Finding good coffee in Auckland

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cloudlover

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Reply # 2094533 21-Sep-2018 13:34

sidefx:
WyleECoyoteNZ:

nakedmolerat: BP Coffee is the BEST!

I've been getting coffee from the Wild Bean cafe @ BP Roadmaster in Wellington for years and years. It's very, very rare to get a bad coffee from them.

And for those wondering why there with the abundance of coffee places in Wellington, simple, I haven't found anywhere that beats there combo deal, large coffee (3 shots) and muffin for $6.60. And if you're lucky, when they do the free one (every 6th coffee is free via the card\app) they'll usually do an extra shot in the large as well!

I'm not a major coffee snob but do drink quite a bit of the stuff and from many different places, so while I'm not sure if OP was serious, I was going to say you can sometimes get a decent coffee from an unexpected place...

I've had some really good BP coffees, and my local McDs (well the McCafe in it) actually does a very good coffee too. I initially thought that maybe all their baristas get good training, but have tried coffee from a few other's and they're not as good. I go back there for similar reasons to you - big, good value coffees that are cheapish and often have good combo specials.

I’m absolutely serious. Maybe it’s just me thinking Wellington’s coffee is so good.

cloudlover

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Reply # 2094534 21-Sep-2018 13:36

dt:
cloudlover:

I only find Expresso workshop Parnell and Altezano Brothers Newmarket worth the money. Still it depends on who makes it.

I meant your coffee order

Espresso, flat white etc?

I was walking past a newish cafe top of Khyber pass "New Zealand Coffee Co", looks interesting they had huge sacks of coffee beans from Guatemala, Papua New Guinea and Mexico with a cool blending and roasting facility out the back of their shop.

Haven't tried their coffee yet but looks like its worth a try

Flat white or Latte. I did find two small coffee shops quite good. They both offer only one size cup of coffee.

dfnt

defiant
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Reply # 2094545 21-Sep-2018 13:47

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Red Rabbit in Parnell

p.s. there is no x in espresso

gasgob

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Reply # 2094574 21-Sep-2018 14:31

Bow and Tie Micro Roastery - located next to Ellerslie Train Station. Discounts price with 'bring your own cup'. Beans roasted on-site and changed daily - wonderful flavours and blends. Great guy too.

Search for Bow and Tie Micro Roastery on Facebook etc for more info.

dt

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Reply # 2094586 21-Sep-2018 14:43

cloudlover:

Flat white or Latte. I did find two small coffee shops quite good. They both offer only one size cup of coffee.

I'm 50/50 with my orders depending on my mood.. either espresso or flatwhite

When I get flatwhites I always order a small doubleshot.. I cant stand large coffee.. to much milk and it overpowers the flavors of the coffee

cloudlover

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Reply # 2094589 21-Sep-2018 14:44

gasgob: Bow and Tie Micro Roastery - located next to Ellerslie Train Station. Discounts price with 'bring your own cup'. Beans roasted on-site and changed daily - wonderful flavours and blends. Great guy too.

Search for Bow and Tie Micro Roastery on Facebook etc for more info.

That’s one of the two I mentioned. Pretty good.

Peppery

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Reply # 2094594 21-Sep-2018 15:02

dt:

I was walking past a newish cafe top of Khyber pass "New Zealand Coffee Co", looks interesting they had huge sacks of coffee beans from Guatemala, Papua New Guinea and Mexico with a cool blending and roasting facility out the back of their shop.

Haven't tried their coffee yet but looks like its worth a try

I used to stop in there on my way home from the gym. It's OK, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there. Highly dependent on barista.

My local is Espresso Workshop Parnell (nice that it's only a 3 minute walk from home!) but again, dependent on barista.

risingstar

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Reply # 2094596 21-Sep-2018 15:07

I 100% agree Auckland's coffee scene is a bit boring compared to Welly (for that matter craft beer as well).

But there are few places which do justice to your money:

Le Petit - never went wrong (coffee cart opposite to Britomart McD)

Amano (Britomart - depends on who makes it)

Greedy Guts (Wellesley street - used to be good. Not sure now after the change of ownership)

Revel in K Road (I tried it ages ago)

cloudlover

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Reply # 2094597 21-Sep-2018 15:10

risingstar:
I 100% agree Auckland's coffee scene is a bit boring compared to Welly (for that matter craft beer as well).

