Cape Town's curious coffee culture

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Compared to major cities in Europe, coffee culture is something that
Cape Town seriously lacks. But perhaps only on the surface of things.
For what do you call the hoards of good looking people who gather on
trendy Kloof Street on a daily basis, religously succumbing to that
dark brown, aromatic caffeine injection?

Although there is no standard way of ordering or drinking coffee in
Cape Town - it could be tall black or flat white; skinny with wings,
or grande Americano con panna - there is no lack of coffee, coffee
shops or coffee drinkers. It's just a matter of knowing what you like
and where to find it.

Cape Town has recently experienced a steady rise in the popular
American-style coffee shops similar to the Starbucks phenomenon that
hit the United Kingdom not too long ago. These establishments have
streamlined the coffee drinking experience into a kind of
Macdonald-esque drive-through-on-foot, where reasonably good coffee is
prepared super fast and sold at above average prices. Simply decide on
the origin of the coffee bean, intensity of the roast, the fat
percentage of the milk, whether you want a cup or a mug, 'eat-in' or
'take-away'. Then place your order on the one side of the counter, pass
the glass display with a choice of numerous pre-prepared and packaged
sandwhices, biscuits and muffins, and pick up a scaldingly hot drink on
the other end. Easy as pie.

The problem is, even though these establishments offer you a
'tailor-made' drink, in probably less than a minute, the supposed
"speciality" coffee that arrives at the end of the counter is
nearly always an utter dissappointment - even the cocoa or cinnamon
they make you sprinkle over yourself, somehow contribute to the overall
blandness. Gone are the days of grand establishments with white
tablecloths and eloquant waitrons, serving aromatic coffee in elaborate
china. Or are they?

At the stately Mount Nelson hotel in Orange street, Gardens, the
splendour of this bygone era is still very much alive. Here, high tea
(or coffee for that matter) is still served in the colonial lounge
every afternoon, accompanied by a feast of sweet and savoury treats
prepared with beautiful attention to detail.

But if a humble street cafe is more what you had in mind, a stroll
through the city centre will certainly satisfy your need. Walking up
St. Georges Mall and surrounds will provide you with ample quaint
coffee shops serving anything from stale filter coffee to decent
espresso - so make sure to choose well. Try the really strong and
aromatic coffee from Crush - a favourite with business people wanting
to kick start their day. For the health conscious, they serve suberp
gourmet sandwhiches as well as fragrantly spicy Chai Latte.

Round the corner from Crush, in Church Street, close to Greenmarket
Square, is the charming Cafe African Image where exotic coffees from
all over the African continent can be enjoyed in the colourful
surroundings of Pan-African art and crafts.

In Bree Street there's the quirky Birds Boutique Cafe, where proper
South African-style "moerkoffie" (Afrikaans for ground coffee) is
complemented by freshly baked biscuits, muffins and scones with such
decadent combinations as dried figs and chocolate.

Long Street also has it's fair share of coffee shops. There's the tiny,
although bustling, Tribe Cafe with delicious coffee and delectable
sandwhiches. Two blocks further up, Rcaffe serves decent espresso and
freshly baked sweet and savoury pastries, while DeliZioso on the next
corner whips up anything from cappuccino's to espresso macchiato,
accompanied by a mouthwatering Italian-style lunch buffet.

In the nearby and trendier Kloof Street, franchises like Seattle Coffee
Company and Mugg&Bean compete with one of Cape Town's most popular
coffee shops - the impossibly cool Vida e Caffe. In a way, the
arrival of a designer coffee shop like Vida e Caffe, is a small
miracle. Because somehow, it captures the efficiciency of a
drive-through-style shop without compromising the quality of the coffee
or the drinking experience. The shop's sleek interior is as
aesthetically pleasing as it is practical and comfortable. But the
biggest draw card, is without a doubt the exceptionally flavourful and
consistently good 100 % Arabica coffee that they serve with such
friendly passion.

Until recently, I thought the best coffee I've ever tasted was in
Melbourne, Australia. I had been told what a refined coffee culture
Melbourne possesses and subsequently headed for a coffee shop on
arrival. Without hesitation, I ordered 'filter coffee' - hoping to
sound as universal as possible. The look on the waitron's face was a
mixed expression of complete confusion and utter disgust. My Australian
companians quickly saved the situation by ordering a round of
"latte's" for the table (short for 'caffe latte'), explaining that
'filter coffee' is not a concept anyone in Australia is familiar with,
as Melbourne's coffee culture draws on the strong Italian presence in
the city. Soon after my tiny faux-pas, the most beautiful drink
arrived, served in a short glass on a saucer. No funny-eared cup or
grotesque glass mug - simply deliciously strong, creamy espresso,
topped with slightly frothy milk, served in a glass.

On my return, I frantically searched the streets of Cape Town for a
coffee shop where latte's are served the way they are in Melbourne (or
Italy for that matter). I searched numerous trendy coffee houses,
obscure Italian restaurants and dodgy canteens without any success.
Thousands of cups of coffee and endless nights of insomnia later, my
salvation arrived in the pure white bliss that is Manna Epicure. And
they even get it right down to the short latte glass and saucer. Coffee
as good as this, in such a beautiful, modern setting (perhaps with a
little toasted brioche, poached pear and milk jam, on the side) turns
coffee drinking into one of the most refined earthly experiences. No
wonder my coffee drinking journey's always seem to end there.

But no matter what your preference or pretention might be - from
stale filter to strong 'moerkoffie' or authentic Melbourne-style
lattés - if it's coffee you're after, Cape Town will surely satisfy
the need.