iDrink Bean's Coffee

Home-brewed authentic Sri Lankan espresso

Coffee & spice

Sri Lanka is mostly known for its tea, but a long time ago, there were many coffee plantations dotted around in the fertile hills. “Sri Lanka still has some of the best coffee in the world” says Ijaz Ahemed who started Beans coffee six years ago. Ijaz is a self-professed ‘hardcore’ coffee drinker (he likes his coffee espresso style) and when he got disappointed with the brews in the city’s coffeeshops, decided to start processing himself. “One day I decided it was time to roast my own beans. That was six years ago. I bought a roasting machine in Germany, got some beans from my dad and just started experimenting”.

Sri Lanka is mostly known for its tea, but it also has some of the best coffee in the world
— Ijaz Ahemed

Father & son

Business took off from there. Today Beans roasts, packages and supplies coffee to many cafes and hotels in Colombo. Ijaz still operates from a small workshop in the same street where he learned the tricks of the trade in his father’s spice business. “For a traditional spice trader, it may seem strange to specialise in one commodity. The plantations in this country are typically multi-crop. Sometimes it’s difficult to find enough supply of good quality beans. Sri Lanka has always been a tea country and it’s forbidden to import beans from other countries." he says. Though Pettah is less busy than it used to be, it is still the heart of the trade "being here helps me to source the best coffee”.

Have an espresso

Beans is a fab spot to sit down and have a cuppa. Ijaz or one of his team is happy to make you a nice strong espresso. Maybe the best coffee we’ve had in Colombo! Or buy some beans to take home, it is 1300lkr per box of beans.