Ideate » Coffee

Search for the Great South African Cup of Coffee: Detour

Fred Roed — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 06:30:43 +0000

Regular travelers past Oudekraal en route to Camps Bay will have noticed a little queue of cars materialising on the flea market siding about 1km before Bakoven. The reason? This dude (right). He’s a Hout Bay local whose entrepreneurial spirit led him to parking his coffee trailer to service the thirst of thousands of commuters on their morning route to work. I’m one of them, so I stopped to give him a try.

After waiting for 15 mins for the crowd to disperse I was served up a large cappuccino – and when I say large I mean la-a-arge. Usually, quantity does not mean quality, but I was surprised to find that his coffee was strong, with a good head of foam (not frothy mind you – t’was nice and consistent).

Flavour, viscosity, density – all decent, even though clearly it was a rushed effort.

Beautiful stuff.

The real beauty of Detour’s offering, however, is not the brew itself, but the whole package. What this little dusty siding forces you to do is to stop and ponder the awesome beauty of one of the Cape’s most scenic settings. Something that most of us are too busy to do. Stopping for a cuppa joe makes you escape from incessant (and all-too repetitive) thoughts of work and allow for the serenity of nature to clear your focus.

This is not just a detour from your inbound trip; it’s a detour for your mind. A welcome one at that.

Nice work, entrepreneur coffee guy! Thanks for reminding me of what’s important.

Coffee rating out of 10: seven! (nine if you include the blissful natural setting)

Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. Fred is the CEO of web marketing company World Wide Creative and the co-founder of online learning portal Heavy Chef. Fred loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. Follow Fred on Twitter here. View more articles by Fred Roed.

Search for the great South African Cup of Coffee: The Power and The Glory

Fred Roed — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 05:30:46 +0000

I got locked out of my studio this morning. My agency, World Wide Creative, moved last week to new premises at the top of Cape Town. Telkom, internet not working, new keys getting cut – it’s all part of moving.

While I’m waiting for Mike, my business partner, to arrive with the studio keys I decide to try “The Power and The Glory“, the small outlet across the road for the first time since the move.

This is an important moment, I realise, as I order a cappuccino. This is the closest coffee shop to our studio. We’ve signed a lease for 3 years. Many client / team / networking meetings will be held here. If the coffee is crap, it’s a travesty.

The venue itself is pretty cool, with big open windows looking out to the road. The inside is eclectic and interesting, with old furniture and classic music (Ella, Frank).

Cape Town is misty today, the first moist day for some time, so it’s a perfect setting for a hot drink.

So, the cup arrives. Settled politely next to my laptop. I leave it untouched for around 30 seconds, looking up at my new premises. Now, I’m nervous. Shit, what if it’s not up to scratch? Do we cancel the lease?

I take a sip.

The first taste is good.

Smooth. Bold. A few seconds later, the bitterness pops up on my palate. It’s not metallic. It’s strong, like coffee is supposed to be.

I feel light-headed. Giddy almost. I finish the cup quickly. The last week has been stressful; full of disruptions and challenges. For the first time in some time, I’m looking ahead towards the next three years with hope, with confidence. It’s a great feeling.

But then, that’s what good coffee will do for you.

Rating out of ten: a confident 8 – great stuff.

Photo credits: WeLove and ILoveCoffee

Search for the Great South African Cup of Coffee: The Corner Cafe in Durban

Fred Roed — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:00:10 +0000

Recently, while in KZN to attend the wedding of one my World Wide Creative team mates, I hooked up with fellow coffee addict, Geoff Brink, who lives in Umdloti down the road from prolific blogger Fred Hatman. Geoff is otherwise known as the ‘nutter on the unicycle‘ – although he also moonlights as a photographer and a treefeller… which makes sense, really.

Geoff picked me up at the airport and we headed straight for The Corner Cafe in Glenwood, Durban, on the corner of Brand and Cromwell. As we arrived the owner pranced over to give Geoff a warm welcome. We were promptly given two cappuccinos and plied with a delicious sandwich each. Geoff warned me that the coffee was addictively tasty.

He wasn’t wrong; we stayed for two more, in quick succession.

I fell in love with The Corner Cafe, from eclectic decor and inauspicious setting, to the eccentric owner, the waitrons and the floor manager, who, by the way, happens to be a qualified engineer.

The tree outside is also a winner – it was cut and sculpted by Geoff into a giant heart to mimic the Corner Cafe logo. For his labour, Geoff was paid in coffee – although, I’m not sure that the owner realised how many cups Geoff can actually consume during an average day.

There is art all over the walls, and the crowd is a beautiful mix of artists, bohemians, bored, chatty housewives and crazy, wild-eyed unicyclists.

The coffee?

It was superb; lovely and strong with a solid, thick creamy foam. Do yourselves a favour, if you’re in Durban, don’t miss out on The Corner Cafe – it’s an experience, with great coffee to boot.

Coffee rating out of ten: 9
Address: Glenwood, Durban, on the corner of Brand and Cromwell

Search for the Great South African Cup of Coffee: Fournos

Fred Roed — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:58:29 +0000

Earlier today I was stuck at O.R. Thambo.

My flight was delayed, and I was kindly reassured that it wouldn’t be long. “The stoppage is merely due to the airport’s radar system being faulty.” Which is good to know, since I already have a MASSIVE fear of flying, so this little tidbit settled me down to a quiet nervous breakdown.

The solution to this crisis? What else but the sweet, warm embrace of a good cup of coffee. So, here were my choices: Mugg & Bean; Wimpy; Spur or Fournos.

It turns out that Fournos is actually half decent – considering that this is an airport, and anything travel related doesn’t usually equate to great coffee. The delivery is not at the standard of, say, Origins, but as far as the competition goes, Fournos rules the airport roost.

