The daily event

Been wanting to air my frustration on a certain topic for some time – the difficulty of getting a very good cup of coffee – latte’s my choice – in Auckland. I should qualify the “Auckland” bit to the parts of Auckland that I get around – City central, K. Rd, Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Westmere, Pt Chev, Parnell occasionally, and Waiheke Island where I live. But I think the problem is widespread, and my experience is that whatever area you’re in, NZ-wide, you’re more likely to get a mediocre-to-bad coffee than not. It’s just not good enough!

I’m beginning to think maybe my ideas about what constitutes a very good latte must be mistaken. Perhaps it’s supposed to have a foamy top a couple of centimetres deep, white and milky with no hint of the coffee beneath. Perhaps it’s supposed to be drunk nearly-hot, tepid even. Perhaps a latte, with all that milk in, is supposed to have no caffeine kick. Perhaps it’s supposed to be just a tiny glassful, even though you pay more for a latte than you do for a flat white. And if you ask for a bowl, to get a decent mouthful, perhaps it’s supposed to be weaker still. Perhaps a latte is supposed to have a bitter tang to the flavour.

However I checked with a barista of my acquaintance, and none of the above is true (though a glass is the standardcontainer for a latte, but it shouldn’t be all that small). And since I normally pay anything from $4.50-5.20 for my lattes these days, I’m glad to hear that I should expect better than what I’ve mostly been getting. A very good latte (and why shouldn’t a customer expect to get that every time?)should have a “crema”, not a thick band of pale milky froth. The crema is a rich (but not centimeters -deep) foamy (not frothy) layer that should have the brown stain of the coffee swirled through it. The cupful (or glassful) should have the milk in good balance with the espresso coffee, have a good caffeine kick, ditto for a bowlful. Good full flavour, no bitter tang. It should be hot, really hot. I’ve had a cafe assistant (who doesn’t deserve the title of “barista”) say that they can’t make the coffee hotter than the near-tepid cupful she gave me, or the milk will burn. Whereas one of my favourite ex-places for coffee that, sadly, I don’t get to frequent these days, the Cakestall at Royal Oak, has made it hot enough that I needed an extra takeaway cup so I could hold it to sip from- with no sacrifice to the other excellent qualities of their brew. If the coffee starts out hot enough, the cupful lasts, and is an event. I like my one daily coffee to be an event – even if I am having a takeaway. I have sometimes taken a coffee back, asking if they can hot it up a little. I know they’ll generally offer to make another, but there’s no guarantee it will be any hotter, and one usually detects an ever-so-slightly-long -suffering attitude. I’m more likely to make a mental note not to go back.

I should declare that my favourite coffee brand is Allpress. I’d rate Icoco and Island Coffee as second-equal. However, I had an Allpress coffee at an unfamiliar cafe in Parnell recently, and they somehow managed to make it so bitter that I walked away from it after a couple of sips. I know that preference for brand is a very subjective thing, but the above-listed qualities of a very good latte should be consistent through all brands.

One of my detection techniques when I’m trying to choose a likely cafe is to do the “sniff” test when I walk in. It’s more like a deep inhale, hoping to breathe in the rich aroma of good, well-roasted beans being brewed for many thankful customers.  Absence of this aroma is definitely a warning sign, and I usually walk out again without buying.

Here are some of the cafes that currently pass muster with me, although they can be a little inconsistent. On Waiheke Island, Spice Cafe makes a pretty good Allpress  latte. Their in-house latte glass is a little small, but I mostly get the takeaway. Have had one latte from them with a froth top a bit like a cappuccino, and occasionally the coffee can be a little less hot than I like, but on the whole they do a darn good latte, – sometimes a very good latte. I occasionally go to Lazy Lounge for the ambiance, the friendly service and the view, and the lattes are okay, sometimes even “good”. Not usually “very good”. I’m a little wary of the wharf cafe at Matiatia. While they have Allpress beans, the qualilty of my latte very much depends who’s behind the counter, which varies quite a lot. I’ve had too many not-hot-enough lattes from these guys, even though they’ve met the other criteria.

In Auckland and around – Panetone down Queen St makes Allpress – Yes! – and most of the criteria are met, but… they just don’t make my latte hot enough. The rest of the cafes on Queen I’d avoid, although I have to own that I haven’t had the time to search extensively. There may be some goodies up some of the side streets. Please let me know if you believe you know of cafes in or off Queen St where my criteria would be met.

Going to finish here for the meantime. More to say, enough for now. Love to hear views of other Auckland coffee-drinkers, latte drinkers really.