Owner of Mount Maunganui's Luca Cafe, Dan Comber, says he loves making and serving good coffee. Photo/John Borren
A new survey shows how Kiwis use caffeine as a connector and which coffee is tops. Bay of Plenty Times reporter Dawn Picken visited a half-dozen coffee joints to catch the latest buzz on java, including new ways we're finding our favourite brew.
It's Tuesday morning alongside Maunganui Rd when we find a group from Mount Maunganui Joggers & Walkers engaged in their routine. At 11am, they're not chugging up the Mount or running speed drills; instead, they're sipping flat whites, lattes and the occasional hot chocolate at Luca Cafe.
Jo Rouse says the coffee ritual is an important part of club. "It feels like a big treat after you've pounded pavement, like a reward. And having the camaraderie of all the other ladies [men come to coffee, too], to be able to chat about the run and have networking opportunities and build friendships. Probably one of the main motivations of going to Joggers is to meet people and have coffee. Makes it all worth it at the end, really."
Not just a refuelling station, cafes are places for time out - for catch-ups, business deals, even a life-altering first date. More on that later. First, let's do the numbers.
The Study An online survey commissioned by bakery cafe chain Muffin Break* finds 55 per cent of us catch up with friends by having coffee away from home, at a cafe or similar place. Other findings: *61 per cent see coffee with friends as an effective way to connect and bond *50 per cent said having coffee made them feel revitalised *90 per cent reported going for coffee to catch up *slightly more than 25 per cent said flat white was their favourite coffee *13 per cent picked cappuccino *nearly 80 per cent preferred independent cafes
Trends Luca owner Dan Comber says while his biggest seller is flat white, he'd like it to be short black. "It's just a better coffee. I wish more people would drink it. You can't hide anything in a black coffee."
Comber says he's introducing his customers to new brew methods, including cold brew and single-origin filter coffee. He sources a five-country blend of beans from Coffee Supreme, a company he used to work for in Wellington. Comber says more boutique coffee roasters are starting in New Zealand, a boon for the industry. And he finds people drinking a little less milk. Luca offers soy and rice milk, as well as cow's.
As for food, Luca's offerings are sparse, something one regular says she likes because it means people aren't waiting around for meals. The biggest seller here is pain au chocolat, which comes frozen from France via a Christchurch bakery.
It's all about customer service and creating good relationships with customers.
Over at Tay Street Cafe, owner Hamish Robinson says 60 per cent of his coffee sales are flat whites, with another 25 to 30 per cent long blacks. "We've seen a change in that the long black has increased in the last 18 months for us. It's an indicator people are becoming more discerning about the coffee they drink. People who really like coffee typically drink it black."
Tay Street's beans are fair trade Cuban, sourced through Havana in Wellington. "It has a beautiful bit of smokiness and chocolatiness," says Robinson, who adds Tay Street has been using the same brand of beans since 1990.
"It's seen as your identity as a cafe and it's a huge part of our business. You'll notice a lot of cafes don't change their coffee often, because good coffee determines traffic into the business. As long as the coffee's good, people will come for the reputation of the coffee you make and the consistency of the coffee."
Greerton's Villaggio cafe also pays particular attention to getting the coffee just right. Owner Bettina Muller says her biggest seller is the ubiquitous flat white, followed by cappuccino.
"The trend is soy, almond and oat milk - we only provide soy and almond. Oat milk has an unusual taste."
Tay's Robinson says Kiwis are exact about their order.
"They're very discerning, down to the kind of cup they want. You'll get an order for a long black, extra hot, and in a takeaway cup so it stays hot longer. We do our best to make sure we get the order exactly right, otherwise we end up remaking it. And that's good, I think that's the way it should be."
"It's an art and a chemistry," he says.
In Rotorua, Abracadabra manager Cody Jarvie says he's seeing a trend towards stronger coffee, and cold coffee, too. Jarvie was the only cafe worker of the half-dozen we spoke with who mentioned a latte made from weeds. "We have a dandy blend latte. It's made out of dandelions and caters to gluten-free and vegans. One blogger (at inhabitat.com) describes dandelion coffee, saying, "the dark brown liquid has a satisfying nutty richness and a touch of bitterness, although compared to regular coffee it can taste almost sweet." Dandelion contains no caffeine.
An App for That Fans of caffeine and technology can pair the two to find their favourite beans. Tay Street's Hamish Robinson says many coffee providers have apps directing fans of a particular brand of bean to a place to buy it. "Smart phone-oriented people will use GPS to find where is the closest site they can get a fix of Havana or Allpress, or whatever it may be."
Coffee Supreme roasters also has an app. It lists local outlets Luca, Alimento and Spongedrop Cakery. Starbucks and McDonalds have apps, and Esquire's website says it'll soon offer online ordering. Classic Flyers is one of many Bay of Plenty cafes allowing customers to text their coffee order.
Website Android Headlines (androidheadlines.com) published an article last month listing the 10 best coffee apps for Android. The list includes apps by Nespresso, where users can order pods for their machines; #coffee, that uses Facebook to organise coffee meetings; and Baristame, featuring recipes and guides to perfect your own brew. In addition, user rating site beanhunter.com has a free app for iPhone and Android which helps java junkies find their fix around the world.
Meet and Greet The Muffin Break survey shows almost one-third of Kiwis catch up with friends weekly for coffee. Another 45 per cent catch up at least monthly over black gold.
That's the reason mum, Joan, and daughter, Rose [both declined to provide last names] say they're at Luca before nine one weekday morning. Joan says, "It's a nice way to start the day. It's the inspiration to go away laughing."
Owner Dan Comber enjoys the host role. "It's other people's time out, their favourite part of the day, their treat. If I wasn't at work, I'd be at a cafe myself doing the same thing."
The shop is named after Dan's six-year-old son. "He is already pulling awesome shots on the machine and pours beautiful coffees." Luca staff have witnessed not only young barista talent, but first dates, too. Manager Demi Amoore says, "You can spot them. They look nervous."
Villaggio's owner says most of her customers are meeting a friend for a catch-up, while some of her older customers who've lost a partner come in alone. When I visit (to catch up with a friend and gather information for this story), an older couple sits nearby, while another duo sit outside. One more pair grab an inside sofa. A solo male gets a bowl of steaming hot chips and offers his server a fry. She smiles and grabs it on her way past his table.
We've seen a change in that the long black has increased in the last 18 months for us. It's an indicator people are becoming more discerning about the coffee they drink. People who really like coffee typically drink it black.
Tay Street's Robinson says he spends a fair amount of time at the coffee counter, witnessing not just friends meeting, people visiting with dogs and lycra-clad cyclists, but also wedding planning and business deals. "We have a lot of corporates come in, so we see a lot of deals going down. You get the look when you take the coffee over and don't get a thank you and you know they're in business mode."
At Gana Cafe in Papamoa, owners Mark and Cathy Lucero sit down to talk about the culture of pause they've worked to create since taking over the cafe in February. Mark says, "On a Sunday afternoon, someone will spend two hours here chit-chatting. I know the customers' names as they come in. I want it to be like Cheers [the bar in the 1982-1993 American TV series], where everybody knows your name." Cathy says, "It's all about customer service and creating good relationships with customers."
It's about connecting over a steaming flat white, long black, mocha ... which brings me back to my own brewed awakening - a first date at Sidetrack Cafe at the Mount in 2011. Blame the soy flat white, but the buzz was definitely there. I married my two-sugar-latte-guy last year.
*Survey from Muffin Break, Taking a Break with Friends, August 2015. Participants were sourced from Buzz Channel's online panel, buzzthepeople.