Mai Shayi Coffee

South Atlantic Petroleum Towers, Podium floor,

1 Adeola Odeku St,

Victoria Island, Lagos

0906 453 9862

This week we checked out a drinking spot that isn’t a bar. It’s a place called Mai Shayi, a Hausa phrase meaning “the one who makes tea”, located right in the heart of V.I (be careful because it’s easy to miss and maybe for once, [don’t] trust google maps). 

As we walked in, we were greeted by jars of single origin coffee from various coffee producing countries, with their taste profiles written underneath; Nigeria (mild notes of honey), Burundi (sweet berry floral notes), Myanmar (red berries and chocolate), Guatemala (cocoa and subtle spice), Ethiopia (slightly fermented, with notes of wine), Kenya (mild fruity taste with notes of black berry) and Rwanda (floral mixed with a fruity redcurrant and berry flavour). You might read this and feel it’s pretentious but different regions and their unique climates determine flavours that’s unique from the other.

Mai Shayi claims to be a quintessential specialty coffee house because of how it shatters various myths around the beverage, one of which is the belief that coffee is supposed to be consumed with sugar and cream. It was all about the bean here with no unnecessary additives but the exception of unique devices — chemex and siphon, which bring out several intensities from each bean. 

We also learnt that brewing coffee in extremely boiling water is another misconception, because it overcooks the bean and only yields burnt coffee which is bad for the digestive system. The Chemex utilises a manual pour-over method which is simpler than the more sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing Siphon. We also learnt that the chemex is what you want to use for a lighter brew, and the siphon for a more potent brew.

Nneka, who is a tea and beverage lover joined me on this quest. I wanted Rwanda and asides the appealing fact that the country has about 61% of women in parliament, I was moved by the taste profile because I really wanted to taste the redcurrants and berries. I liked Guatemala too because Latin America is bae, but chose Ethiopia because that’s where Coffee arabica (coffee plant) originates.

I have a twisted relationship with coffee but that’s cause in uni I overdid the popular version, which always incorporated sugar and cream (a nightmare for a lactose intolerant). I had prepared myself for the worst because of this, but was really happy and surprised that I didn’t have to visit the bathroom for the three hours I spent there. It had an aftertaste that was quite similar to sour wine, and had a nice kick. I suppose it was really strong because of the siphon - notorious for solid notes. If you ever want to recommend something with a faux buzz for a recovering alcoholic, this is it.

Nigeria and Guatemala were the other countries we tried. Nneka wasn’t really a fan of Nigeria and believed it was too earthy as it tasted like soil. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with her twisted relationship with our dear country but I liked it. And because we used the chemex to brew, which removes most of the oils that will remain in a cup with a siphon brew, it had a really subtle note and tasted like some sort of caffeinated green tea. I also didn’t know that Nigeria has about twenty two coffee producing states, I’m sure you didn’t too. You’re welcome.

For Guatemala as well, we used the chemex which gave us an interesting flavour profile, hints of cocoa and spice but with a soft finish. You’d think that the spiciness will protrude but I suppose that’s what the chemex does. I’ll prolly try it with the siphon another time.

It wouldn’t be a complete review if we didn’t try liquor so we had the Flat White Martini and the Espresso Martini. This was Nneka’s first time having an espresso cocktail and she loved it so much.

“It was surprisingly tasty. I kept telling myself to slow down and take little sips.”

The cocktail made with: absolut vodka, espresso coffee, coffee liquor and sugar syrup tasted too sophisticated for such simple ingredients. It was strong as hell and made Nneka recognise Agbani Daerogo who was sitting across, which I think is the point of liquor — opening our eyes to the world around us.

OMG I think the Flat White Martini was our favourite, and I definitely cannot wait to try it again. The cocktail is only made of Baileys, absolut vodka and espresso coffee. Imagine a smoother version of the Espresso Martini, THANK YOU Baileys for always coming through. I liked how unassuming the title is, Flat White gives you bland vibes and the lighter colour looks like a joke next to a dark Espresso Martini. But this was such a misconception, it was by far stronger and more elite than the first one. And because Baileys naturally has sugar, the cocktail wasn’t overly sweet like the Espresso Martini, which utilised sugar syrup to mask the bitter notes from the coffee. Flat White Martini is the much more premium espresso cocktail. Don’t miss it.

We really enjoyed our experience here because it was authentic, indigenous and very intentional. The owner had the most incredible coffee stories — from the $3000 auction, to the unique animal that poops edible coffee.

It was a sensory experience that made coffee drinking artsy and luxurious. And if you want to taste Harrod’s premium Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, have N25,000 ready for your detty or bougie December, depending on how you roll. Don’t say I don’t hook you up with the best things.

TL: DR.

Good for Group and day drinking, date night and pre-drinks

Food: Full Kitchen

Happy Hour: No

Damage

Flat White Martini- N2500

Espresso Martini - N2500

Siphon Coffee (Ethiopia) - N4000