My lifelong search for a decent coffee...

In total frustration after yet again having forced down another cup of burnt, bitter coffee I began to ponder the thought – why do we go to cafes and coffee karts and pay $3 to $4 for a beverage that is easily created ourselves, in minimal time, that most offices provide for free?

In order to answer this question I feel I have to delve further - why do we go to restaurants? Obviously for a variety of reasons, one of them being that we love the amazing food the talented chefs prepare (that we try desperately to recreate at home but never with any hint of luck). So does the same apply when purchasing coffee? Yes. Well, shouldn’t it? Why is it then that I am consistently disappointed at the lack of love in my latte?

I’m beginning to think that New Zealanders have become complacent – they’re so used to being served crap coffee that they have accepted that acrid is the way it should taste. I can only assume this is the case because I have been bitching about poorly made coffee since I began in hospitality (in fact my first ever published article was on this very subject), yet nothing appears to have changed. I say “New Zealanders” because on a recent excursion to Wellington I was hopeful that my traumatic coffee experiences were limited strictly to Auckland – perhaps us Jafas simply suck at preparing hot beverages – my hopes were dashed with every purchase at Wellington’s “they make the best coffee ever” cafes.

Where are we training our baristas these days? Why aren’t cafe/restaurant/coffee kart owners getting more involved in quality control? I was taught that a coffee made well needs no sugar... when I allow someone else to make my coffee, I usually have three sugars (am I getting my point across?). Or I simply use my friend’s alternative – order one with a syrup in it (as this disguises the putrid taste of charred beans). I did toy with the option of tea over coffee, thinking that perhaps my palate was more particular than most, but quickly dispersed with that thought because why would I pay $3.50 for a pot of hot water and a tea bag? My tea collection at home beats that of most cafes – clearly this is an argument I shall raise at a later date.

I am now considering paying the exorbitant purchase price of a cafe-style coffee machine (not the cheap home-based variety) so that I can, for once, experience the joy that comes from drinking that delightful beverage known as coffee. If you fancy yourself as a top notch barista, or you feel your establishment makes the “best coffee ever” – I challenge you to impress me. I implore you to. Someone please convince me that all hope is not lost!

Are we binge-drinking-bums?

My mission - to investigate whether New Zealand really does have a drinking problem, and if so, what can be done about our restricted and/or backwards approach to bars and socialising?
I’m getting rather fed up with the constant media hammering of New Zealand’s “binge drinking culture”. It’s getting to the point where I feel guilty for downing a single beer on a week day, let alone having (heaven forbid) more than TWO on the weekends. According to the powers that be, when you analyse the amount of alcohol I consume and frequency of consumption, technically-speaking I am considered an “alcoholic”. Please. Things are getting out of hand and over-dramatised. That said, I do agree that the issue of hoards of kiwis piling into our city centres, getting overly boozed and wreaking havoc is one of prevalence and, in my opinion, doesn’t stem from our apparent binge drinking culture. Rather, I feel it is directly related to our distinct lack of suburban social culture and minimal amount of local bars. We’ve all done the London thing, where we found ourselves regularly gathering at the pub on the corner for a pint or two after work, and are infinitely disappointed when we return home to discover that no matter how hard we try, we struggle to recreate that wonderful social atmosphere that is London Pubs. The biggest problem with New Zealand (Auckland in particular) is that instead of having a “pub on every corner”, we have a “liquor store on every corner”. The growing number of these establishments is scaring the hell out of the government, and rightly so. So what do we do about it? Is it really possible to change people’s attitudes or should we simply write kiwis off as a bunch of over-indulging alcoholics?
Verdict: I recently moved to the city fringe of Auckland, and I didn’t realise how much I would love it. Within walking distance are cafes, bars, pubs, etc and instead of encouraging me to drink more with the large availability of alcohol, I have fallen into a blissful culture of the odd drink at my local with friends either after work or on a Sunday afternoon, after which I return home to relax on the deck with a good book. So I prefer to remain optimistic about this growing concern regarding alcohol – glass half-full and all that (excuse the pun). A dramatic change requires patience and perseverance, and I believe we have the power to achieve it. Our coffee culture has emerged strongly over the years, and there is a cafe easily found in most suburban neighbourhoods. We pop out or meet up for a “quick coffee” frequently, and I see no reason why we can’t do the same with alcohol. So, instead of opening further retail liquor outlets in our population-increasing outer city suburbs, how about a few pubs/bars? The poms have the right idea when it comes to drinking, and opening more local bars not only encourages punters to stick to their own areas instead of crowding the cities (not to mention less of an issue with drink-driving), but it helps us to establish better conversation/social skills and keeps us away from the TV. Cheers!

