-me-up drink that tastes divine.

The café situated in the corner of Maitland Crescent and Horton Place has become a popular get away and lounge café to those wishing to escape bustling days and humid evenings. Walking in through the coffee bean and tea leaf motif doors is the start of the refreshing The Coffee Bean experience. The ambience within is both inviting and classic. The comfortable sofas around the low tables and the cozy lighting upstairs encourages conversation and lounge addiction while the tables outdoors where water cascades down the inner wall adds an almost Zen like tranquility.
After that fateful day with the Ultimate coffee my favourites have widened to include their range of cappuccino, café mocha, Black Forest Ice Blended and their signature espresso. However, the appeal of a coffee at The Coffee Bean also comes from the freedom given to the drinker who can choose from among the different toppings that are on offer, from caramel to fudge.
The tea temptation
But one day, my need for experimenting took me towards their selection of teas and I realised just how important the ‘Tea Leaf’ element in the international chain’s name is. With a range of international flavours and select teas, the collection of tea at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf could satisfy the most fastidious of tea connoisseurs. Their signature teas include the world famous tea lattes where tea is combined with steamed non-fat milk and foam. With unique and taste bud inspiring combinations of green Moroccan Mint tea and rich Dutch chocolate to the traditional English Breakfast tea latte, the teas at The Coffee Bean stands alone as favourites among the taste conscious Colombo dweller.
The range of 18 different premium whole leaf teas which are brewed to perfection is the ideal refreshing drink on a cold, rainy evening. From black teas to green teas to the exclusive Oolong tea which is a combination of both, each tea in the Tea Guide at the café is designed to suit a particular taste. “Each of our teas offers something unique and something new to the drinker,” The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Operations Director, Niroshan De Silva tells me, “Each has a subtle flavour that speaks to you, you find your favorite to suit your mood.”

Maniacs for quality
The gourmet corner at The Coffee Bean also takes your taste buds to higher levels of sensory pleasure with their delicious range of sandwiches and lasagnas while those with a sweet tooth find comfort in the authentic blueberry cheesecake with layers of Philadelphia cheese or Atru’s Quatre with four layers of different flavours of cake that come together in one wholesome piece. The key to The Coffee Bean’s success apart from their high quality, carefully picked selection of tea and coffee is a team that is dedicated to the customer and to maintaining consistency. “We are maniacs in terms of consistency and quality,” Niroshan eloquently puts it, “And we always try to uplift the mood of every customer that walks in through the door.”
I’m sure the tantalising aroma of the delicious coffees available at the café adds to the perkiness of its helpful staff and the chorus of “Welcome to The Coffee Bean” that assails your ears as you enter does lift your spirits and helps you forget the world as you sit and enjoy a delicious drink, in a comfortable atmosphere. Well, I’m in the mood for another taste quencher, so off I go for another date with The Ultimate at The Coffee Bean.
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is located at 2, Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7 and is open for operations from 6 am to midnight on weekdays and is open till 2 am on weekends.