Episode nine of Geowin’s mission to try 100 coffees in Singapore brought her to Tolido’s Espresso Nook, where the challenge moved into the hands of a team that immediately appeared to know exactly what it was doing.

The search for the World’s Best Kopi is not limited to traditional kopi stalls. Every cup has a chance to enter the tier list, whether it comes from a neighbourhood hawker centre, a bakery, a local coffee shop or a café serving espresso-based drinks. This time, the drink under consideration was an iced latte.

Before Geowin took her first sip, she noticed the people behind the counter.

A Team That Knows Its Coffee

The staff at Tolido’s Espresso Nook appeared knowledgeable, professional and skilled. Their preparation of the iced latte looked controlled and assured, with the espresso poured carefully over the milk and ice.

That professionalism helped establish the tone of the experience. There was no confusion behind the counter and no sense that the drink was being assembled carelessly. The team appeared comfortable with the equipment, familiar with the process and confident in what it was serving.

Good service and strong technique cannot determine the final score on their own, but they can place the coffee in the best possible position. At Tolido’s, Geowin received a drink that looked properly prepared and ready to be judged on its flavour.

With the iced latte in hand, she delivered the line that officially begins every tasting:

“We got the goods. Time for the taste test.”

The First Sip Scores a Seven

Geowin’s first impression was fairly straightforward. The drink tasted like what she expected a regular latte to taste like.

That description may not sound dramatic, but it was not meant as a criticism. The iced latte was familiar and dependable. It delivered the combination of coffee and milk that the drink promised without presenting any strange flavours or obvious problems.

Geowin gave the original iced latte a score of 7 out of 10.

That was already enough to place Tolido’s among the stronger entries in the challenge. It was not an extreme reaction or an immediate declaration that the search was over. Instead, it was a confident score for a cup that had been competently made by people who clearly understood their work.

A seven also meant the drink entered the second tasting round from a position of strength. It did not need to be rescued or completely transformed. The question was whether Geowin’s mysterious addition could make an already good latte noticeably better.

Choose the Next Coffee Stop

The World’s Best Kopi journey still has 91 coffees remaining. Explore more stories from The Drink Journal, learn more about the publication and its approach to drinks culture, and share the Singapore coffee location that should appear in a future episode.

“Now Let’s Do It My Way”

After completing the first tasting, Geowin moved on to the second part of the ritual.

“Now let’s do it my way.”

She added the mysterious liquid to the iced latte, stirred the drink and began taste-test round two.

In some previous episodes, this addition produced a major change. A disappointing coffee could become much more enjoyable, while a good cup could occasionally move in the opposite direction. At Tolido’s, however, the difference was much more restrained.

Geowin said the flavour had not changed drastically. The iced latte remained fundamentally the same drink, and the mysterious addition did not overpower the espresso, milk or original preparation.

It was, however, slightly better.

That small improvement raised her final score from seven to 7.5 out of 10.

The half-point increase reflected exactly what happened. This was not a complete transformation. Tolido’s had already produced a solid iced latte, and the second round simply gave it a modest lift.

The recurring addition is connected to Singapore-made Kopi-O coffee liqueur, a product created to bring local coffee character into modern drinks. Its place within Singapore’s evolving beverage culture is explored further in The Drink Journal’s editorial feature on coffee liqueur for the modern bar and its examination of Kopi-O as a defining Singapore coffee liqueur.

Tolido’s Espresso Nook Enters the A Tier

With a final score of 7.5, Tolido’s Espresso Nook earned a secure position in the A tier.

The placement was not especially controversial. The original iced latte had already scored well, while the second round improved it slightly without compromising the work of the baristas. Combined with Geowin’s observations about the staff, the result was a professional and consistently positive coffee experience.

Tolido’s also adds further variety to the A tier. The World’s Best Kopi list is gradually becoming a record of Singapore’s wider coffee landscape rather than a ranking of one particular style. Traditional kopi, bakery coffee and espresso-based café drinks can all compete in the same challenge.

What matters is the experience Geowin has with the cup in front of her.

At Tolido’s Espresso Nook, the knowledgeable staff created a good iced latte. Geowin’s mysterious liquid made it a little better, but the original coffee had already done most of the work.

That was enough to place Tolido’s solidly among the challenge’s stronger coffees.

Nine Cups Down, Ninety-One to Go

Follow the continuing search through The Drink Journal and discover more of Singapore’s contemporary drinks scene through Bar Somma. The A tier is becoming crowded, but the S tier is still waiting for its first coffee.