Sip on artisan coffee at Cold Blue Specialty Coffee in Ipoh. This hidden café is a must-try for coffee lovers. It’s not bad on the eyes too!
What else is there to know about this cafe? We’ve tried a few things on their menu!
Find out in this post!
About This Place
Headed by the former barista of the now closed Ninety One café, this cafe has successfully achieved a reputation as one of the go-to coffee spots for specialty coffee in their few years of running (since mid-2020).
They roast their own filter roast coffee beans in-house (they sell drip kits, roast espresso, drip bag coffee sachets, and filter beans on their Shopee page).
Note: Once in a while, they release a limited chilled coffee series. For updates, check their Facebook.
Most of the simple 2-page menu in the cafe consists of different variations of coffee, including drip coffee.
Besides coffee, they have a selection of light eats like croffles, and a few different cakes.
Their opening hours begin unusually early for a café in this part of Ipoh – they start at 8am on weekdays (10am for weekends). And they close pretty late too (at 7pm daily).
Occasionally they hold coffee workshops at their space.
Note: Cold Blue Specialty Coffee has a membership program where you can earn loyalty credits or 10% cashback.
Ease Of Parking
Since this cafe is close to OCBC bank and other offices, you need some luck to find nearby parking. There are many legal parking slots outside and around the café, but they’re nearly always taken.
On weekdays, you’ll be competing with office workers while weekends will be taken over by tourists.
Ambiance
To enter this café, you’ll need to climb one flight of stairs after going through a short windowless hallway on ground level. There is an elevator but we’re not sure it’s still in operation.
The only signage for the café outside is bright blue albeit small. And there’s no wording, just a simple white drop-shaped logo.
Minimalist is the obvious interior styling of the café. Nearly everything inside is white and there’s no décor save for one faux (not sure if it’s real or fake) brick wall at one end of the café.
Natural light penetrates the air-conditioned café from the opposite side. The large windows have a good view of Ipoh Padang.
Seating space is cramped with the center space taken up by the coffee bar. There’s also a dedicated roasting room that is sealed off from the rest of the café. There is no kitchen in the café. The single toilet is right outside of the café.
It can be noisy if the café is full. The location of the café is convenient for nearby office workers to convene for a tea break/ business discussion. As we discovered since we planned our visit on a Thursday afternoon around 4pm.
The café still looks fairly new and clean. There are power points for you to do some remote work although you might want to bring some earplugs to block out the noise from other tables.
Service
Despite being busy, the staff has time to greet customers and patiently wait for orders. We can see them actively prepping and serving coffee and food.
Hence, we have no complaints with the service here.
Food
There’s not much food on the menu. We got their basic croffle set with a banana and maple syrup, a slice of tiramisu cake, cold brew coffee and hot matcha latte with oat milk.
The croffle was nice and crispy and even with the maple syrup, it’s not overly sweet. You can order ice cream with a croffle too.
However, we don’t really like the tiramisu cake – it has a sponge layer (we prefer our tiramisu cake to be richer) and the bottom layer is kind of soggy.
On the other hand, the cold brew coffee and matcha latte were very enjoyable.
Pricing
We’d say the pricing is normal for a café in Ipoh. Which does mean pricey but still cheaper than cafes in KL or Penang.
For what we ordered, the bill came up to RM50+ for 2 pax.
Conclusion
Cold Blue Specialty Coffee is a good looking and comfortable modern café with great beverages and croffles. They have a friendly and passionate crew that make a visit here very pleasant.
If you do want to come here, come at least 30 minutes earlier than you plan as the traffic in this part of town (especially at 1pm, 3pm and 6pm on weekdays) can be quite hectic. Also, this café can be very crowded too!
Other Cafes In Ipoh
We’ve been to a lot of cafes in Ipoh. Here is a list of our favorite cafes in Ipoh. Some are better for cakes and desserts, while others for savory bakes and bread!
Omni Coffee Roasters
Omni Coffee Roasters is another Coffee Specialist Café but over At Seri Botani. It’s far for us but we really do enjoy the beverages here.