Wine vs Beer: what is the severity of segregation?

Over the years I have noticed a distinct difference in beverage quality and availability dependant entirely upon the type of venue you choose to drink in. Yes, yes certain establishments develop their menus based on culture, atmosphere and target market - but I’m not talking about expensive over cheap, I’m aiming specifically at the beer vs. wine debate. Is the segregation so severe that in order to promote, for example, a swanky wine bar one needs to immerse oneself in viticulture, adding beautifully blended whites’n’reds and only ordering the beery basics from the malt-based variety?

I can hear you yelling at me already: a wine or beer bar is purely that – a place to consume deliciously crafted wines/beers. If you are so stuck on that idea, then why offer the alternative beverage at all? Obviously that was a rhetorical question, but it should be taken into serious consideration: if you put a great amount of time and effort into choosing the best wines or beers to serve, shouldn’t you invest further effort into the opposing?

Let me put it this way (and for argument’s sake we will continue with the previous example): you are opening a swanky wine bar offering NZ’s best of the grape and you have identified your target market as well-educated, financially well-off individuals in the 30+ age bracket. As there will, on occasion, be barflies that feel more like a beer than a wine, you make the addition of a few brews to the menu. Are we in agreement so far? Now, keeping your target market in mind, do you believe that it is acceptable to offer sub-standard or garden-variety beers as an alternative to the carefully selected wines? Do you actually believe that the people who drink those sorts of beers will be seated at your bar? Alternatively, you clearly support and promote high calibre NZ vineyards, why not do the same for NZ breweries? I’m not making a dig at winos only, the beer bashers need to pay attention also as the same rules apply to them. All too often I have visited bars whose selection of beers has been outstanding, but their menu was severely lacking in the wine department.

For some time now I have maintained my position that segregation is high and support for the opposition is low, but I see a bright and beaming sun appearing on the horizon! After visits to Wellington & Christchurch recently I have stumbled across bars and brewbars that not only promote quality NZ beers, but have wine lists to match. Those lists may have been short, but one doesn’t expect too many options in a beverage-specific venue. The wines that made the lists were of the same calibre as the beers on offer, easily suiting the odd consumer who simply didn’t want a beer. So winos, are you up for the challenge of matching the brewbars?

Frisky Frogs & Men in Kilts

The day/night of 3 October was spent at a miniature Munich Oktoberfest at White Cliffs Organic Brewery in Urenui, Taranaki – all of the fun with a fraction of the people (about 450). With a free stein on entry, songbook for the Oompah Band (New Plymouth Brass Band) and a full Bavarian meal, these country folk sure do know how to throw a decent festival. I guess the one benefit of drinking from a stein (not The Lady Glass’ usual choice of vessel) is the ability to slam your glass into someone else’s without fear of breakage in an over the top “cheers” – and the clinking happened at regular occurrences throughout the day & night. There were prizes for best Bavarian costume, however I struggled to understand how a kilt (and no, he didn’t wear anything underneath) or a full-on frog outfit matched the criteria – but I guess it was all in the name of good fun.


The beer on offer was Mike’s Organic selection of a Lager, Pilsner, Strawberry Blonde, Premium Cider or Mild Ale. Having never tasted the Strawberry Blonde (and knowing the effort White Cliffs had put into producing it) I felt it was worthy of trying. The aroma hit hard, smelling so good I thought it was a dessert of strawberries and cream, however the first few sips were somewhat disappointing and lacking in flavour to back the bouquet. That said, several mouthfuls later (after my palate adjusted from the earlier Pilsner), I found the scent and taste combined well, transforming the beer to a smooth and easy to drink drop.

