The curious coffee culture of Cape Town
Compared to major cities in Europe, coffee culture is something
that Cape Town seriously lacks. But perhaps only on the surface
of things. For what do you call the hoards of good looking
people who gather on trendy Kloof street on a daily basis,
religously succumbing to that dark brown, aromatic caffeine
injection?
Although there is no standard way of ordering or drinking
coffee in Cape Town - it could be tall black or flat white;
skinny with wings, or grande Americano con panna - there is no
lack of coffee, coffee shops or coffee drinkers. It's just a
matter of knowing what you like and where to find it.
Cape Town has recently experienced a steady rise in the popular
American-style coffee shops similar to the Starbucks phenomenon
that hit the United Kingdom not too long ago. These
establishments have streamlined the coffee drinking experience
into a kind of Macdonald-esque drive-through-on-foot, where
reasonably good coffee is prepared super fast and sold at above
average prices. Simply decide on the origin of the coffee bean,
intensity of the roast, the fat percentage of the milk, whether
you want a cup or a mug, 'eat-in' or 'take-away'. Then place
your order on the one side of the counter, pass the glass
display with a choice of numerous pre-prepared and packaged
sandwhices, biscuits and muffins, and pick up a scaldingly hot
drink on the other end. Easy as pie.
The problem is, even though these establishments offer you a
'tailor-made' drink, in probably less than a minute, the
supposed "speciality" coffee that arrives at the end of the
counter is nearly always an utter dissappointment - even the
cocoa or cinnamon they make you sprinkle over yourself, somehow
contribute to the overall blandness. Gone are the days of grand
establishments with white tablecloths and eloquant waitrons,
serving aromatic coffee in elaborate china. Or are they?
At the stately Mount Nelson hotel in Orange street, Gardens,
the splendour of this bygone era is still very much alive. Here,
high tea (or coffee for that matter) is still served in the
colonial lounge every afternoon, accompanied by a feast of sweet
and savoury treats prepared with beautiful attention to detail.
But if a humble street cafe is more what you had in mind, a
stroll through the city centre will certainly satisfy your need.
Walking up St. Georges Mall and surrounds will provide you with
ample quaint coffee shops serving anything from stale filter
coffee to decent espresso - so make sure to choose well. Try the
realy strong and aromatic coffee from Crush - a favourite with
business people wanting to kick start their day. For the health
conscious, they serve suberp gourmet sandwhiches as well as
fragrantly spicy Chai Latte.
Round the corner from Crush, in Church Street, close to
Greenmarket Square, is the charming Cafe African Image where
exotic coffees from all over the African continent can be
enjoyed in the colourful surroundings of Pan-African art and
crafts.
In Bree street there's the quirky Birds Boutique Cafe, where
proper South African-style"moerkoffie" (Afrikaans for ground
coffee) is complemented by freshly baked biscuits, muffins and
scones with such decadent combinations as dried figs and
chocolate.
Long street also has it's fair share of Coffee shops. There's
the tiny, although bustling, Tribe Cafe with delicious coffee
and delectable sandwhiches. Two blocks further up Rcaffe serves
decent espresso and freshly baked sweet and savoury patries,
while DeliZioso on the next corner whips up anything from
cappucino's to espresso macchiato, accompanied by a
mouthwatering Italian-style lunch buffet.
In the nearby and trendier Kloof street, franchises like
Seattle Coffee Company and Mugg&Bean compete with one of Cape
Town's most popular coffee shops - the impossibly cool Vida e
Caffe. In a way, the arrival of a designer coffee shop like Vida
e Caffe, is a small miracle. Because somehow, it captures the
efficiciency of a drive-through-style shop without compromising
the quality of the coffee or the drinking experience. The shop's
sleek interior is as aesthetically pleasing as it is practical
and comfortable. But the biggest drawcard, is without a doubt
the exceptionally flavourful and consistently good 100 % Arabica
coffee that they serve with such friendly passion.
Until recently, I thought the best coffee I've ever tasted was
in Melbourne, Australia. I had been told what a refined coffee
culture Melbourne possesses and subsequently headed for a coffee
shop on arrival. Without hesitation, I ordered 'filter coffee' -
hoping to sound as universal as possible. The look on the
waitron's face was a mixed expression of complete confusion and
utter disgust. My Australian companians quickly saved the
situation by ordering a round of "latte's" for the table (short
for 'caffe latte'), explaining that 'filter coffee' is not a
concept anyone in Australia is familiar with, as Melbourne's
coffee culture draws on the strong Italian presence in the city.
Soon after my tiny faux-pas, the most beautiful drink arrived,
served in a short glass on a saucer. No funny-eared cup or
grotesque glass mug - simply deliciously strong, creamy
espresso, topped with slightly frothy milk, served in a glass.
On my return, I frantically searched the streets of Cape Town
for a coffee shop where latte's are served the way they are in
Melbourne (or Italy for that matter). I searched numerous trendy
coffee houses, obscure Italian restaurants and dodgy canteens
without any success. Thousands of cups of coffee and endless
nights of insomnia later, my salvation arrived in the pure white
bliss that is Manna Epicure. And they even get it right down to
the short latte glass and saucer. Coffee as good as this, in
such a beautiful, modern setting (perhaps with a little toasted
brioche, poached pear and milk jam, on the side) turns coffee
drinking into one of the most refined earthly experiences. No
wonder my coffee drinking journey's always seem to end there.
But no matter what your preference or pretention might be -
from stale filter to strong 'moerkoffie' or authentic
Melbourn-style latt