Search for The Great South African Cup of Coffee: Origin Roasting

by Fred on 24/10/07 at 10:54 am
15 comments

I’ve held this one back a little. It’s been almost a year now that we’ve featured my coffee review on Ideate. It’s been an up and down affair, with Caveau Josephine Mill and CaffeNeo coming up tops so far.

I’m not going to make a meal of this next review, since I want to encourage you to go there yourself. Since Origins in de Waterkant opened, I’ve found many excuses to go back. After several business meetings, a few quiet lunches and a couple of social visits, it’s time now to give it a rating.

There have been times when the coffee has been merely great, but mostly it has been exceptional. The guys here are passionate about their product. It’s obvious from the minute you step through their inauspicious entrance on a quiet back street near the Cape Quarter. There are swollen Hessian sacks to one side, beans from around the world on the other. The smell of fresh coffee hits your nostrils as you find your seat. The staff are eager to please, and the service is excellent. The owners get involved, and will gladly educate you (“it’s not a cappuccino – it’s a flat white!”) if you’re keen to learn about their obsession.

As for the coffee? Well – you have to try it. I give it a 10. There have been times when it has been a 9, or even an 8 (on one occasion co-owner David Donde explained to me why it was not perfect on that particular day), but most of the time it has been sublime.

Origins has a great future, and it’s awesome to see a bunch of cocky, confident entrepreneurs bringing their passion to the fore.

Location: 28 Hudson Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town
Phone: 021 421 1000
Internet: My 3G modem was firing on all cylinders.
Plugpoints: There is one plug in the corner.
Cappuccino price: R12

Meeting potential out of ten: 9 – small talk made easy. You can regale your client with your knowledge of coffee.
Coffee rating out of ten: 10 – so far the best by a mile.

Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. He runs a web marketing company called World Wide Creative and loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. View more articles by Fred.

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15 Responses to “Search for The Great South African Cup of Coffee: Origin Roasting”

Nicola Perk

Oct 24th, 2007

I definitely agree, when we first arrived in Cape Town this was a regular Saturday morning treat. Now we have stopped going because we arrive and there is no room, so now we do not even bother to try – as we know it is always full and you can never get a seat – which is a shame. I wonder how many other customers they loose because of the small space.
Tanya

Oct 29th, 2007

I had a great latte (house blend) on early Saturday morning at Origin.
Friendly and helpful staff.
Finally I have found a Rwandan Coffee source not the usual one I get but not bad
David Donde

Nov 30th, 2007

Dear Nicola

Thank you for the comments. We have added chairs and heads up everybody we have expanded onto three floors and our upstairs seating opens within about a week (December ‘07).

For those needing space for meetings, we have a conference room on our middle floor and a large open table which is available for meetings when we are not doing cuppings.
Alfred Thorpe

Feb 19th, 2008

Dear Fred

May I share my coffee secret with you:

I am quite fortunate to live about 2km from Lourensford Estate in Somerset West. On the farm you will find the best coffee that South-Africa has got. Unfortionately there’s not a shop – you can only go there for tasting. Ask for cuppachino, it is GREAT!!

You can order their coffees online at http://www.coffeecompany.co.za/ . They roast the beans there, grind them according to what you’ve got (espresso maker or filter).

Call in sick on morning and go there – you will not be disappointed
Warren

May 9th, 2008

I agree with Fred, by far the best coffee in Cape Town, if not South Africa, and his coffee is also available at Belezia in Kloof Road
Warren

May 9th, 2008

I agree with Alfred, by far the best coffee in Cape Town, if not South Africa, and his coffee is also available at Belezia in Kloof Road
penny

May 21st, 2008

Origins coffee is very good. I live in Tamboerskloof and am lucky enough to have Beleza around the corner from me and their flat whites are simply amazing. I wish that more restaurants would take a pride in their coffee like Beleza does. (ps. warren kloofnek road)
Barefoot Billionaire

Aug 7th, 2008

I went to an art expo at Lourensford end of last year and accidently discovered the coffee roasters on the estate. Limu (wild Ethiopian with a wine-line taste) definitely my favourite. They also deliver to Deli55 in Kloof Street (across the corner from The Wellnes Centre).
Barefoot Billionaire

Aug 14th, 2008

Today I entered Origin for the first time and I agree: it is a coffee temple and sacred.

However, it doesn’t seem to be the ideal i-burst spot. Any i-burst patrons who have found a secret corner inside Origin where you can pick up a signal?
Francis

Aug 15th, 2008

Well you can now order origin coffee from the comfort of your own home. Simply go to http://www.diletto.co.za
Barefoot Billionaire

Aug 18th, 2008

Thanks for the link, Francis. Only problem is I get kicked out of the comfort of my home on days that the cleaner come in!
But I’ll go to Sage Organic from now on. They serve origin and have 100% i-burst reception.
Francis

Aug 21st, 2008

You are welcome Barefoot, enjoy sage. I really must come and visit the place at some time. Maybe when I get i-burst, yes that sounds like a good idea.
Ideate - Small Business in South Africa

Sep 8th, 2008

[...] this is something we’ve known for a while, (you pick it up when hanging out at CaffeNeo or Origin Roasting on any given weekday), but why is Cape Town such a breeding ground for entrepreneurship? Here are [...]
olly

Nov 22nd, 2008

Beleza source there coffee from Lourens ford estate in Somerset West and there coffee is magnificent. So if you are ever in town and gagging for a good coffee then Beleza is your best bet. The food is amazing as well.
olly

Nov 22nd, 2008

http://www.belezarestaurant.co.za