He's roasted it, brewed it, photographed it and probably drunk more of it than anyone we know.
Meet Kunaal Singh, the newest addition to our coffee team at CRUMB The Junction, and someone who's been part of Newcastle's specialty coffee conversation for years.
With a background in roasting and years spent behind the machine, including time at Sydney's Roastville, Kunaal brings an extraordinary depth of knowledge to our team. He's also a photographer, content creator and familiar face across Newcastle's hospitality scene, where you'll often find him on the other side of the counter, trying someone else's coffee.
His connection with our team goes back years, long before he officially joined CRUMB. And now that he's here, he has a very clear ambition: to make CRUMB the place people think of when they think of the best coffee in The Junction.
For Kunaal, that means more than making a great cup himself. It means sharing what he knows, helping every barista behind our machine become better at what they do, and making sure every coffee we serve is one worth coming back for.
We sat down with Kunaal to talk about the details most people never notice, the coffees he'll never forget, why he finally said yes to working with Ben, and his somewhat controversial opinion on macchiatos.
You've spent years roasting, making and drinking coffee. What does it take to make a genuinely great cup?
A lot of love and care factor needs to go into each cup or brew. From the busiest period to the quietest period during service, each drink sent out should remind the customer why they come to you for coffee. Never send out a product that you’re even slightly unsure of yourself.
You've said your goal is for people to say the best coffee in The Junction is at CRUMB. What are you doing to make that happen?
By enabling and providing every single barista standing behind the machine with the tools and knowledge to make a great cup, getting the baristas to notice subtle changes during the process and adapt instantly and not being afraid to have little conversations with our customers. As soon as someone mentions coffee in The Junction I want them to automatically think CRUMB simultaneously.
What's something you notice about a coffee that most people wouldn't?
Oh goodness, there can be so many, when I get a cup, the whiff of milk if it’s a milk coffee can instantly tell me whether the milk is overheated etc or if its a black coffee the aroma usually indicates whether if it's gone over or is under and then the texture will usually indicate the age of the coffee. Easy to pick out re-heated milk and unclean grinders too.
“Never send out a product that you’re even slightly unsure of yourself. ”
What do you think separates a good barista from a great one?
A good barista will follow rules of numbers and will try to nail a recipe, a great barista will use those rules and recipes and make changes to get the taste right, usually in the fly and even during service without hindering service.
What made you want to work at CRUMB?
Ben!!!! Hahaha, not sure if Ben remembers this but I was working at Roastville behind the machine and he walks in to see George, I was like, “hey Ben!” Obviously he couldn’t remember chatting with me (maybe he did) at Autumn Rooms - baby Autumn Rooms back then! Anyway, when he was leaving he said, “if you ever moved to Newy, come work with me, Autumn Rooms will have a spot for you” I didn’t take him up on that offer when I moved though for personal and family reasons but being away from being behind the bar in a professional setting for 3 years made me miss it so much. Devi, also, every now and then when we hung out for a quick catch up would throw in, “just come and work with us and that may have been another reason - I end up making friends easily but I reckom the main reason would be trolling Ben every now and then messaging, randomly joking that if he ever got stuck I’ll jump in for a day or two probably had something to do with it as well. The reasons are many to put down in a Q & A, I’ll need a whole podcast episode for these questions hahaha. There’s only a handful of people where I can have conversations about hospo, coffee, service, recipes, ideas etc and it just flows and I reckon most of them work in our little AR/CRUMB circle. It was a no brainer.
What's the one thing you're most particular about behind the machine?
Cleanliness, being tidy, polished cups, cutlery - you could send out the best cup of coffee but if the cups and teaspoons are stained with water marks it would mean that is the standard I work with, which is not the case.
How many coffees do you actually drink in a day?
Hahaha, ummmm, Sarah and I make 1.25 litres of batchy every morning at home so it starts there with one of those, when I am working I taste everything throughout the day so that is heaps on its own but a normal, Kunaal visiting cafes day, I’d have one of two at each spot, probably a few batches, a couple of espresssos, and two or three flatties. Chuck in a matcha or two in there too.
What's the most memorable coffee you've ever had? Where was it?
Ooooft, probably my time at Roastville and working alongside the Cofinet guys - the first ever co-ferment that started the whole co-ferment craze. It was a peach process and Oscar from Cofinet had roasted a little sample of it and we brewed it together - it was absolutely insane.
What's your own coffee order, and does it change throughout the day?
I usually go for a flight, or if not available I get a batchy and a flatwhite and if I am feeling like more then an espresso if there is an indication there’s a good single on rotation.
What's one coffee opinion that might get you into trouble with other baristas?
Macchiatos are silly - get a piccolo or a strong flattie or even a ¾ flatwhite instead - much more enjoyable.
You're also a photographer and content creator. What do you love photographing when you're not working?
Food, coffee and hospo stuff is my jam.
What's something people who know you from coffee might be surprised to learn about you?
I grew up in a country that has zero specialty coffee culture so I’ve been drinking instant coffee since the age of 7 or so. Mum used to make a massive pot of it.
Where would we find you on a day off?
Probably trying out a new cafe or food place - Newy is full of so many gems and also probably roasting some good samples if I get my hands on them.
What's your favourite part of working behind the counter at CRUMB?
Free pastries duh! Nah, but seriously, there are many reasons but a sense of structure, high standards and amazing products was a good start for me and I knew I would only contribute to it and the culture built around it and Autumn Rooms - plus the new space is very open where customers are welcome to come stand pretty much with the barista as their coffee is being prepared and ask questions and I am all for that kind of a setting.
What do you hope someone remembers after they've had a coffee you've made?
I just hope they enjoy it more than the last one they’ve had - and it gets stored in their memory forever.
- CRUMB