Their cappuccino is strong and hearty, with the right amount on top. Louis Janse van Rensburg, manager of the Johannesburg branch of World Wide Creative, was with me at the time. Between wolfing down the remains of the Fournos chicken tower sandwich (quite good I must add), he nodded approvingly at me after taking a swig.

I’m back in Cape Town now, safe and sound. The Fournos coffee was a nice interlude to a tough day, and will certainly be there next time I’m stuck in Jozi.

So, what’s the moral of this post?

Coffee is good for you.

Coffee rating out of 10: 8

Where: Bypass the Bean, and look next to Ocean Basket at O.R. Thambo Domestic Terminal

Price: Around R14

Search for the Great South African Cup of Coffee: Dario’s

Fred Roed — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:18:27 +0000

The search goes on, and I’m pleased to say that I’ve uncovered a real hidden gem in Hout Bay, my back yard. It so happens that this place is a stone’s throw from where I live, so forgive me for my being a little hysterical about this.

I stepped out of the house to chat with my wife Yolande about work stuff (she works part-time for World Wide Creative). We ventured out to look for a coffee spot, and found Dario’s on the right as you head towards the harbour from Suikerbossie.

I’d been told before that it makes a good cup, but I was still a little surprised at this what this small, unassuming little spot conjured up in leisurely time. It gives anything else in Cape Town a run for its money, and has a nice old-school Italian charm about it.

Do yourself a favour, the next business meeting you arrange, go off the beaten track and drop by Dario’s. You won’t be disappointed.

Location: Victoria Rd, Hout Bay (on the left, past the Superspar)
Contact: 021 791 0021
Price: around R12 for a cappuccino (I think).
Rating out of ten: a sumptuous 9

Search for the Great South African Cup of Coffee: Arpeggio

Fred Roed — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:42:52 +0000

I’ve been quiet lately, for various reasons – mostly because I’ve been well, well busy – BUT that doesn’t mean that I’ve given up coffee. Far from it, in fact. So, here goes with a bit of an update.

I’m sitting in Stellenbosch right now, in a lovely little Italian restaurant called Arpeggio – having just finished a successful meeting which was rounded off nicely with a crispy feta & tomato open sandwich and two delicious cups of cappucino.

Flat.

White.

Delicious.

The best thing? Stellenbosch is a student town, so the coffee is R10 a cup. Nice.

If you do happen to wander down this way, don’t hesitate to pop your head in Arpeggio for a quick caffeine fix. The food’s day-am good too.

Location: Stellenbosch Main Road (opp. Mugg & Bean – avoid! avoid!)

Contact: 021 8839623
Price: R10

Cool coffee start-up website idea

Fred Roed — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:30:18 +0000

Thanks to Tripeak for sending me this link: Coffee in Town. It’s a nice use of Google Maps for coffee meet ups in Prague.

Jozi, Durban and Cape Town are crying out for this. I’d use it for sure…

Coffee art

Fred Roed — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:16:01 +0000

Thanks to SteHan from The Medium for sending these. All pretty remarkable, really.

Cape Town is the Silicon Valley of Africa

Fred Roed — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:27:02 +0000

Check out this post, ‘Cape Town breeds Entrepreneurs‘, that appeared in Fin24 on the weekend.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s research findings over the past five years show that the percentage of people between the ages of 18 and 64 in Cape Town who pursue new business are 190% above the national average.

I think 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 some of my reasons…

Capetonians don’t like working in offices. When you’re surrounded by restaurants, coffee shops, beaches, wine farms etc. who wants to work in a cubicle?

Cape Town is big on coffee. Coffee fuels the creative mind. The creative mind fuels entrepreneurship.

A large proportion of Capetonians are unemployable. Joburgers will agree on this. Try telling a Capetonian what to do, and he’ll either ignore you, stare at you blankly (while thinking about women / beach / surf / Nintendo), or laugh at you.

Capetonians are resourceful. There are no commodities here to mine or farm. Services are big down here, so ‘making a plan’ is part of our heritage.

Capetonians are competitive. When outsiders arrive in Cape Town, they soon find out that there is a whole social order here. You don’t just get accepted into the mix, you’ve got to prove yourself. Wrong or right, this fuels a level of achievement that pushes people to make things happen.*

*Too bad this doesn’t translate to our rugby anymore.

Search for The Great South African Cup of Coffee: Sage Organic

Fred Roed — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 04:30:47 +0000

Cape Town is a maze of one-way streets and back alleys. If you know your way around, you may just find great little spots like this, Sage Organic, on Hatfield Street in Gardens.

I went there with Paul, the CSS whiz-kid from World Wide Creative, last week. We were not expecting to have great coffee, only to have a bite to eat and a cuppa on the side. When I was politely corrected by the guy behind the counter: ‘Sir, we serve a flat white, NOT a cappucino,’ I thought: mmm, we’re onto something.

Our order was placed in front of us complete with nice little pattern in the foam. Lovely stuff. The first sip revealed a nicely balanced caramel-like flavour, with good nose* and a fine after-taste. I finished it off sharp-sharp, and promptly made a mental note to make this place my regular (it’s 1 min from our studio).

If you’re in town doing some business, make time for Sage as a pitstop. The lunch menu looks tasty too.

Location: 117 Hatfield St, Gardens, Cape Town. Sage is off de Waal Drive towards Mt. Nelson Hotel, go past Gardens Centre and turn right into Hatfields Street. Sage is approx. 50m down on the right.

Contact: 021 461 7868
Price: R15 for a flat white

Meeting potential out of ten: 7, business seems to happen here, although tables are a little close if you want to discuss the finer details within an NDA.
Coffee rating out of ten: 8

*Just kidding. We’re not that pretentious…yet.

[The original version of this review is featured on Have The Last Word]