Knowing the brewer has its advantages, and I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to the brewery and sample Mike’s Whiskey Porter. Not a major fan of the darker beers, this one was very much to my liking – pouring almost black (although the lighting was poor) - and smelling more of a fine port than whiskey without too strong a malty flavour. It warmed me from the inside out and I could easily partake of this brew on a winter’s evening following a hearty meal.

An awesome night followed, with a band (the Boardy Boyz) playing pub-like music that had everyone dancing. The atmosphere was relaxed, the crowd humming and I didn’t witness a single incident of overly drunken debauchery or crazy shenanigans. Well done White Cliffs, I have eradicated the term “hick” from my vocabulary. I’m almost converted to country living (or should I say “celebration”) – that is, if I had cellphone reception..

Armageddon drunk... again

Thank the lord for Google Maps and GPS, coz there’s no way in hell I would have found the Ruakura Campus Club (RCC) without them.  Imagine my frustration if I had missed this event – the tapping of batch 2 of my fav beer: Epic Armageddon IPA - the drive (down from Auckland) alone built up a healthy thirst, not to mention the anticipation.  The RCC was packed to the rafters by the time I arrived, which made for quite the first impression given that I was expecting something similar to drinking with my grandparents at the RSA.  Adding to the list of positives was their range of great NZ craft beers available at various intervals (including Emerson’s, Three Boys, Renaissance, Invercargill, Yeastie Boys & Harrington’s).  Chatting with Neal Towers (one of the founding members of the RCC), I discovered the club was opened in the 1980’s and has grown since then with an impressive range of followers from old-school ex brewers, the general public (ranging in age) to home-brewing beer geeks.  They began to introduce craft beers in the late 1990s with one of the first being “Fuggles” - from the now Epic brewer, Luke Nicholas, in his days at the Cock & Bull back in 1997. 

As for Armageddon batch 2 – it had all the same qualities as the first batch, pouring a beautiful amber colour with a nice head.  There’s no aroma more emotionally intoxicating than that of an extra-hoppy beer, and Armageddon is yet to fail me in this area.  I found batch 2’s scent to be slightly more powerful than the first (bliss) with a very distinctive lychee aroma and a noticeable flavour difference – somewhat less malty than Armageddon batch 1.  There were mixed reactions amongst the crowd, but I am of a very strong opinion – batch 2 kicks batch 1’s ass.  The only improvement would have been the ability to enjoy it from a Lady Glass, as the old-fashioned handles just don’t do it for me – how on earth am I supposed to remain feminine when I need two hands to bring the drink to my mouth?

The evening was brought to a close with an amusing discussion between Greig McGill, myself and a Hamilton local on the effects of marketing on those who don’t believe in its worth (i.e. “I drink Waikato Draught because I choose to, not because advertising sways me” says the local).  I still maintain that the WD drinker (through his own inadvertent admission) drinks what he can due to cost – i.e. he drinks purely to get drunk so pays the bare minimum in order to do so.  I guess the two-category rule comes into play here:  there are those who appreciate (good) beer, and those who just ‘drunk’ it.  

Spiegelau releases beer-specific glass range

Rupert Ponsonby, director of the Beer Academy, an organisation dedicated to education and training in the understanding of beer, believes the glasses will help bring about a new appreciation towards beer tasting.

'It's about time,' he said. 'There is a massive lack of knowledge about beer in this country, and huge anti-beer snobbery. Glass size and shape is as important for beer as it is wine. The subtleties in different flavours of beer are as great, if not greater than wine. In hops, you can find everything from lime and lychee to blackcurrant.

'People are missing out madly if they don't look into different styles of beer. The beauty of these glasses is that you wrap your lips around them and they are so thin; it makes the tasting experience more sensuous. Brewers are artists, and these glasses allow the different flavours in beer to be appreciated the way they should.'

Beer Babe(s) - Women, Beer and Blogs