Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Do Kiwis drink their coffee All Black?

Cross-posted from my coffee blog. . .

With New Zealand about to be invaded by the Grendel clan I have been pondering the question of coffee.

I am sure that the two Junior Grendels will do their best to leave a lasting impression on our cousins across the Tasman – and I am just as sure the kiwis will also leave a lasting impression on them.

I am hoping for impressions of a different kind and have been doing some background on the best coffee places in New Zealand.

There are a number of roasters whose coffee has been recommended too me and obviously I will try to find the cafes that are renowned for producing their coffee in the way that best reflects the efforts of the roaster. Many of the cafes are in the major cities but there are also quite a few in smaller towns and even one at the top of a mountain that come highly recommended.

With only a few weeks to go I am busy with the final arrangements to ensure that the Junior Grendels are comfortable for the trip and that the plans are still in place (no more airline schedule changes please Mr Branson!)

So far I have the following list of roasters-of-interest:



Unfortunately only a little additional research revealed the following list:

www.allpressespresso.com

www.alturacoffee.co.nz

www.atomiccoffee.co.nz

www.avalanchecoffee.co.nz

www.bayespresso.co.nz

www.burtonhollis.co.nz

www.c4coffee.co.nz

www.cprcoffee.com

www.cafedirect.co.nz

www.laffare.co.nz

www.caffeprima.co.nz

www.cerebosfoodservice.co.nz

www.coffeelab.co.nz

www.coffeesupreme.com

www.columbuscoffee.co.nz

www.dkdespresso.co.nz

www.emporio.co.nz

www.essenzacoffee.co.nz

www.4coffee.co.nz

www.fixationcoffee.co.nz

www.fuelespresso.com

www.havana.co.nz

www.hawthornecoffee.co.nz

www.freshcoffee.co.nz

www.ignitecoffee.co.nz

www.inca-fe.co.nz

www.junglecoffee.co.nz

www.karajoz.co.nz

www.kokako.co.nz

www.laroma.co.nz

www.meccacafe.co.nz

www.meritoespresso.co.nz

www.millers.net.nz

www.mojocoffeecartel.co.nz

www.sierracoffee.co.nz

www.ozonecoffee.co.nz

www.peoplescoffee.co.nz

www.pomeroys.co.nz

www.redcherrycoffee.co.nz

www.revive-espresso.co.nz

www.ripecoffee.com

www.rocketcoffee.co.nz

www.rushcoffee.co.nz

www.sublimecoffeeroasters.co.nz

www.switchcoffee.co.nz

www.switchespresso.co.nz

www.strictlycoffee.co.nz

www.tigermountain.co.nz

www.toasted.co.nz

www.undergroundcoffee.co.nz

www.vivaceespresso.co.nz


My problem is that all, many, some or none of these could be amazing-roasters-that-I-must-not-miss. And I have no idea which ones those might be - any suggestions?

And is it just me or does New Zealand really seem to punch above its weight in the number of local roasters per head of population? Has this always Been the case - it would certainly be a logical occurence given the isolation from the main coffee trade. It has also not gone unnoticed in Australia that New Zealand produces some top notch baristas - always a welcome addition to a vibrant coffee scene.

2 comments:

  1. hi - if you're coming through Wellington my personal favourite roasteries are the following: Havana, L'Affare, Fuel, People's Coffee, Mojo and the lesser-known but still good Immigrant's Son on Elizabeth St in Mt Victoria :) And I see you've already discovered Supreme in Chch! Good luck with the trip!

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  2. L'affare is on my list but there others are all new names! Thanks very much I'll add them to my list. We are only really passing through wellington but do have a few hours to explore and eat. Wellington is one of my 'regrets' for our trip plan as it really deserves more of our time. A weekend there would be amazing as the markets looks to be among the best in the world.

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