Manager Cody Jarvie says he has noticed a trend towards customers ordering stronger coffees at his cafe´, Abracadabra. Photo/Stephen Parker
Manager Cody Jarvie says he has noticed a trend towards customers ordering stronger coffees at his cafe´, Abracadabra. Photo/Stephen Parker
A new survey shows how Kiwis use caffeine as a connector and what coffee is tops. Rotorua Daily Post reporter Dawn Picken visited several coffee joints to catch the latest buzz on java, including new ways we're finding our favourite brew.
IT'S a Tuesday afternoon when we talk with Abracadabra manager Cody Jarvie who's just finished the lunch rush.
Jarvie says more of his customers are ordering stronger coffee.
"They're getting cold coffees as well."
Jarvie was the only cafe´ worker of the half-dozen we spoke with who mentioned offering 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."
Jarvie says many customers at this central Rotorua cafe want vegan and gluten-free food, which Abracadabra makes Wednesdays and Fridays.
Staff try to make enough to last throughout the week, though it doesn't always happen. The raspberry chocolate brownie (glutenfree) is one of the most popular items paired with a cup of joe.
"We cater to a variety of groups," says Jarvie.
"Half our cabinet is vegan and gluten free."
Over at Zippy Central Cafe, owner Morgan Wilson says he hasn't seen many trends.
The cafe´ doesn't offer caramel lattes or frappuchinos or other drinks served at bigger franchises.
"It's the standard flat white, cappuccino, latte. Maybe people have started asking for flavoured shots, but that's been over the last year or so."
Wilson says Zippy's recently changed to serving double shots as standard.
Patrons lately are ordering more cold coffee drinks, which he says happens as the weather warms. More than just a refuelling station, cafes are places for time out-for catch-ups, business deals, even a life altering first date.
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. Otherfindings: * 61 per cent of respondents 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
An app for that
Fans of caffeine and technology can pair the two to find their favourite beans.
Many coffee providers have apps directing fans of a particular roaster to places they can get their fix. New Zealand roasters Havana, Allpress and Coffee Supreme have finder apps, as do Starbucks and McDonald's. Esquire's website says it'll soon offer online ordering.
Some cafes, including Starbucks, allow you to text in your 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, which 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.
Management at other cafes like Zippy's eschew apps and social media in favour of low tech referrals to boost business.
Wilson says, "We use the Entertainment guide. It's a voucher based book. That works, we get people from that. We get a bit of business from TripAdvisor, but it's much more word of mouth. We get people saying, 'Our friends recommended you'. That's by far the most common referral we get."
Beans and chemistry
Abracadabra's beans are from Ozone Coffee Roasters. Jarvie says they're an organic, fair trade bean, something other cafe´ owners and managers insist on, but not all customers clamour for.
Zippy's Wilson says he doesn't get requests for fair trade coffee.
"We tried selling it several years ago, but it didn't sell that much."
Tay Street Cafe in Mount Maunganui sources fair trade Cuban, through Havana roasters in Wellington.
"It has a beautiful bit of smokiness and chocolatiness," says owner Hamish 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."
"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."
Meet and Greet
The Muffin Break survey shows 90 per cent of us go out for coffee to catch up with friends and family. And while almost one-third of Kiwis go out weekly for coffee, another 45 per cent catch up at least monthly over a caffeine fix.
Abracadabra's Jarvie says his cafe books lots of meetings and private functions, while Wilson says many of his Zippy's regulars don't mind coming alone.
"There used to be a stigma behind it, but these days there's not. We do get groups and people meeting up. At the moment [almost 5pm on a Wednesday afternoon], I've got four or five tables: two singles, a couple groups and a family. That's a good cross-section."
Jarvie makes a point to know his customers and says he can name their coffee or cake, or both.
Tay's Hamish 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."
Or connection mode. 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.