But there are few places which do justice to your money:

Le Petit - never went wrong (coffee cart opposite to Britomart McD)

Amano (Britomart - depends on who makes it)

Greedy Guts (Wellesley street - used to be good. Not sure now after the change of ownership)

Revel in K Road (I tried it ages ago)

I always see people line up in front of Le Petit in the morning. Looks like worth a go.

mdf

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Reply # 2094626 21-Sep-2018 15:56

I'm a Wellingtonian too, and like you, I'd rather go without than drink rubbish. I switched almost entirely to tea when we were living in Europe. I've found Mojo coffee pretty consistent between Auckland and Wellington, though I do like quite bitter coffee (usually long macchiatos). I really like their steampunks (even if you don't care for drinking one, it's well worth watching if someone else has ordered one). Might not suit your taste if your usual poison is a latte or FW.

Fred99

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Reply # 2094876 22-Sep-2018 09:44

I was in Akl for a few days a week or so ago, had a few coffees in cafe/restaurants and thought the quality was pretty good. Food quality, value, choice, and standard of service I thought was also very good. Nothing to complain about at all. Perhaps I just got lucky.

I find my taste for coffee varies. Have a good home espresso setup, I'll tend to use a particular blend of beans for a month or so, then change back to something I've used before and enjoy the difference. I'm buying beans from C4 in Chch, enjoying a cup of their "Headset" blend as I'm typing this. I don't know how I'd describe the difference between that and the "Krank" blend which seems to be their staple/standard espresso - it's a little lighter roast I think, a little more chocolatey. I can't say I've been impressed with "single origin" coffees - I've tried so hard too. One thing that really annoys me has been buying coffee from (other) roasters in say 500g lots. Change from one bag to the next and it'll pour as a gusher or choke the machine - need to adjust the grinder a lot between bags. That's not good. Between bags / batches from C4, if I have to make any adjustment at all to the grind it's only by a tiny amount.

I'd also challenge the "common wisdom" that "supermarket beans" are rubbish. This is commonly stated on (overseas) geek forums. If you go into say an Aus - then a NZ supermarket, it should be reasonably obvious that NZ is light years ahead. There's nothing wrong with the L'afarre, Hummingbird etc (numerous brands and choice of blends) on the shelf here, it's usually fresh, well-packaged, quality OK. Might not be up to "princess and the pea" gourmet standards - but it's a hell of lot better than staring at an aisle full of Vittoria and other mass-produced old unvented coffee in vac-pack bags - with little local gourmet coffee available - if any at all.

sidefx

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Reply # 2094894 22-Sep-2018 10:35

cloudlover:

I’m absolutely serious. Maybe it’s just me thinking Wellington’s coffee is so good.

Sorry I meant @nakedmolerat serious about BP coffee.

jonathan18

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Reply # 2094936 22-Sep-2018 12:37

As a generalisation, my experience is the place I'm most likely to have a decent coffee is from a specialist takeaway cart (eg, not one that also sells hot chips!) - my reasoning for this is that they typically have very few other points of difference to attract people (compared to a cafe, say, which can be about the the food, the vibe, the good magazines...) so their coffee better be good to encourage people to return.

Similarly, coffee roasters also typically sell a decent coffee; again, there's a logic there that it's in their best interest to make the most of their own product (plus will I assume the owners will be passionate about coffee).

If I want to be pretty sure of getting an acceptable coffee in a small town then I may go to a BP (or even a McD's!) rather than risk it with a local cafe - generally, I think the staff in such chains are better trained than those in a provincial cafe. I'm not saying all such cafes can't make decent coffee - but the chances of this are low so often I'd rather not take the risk.

I have to say that I'm probably more often disappointed than delighted by the coffees from many cafes I visit, irrelevant of location (including Wellington!). Most common sin is bitterness; many seem to over-heat the milk (or the opposite of not heating it enough!).

PolicyGuy

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Reply # 2094942 22-Sep-2018 13:01

jonathan18:
If I want to be pretty sure of getting an acceptable coffee in a small town then I may go to a BP (or even a McD's!) rather than risk it with a local cafe - generally, I think the staff in such chains are better trained than those in a provincial cafe.

Weird, isn't it: to get a reliably acceptable coffee, you have to go to a service station
Not saying you're wrong, mind!

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