Rinosh Nasar’s passion for coffee stemmed at an early age. Growing up, he says he only drank coffee made using freshly ground coffee beans grown by his grandmother in her garden. Two specific variants of coffee can be grown in Sri Lanka – Arabica grown in high elevation, and Robusta grown in lowlands. “My family never bought coffee off the shelf; we’d roast it ourselves. Robusta is a completely different type of bean which is slightly more bitter with a longer aftertaste,” explains Rinosh. 

Rinosh Nasar (right) and Rameez Abdeen (left)

While Rinosh was in university, the idea of coming back to Sri Lanka and starting his own coffee company was an idea that lingered in his mind. He wanted the brand to encapsulate the authenticity of good Sri Lankan coffee, something reminiscent of enjoying homegrown coffee in his childhood. “I wanted to recreate my childhood but on a platform which is applicable on a global standpoint,”. He partnered with his friend Rameez Abdeen (who handles the marketing for the brand) to create the brand, and it wasn’t until December 2014 that Soul Coffee was born, with the brand first partnering with The Cakery, whose owners Yohan and Ellie were very supportive of bringing Ceylonese coffee to the forefront. 

With this partnership, Soul Coffee currently does all the hot and cold coffee-based beverages at The Cakery, should you wish to enjoy a warm cappuccino or icy caramel blend alongside the deliciously comforting treats on offer at the bakery. An icy concoction of a shot of dark roast espresso, caramel sauce, fresh milk and ice, the Creamy Caramel Blend is a star, with the sweetness of the caramel blending in perfectly with the strong hit from the espresso to give you a comforting beverage, best enjoyed in Colombo’s balmy weather. Soul Coffee’s Cappuccino ticks off all the boxes, in terms of flavour, froth, and balanced milk to espresso ratio. It’s best enjoyed without the addition of sugar, but if a bitter cup isn’t your cup, then a single spoonful does no harm. 

Soul Coffee offers three types of roasts; Smooth Ceylon (a medium roast), Intense Espresso (a strong dark roast blend with a chocolaty aroma), and the Indulgence (a richer dark roast blend with notes of dark chocolate and hints of marzipan). 

Beverages by Soul Coffee are prepared using handcrafted San Remo Espresso machines from Italy. Rinosh garnered experience from a trained barista, so he learned how to prepare the beverages, and for a period of two weeks upon the brand partnering with The Cakery, he prepared and served customers the coffees, thus gaining plenty of practical knowledge he would use to train the current barista at The Cakery. 

Soul Coffee is also looking at opening an online store, for anyone who’d like to purchase the tins outside of Sri Lanka. 

Soul Coffee retails their coffee tins at The Cakery located at 2, Suleiman Terrace, off Jawatte Avenue, Colombo 05, at Keells Super outlets, specifically Crescat, Wijerama, Union Place and Thalawatugoda, at ODEL (Colombo 07, Negombo and Galle), and at the Good Market shop at Lakpahana.

For further information, do visit Soul Coffee on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SoulCoffeeCo/), Instagram (www.instagram.com/soulcoffeeco), or on their website (www.soulcoffeeco.com) 

By Sarah Kellapatha 
Photographs courtesy Soul Coffee