Coffee cravings


If you are a coffee fanatic like me, I’ve found the perfect little brewing spot in Cape Town: Haas Coffee Collective (www.haascollective.com), on Rose street in the Bo-kaap. This unique roastery also happens to serve one of the world’s most expensive coffees, Kopi Luwak, at R2850/k.

Here is a brief explanation from HAAS of what kopi luwak is… and I’ve tried it!

Kopi Luwak, with a caramel-chocolate taste, takes its name from Kopi, the Indonesian word for coffee and Luwak, the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) that feasts on the ripest, sweetest red coffee cherries growing on coffee trees in Sumatra. Once the Luwak eats the cherry, the parchment-covered coffee beans inside are passed through its digestive system, with a unique combination of enzymes in the stomach breaking down the proteins to remove all traces of bitterness. Still intact even after being excreted, the parchment cover protects the green coffee beans. In a very labour-intensive process, the beans are collected from the faeces of civets and the parchment is removed. The coffee is then thoroughly cleaned and sun-dried before being sold.’

We did a formal cupping tasting with a few coffees, which was interesting enough. But I’ll still drink mine with a bit of milk. A kopi Luwak cappuccino costs about R80. And really doesn’t taste anything like poo… It has a very smooth, almost soft tatse compared to some of the other coffees that were on offer.

Try the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, which goes for about R60 a cup (R1 824

Per kilo).


Other cool noteworthy things:

–The collective only roasts on demand, so the coffee is always fresh.

–Food is also available in forms of custom-made pastries and wholesome sandwiches

–All coffees sourced by Strictly Coffee are shade-grown as a cooler environment protracts the ripening and intensifies the flavours

–While you are drinking your coffee, browse through the design section of the store, it’s great for gifting ideas or adding item to that personal collection. Items on sale range from jewellery to cushions, from paintings to ceramics and more.

–There are indoor and outdoor tables and chairs, and it’s where all the cool coffee addicts hang out (aka us media peeps and partners who can actually afford the fancy stuff).

Coffee storing tips:

– Drink your coffee within two weeks of its having been roasted. Contrary to popular belief, you should store it dry, in an airtight container and not refrigerate or freeze it to retain its freshness

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