1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT
2013 JULY INTAKE
Culture and Civilisation [FDES0815]
Lecturer: Miss Delliya Mohd Zain
Submission date: 13th June 2014
Name: Liew Hong Zhi
Student id: 0315836

2. Concept and theme
The theme of my postcards is Coffee Art. That’s a lot of people nowadays don’t just
drink coffee like a normal coffee which you can brew at your house by just adding
hot water and a pack of coffee powder. People nowadays always request for more
beautiful, better looking of the coffee design on top. In terms of that, I would like to
share some passion towards coffee through taking photos of it. With this theme, I
would like to capture photos of the art design of the coffee that brewed by the barista.
I choose coffee as my theme because I have a lot of friends around me that love to
drink coffee. I might know more and I will try to understand more about the art of
coffee. I have taken quite some photos of coffee art to show different kind of design
made by baristas. I chose Flat White that located in SS15 area because it was just
few minutes car distance from my house. Flat White was a coffee shop that actually
handled by a few students. The other coffee shop that I have chosen is RT Cafe
which located in SS15 area too.

3. Summary
Flat White Cafe.
RT Cafe.
These are the look of the coffee shops that I visited in SS 15 area. At first, I went to
SS 15 and walk around to spot some nice coffee shops after my friend suggested
me to have a look within the area. Once I reach SS 15, I went to Asia Cafe to have a
lunch first. After I finished my lunch, I saw Flat White Cafe just exactly right in front of
me. It was actually at the second floor. So I went upstairs to have a look before I
really started to order some coffee. It was definitely a nice and quiet place to drink
coffee. Since it was a nice place to sit down, my friend and I ordered two cups of
coffee to take some photos.
Next, it was the RT Cafe. RT Cafe was located beside RT Pastry House since it was
an addition from RT Pastry House. I actually wanted to go back since after I visited
Flat White Cafe, the weather was not so good and it started to rain. But once my
friend and I walk past through RT Cafe, we decided to spend little more time since
we’ve came to SS 15. So, we visited RT Cafe and it was nicely designed inside. It
has a rustic look with the red bricks wall with some alternative panels of mirrors and
wall lamp at the wall which is Figure 1 that you can see next page.

4. Figure 1
That’s another photo of the environment inside RT Cafe. It was really relaxing and
peace inside. You should really spend a day to have a look in this cafe and read
some books here. They do provide magazines and newspaper for the customers
there to read. As you can see in Figure 1, I ordered a cup of Mochachino. It was a
very new kind of coffee which I never drink or see before, so I would like to have a
try after being suggested by the staff.

5. Research
First, Flat White Cafe served coffee junkies and of course the passion-brewed coffee
to pair with delicious breakfast, sandwiches and pastas also. When I visited Flat
White Cafe, I found out that the staffs there were passionate about what they’re
doing. They served me amazing art of coffee. They’re actually kept on looking into
new innovations to excite. They were very friendly as well as I saw them chatting
with the customers and they brought joy and friendship in the name of coffee in
terms of just serving coffee without interacting with the customers.
The exact location of Flat White Cafe:
No 73-1, Jalan SS15/8a,
Subang Jaya,
47500 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Business hour: Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Friday & Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Next, RT Cafe was established in the year of 2003. The RT Cafe is actually an
addition from RT Pastry House, which is an extraordinary bakery company that
provides newly concept of Japanese and Taiwan style. I am very sure that most of
the locals have heard before about RT Pastry House. RT actually stands for
Retention Taste, so I think the RT Cafe will serve us different kinds of coffee art. The
staffs there were very nice when I was ordering my drink. The price of the coffee was
reasonable compared to the other branded coffee shops.
The location of RT Cafe:
B5-G, Jalan SS15/4D,
47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.
Business hour: daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

6. Figure 2
As you can see in Figure 2, there are some photos I’ve taken when the staffs of Flat
White Cafe was brewing the coffee for me. It might be very easy when you’re looking
them brewing the coffee, but I am truly sure that brewing a cup of coffee needs real
profession and skills.

7. The last but not least, there are some few simple steps which I found to brew great
coffee.
STEPS:
1. Use good water since coffee was mostly water, the type of water you choose
can really make a difference to the taste of the coffee. If you’re investing a
high quality of coffee making equipment, you shouldn’t have spoiled it with
bad water. Filter the water before you use it to brew your coffee and you might
also try bottled water.
2. Proper amount & correct grind of coffee. The standard strength is 2
tablespoon for every six ounce cup of coffee, but you can adjust the strength
according to your own personal preferences. Using too little coffee will over-
extract the grounds and lead to bitter taste. Next, grind your beans to the
correct coarseness.
3. Controlled brew process in time & temperature. With a normal drip brewer,
you have no control over the brewing time. But you should wait for the coffee
to be fully brewed before taking any. The bitter flavors are released later in the
time when you’re brewing. For which you do control the brewing time, brew
between three and five minutes. Other than that, get the water temperature
right. Cold water makes for the freshest taste. Most coffee makers set the
temperature for you. The best coffee making water temperature is just under
boiling. Boil the water and let it sit for a minute.
4. The right equipment for quality filtration & extraction. With so many sizes,
shapes, and models available, the right coffee brewing for your operation is
an individual choice. Whatever equipment you do must have the capability of
delivering your entire chosen flavor created.
5. Holding time. The amount of time your coffee will stay fresh after brewing is
called the Holding time. Holding the coffee around 80 to 88 degree Celsius
will maintain its fresh brewed flavor over a specified period time.

8. Layout
Postcard:
Front layout (A5 size)
Back layout (A5 size)
Background Text

9. Packaging
Packaging (A2 size)
I decided to print it in A2 size because it was too small if I print in A3 size. I put the
A5 size in the A2 so that I can straight cut it down and fold it like a letter.
The final packaging template

10. Sample of postcard
Front sample
Back sample

11. Mind map
Types of
popular coffee
Espresso Cappuccino
Americano Caffe Latte
Caf au Lait Mochachino
Caramel
Macchiato
Styles of making
coffee art
Free pouring Etching

12. Conclusion
At last, I am very glad that I have learnt a lot of knowledge about art coffee and how
to brew a great coffee. Those coffee lovers should have been appreciating the cup of
coffee that brewed by every barista because it is not that easy even though it looks
very simple. It was a quite tiring assignment but once I saw the art design of the
coffee, I felt that it worth everything. I was quite impressed that the taste of the coffee
didn’t change but still remain the same or maybe increased better when they add on
those beautiful elegant designs on top of the coffee. This assignment absolutely let
me to learn more about the art of coffee.