My Journey to the Re:public

As with most South Africans, I was glued to the second season of MasterChef SA. Mainly because I would write down all the recipes and practice my plating - not that I recreated any of the recipes...yet!

Our second reason for watching was because one of sisters friends had a friend (Shannon) who made it through and we were intrigued to see how she did.

Not surprising though that eventually the Van der Wat sisters kept us glued to the screens twice a week. The many faces of Seline and Leandri's passion (or lack thereof) for cheese were just so entertaining.

It was awesome to find out that the ladies lived in my home town, pretty much down the road and frequented the same spots.

Markets and coffee where something we had in common and after meeting them at the Neighbourgoods market in Braamfontein and learning that both Seline and Leandri loved giving back time to those less fortunate I decided to take to twitter and invite Seline to a toy handout and party we were holding in Attridgeville along side Toys for Africa. She accepted and Khumo (MSCA) joined as well, along with boxes of cupcakes!

That Saturday was too much fun and the beginning of numerous run-ins and eventually an evening blessing the kids at a foster home they work with and then a great coffee and Friday afternoon chat spent with Leandri. The passion she has for children and helping those around her is something inspiring. Which is why, when I heard about her coffee roastery project, I just knew I had to become a citizen - how could you not want to be a part of something that assists with the education of underprivileged children?

I was honoured enough to win some tickets to the launch of Roast Re:public on Thursday night and to say I was excited is probably an understatement.
 
Hopping on the Gautrain to meet my friend, and crazy companion for the night, Carla at the Rosebank station we started our journey to The Whippet cafe. After a few (and when I say few, 10 or 20 may be correct) wrong turns we got there and the buzz from all
citizens was amazing!





Learning coffee art, catching up with
old friends and fellow coffee enthusiasts (Bruce thats you), sipping on Nederburg wines, stuffing chocolate covered Sally Williams noughat in our mouths, trying out the truly amazing zoku coffee ice lollies as well as Selines delicious mini gourmet burgers and learning the brewing method of the siphon coffee maker made this night one for the books.

Matt, Jaco and Lea have put their hearts and souls into this project and the favour they have (and are receiving) is evident that they are on the right track. Seriously some of the nicest people and the nicest coffee out there.

When my mom turned to me after we chatted with the girls at the Urban market and said 'you need to make more friends who are like those two, they are so positive about this country and life. Surround yourself with people like that', I took it as a joke and yet here we are.




I can proudly say I drink coffee with a conscience and love being a citizen of this amazing republic!

Lets raise a cup to a new year, new friends and bags of coffee!

 

 

A Weekend in the Eastern Cape

So... I was born in Port Elizabeth and lived there for the first 6 years of my life before my dad got transferred to Joburg and the family packed up and moved to Pretoria. 80% of my family still live there. However, I am no longer that small town girl and PE is just....well its just that, a small town.

That's why this time round, I opted for a weekend and not a 10 holiday and I was ready to discover the coffee culture of this... small town :-)

With two Coffee Mags in hand, I boarded my flight to PE and knew exactly where I was going to go... first stop, Mastertons!

 

Mastertons has been a part of the Eastern Cape Coffee route for 90years now and I remember my gran talking about it and having bags of their coffee in the kitchen. Having driven past it numerous times while holidaying, this time we finally stopped to take a peek inside.

The smell of coffee beans roasting hits you in the parking area and all you have to do is follow your nose to the magic!
My bag of Brown Gold is almost finished! That's saying a lot!


A drive down to the original Vovo Telo for more coffee and snacks was next on the agenda. What an awesome surprise when we found that the store was surrounded by the cutest little trinket shops and I walked away with fridge magnets and broaches :-)


 Our last stop for the day was Nouvo.

My hair needed treating and no better place to visit then this 'Hair, coffee, beauty' one-stop shop.

Did I mention that the place is run by my moms younger brother and his wife?

The shops menu is mouth watering and they run with different specials every day.
The chicken dish to the left was truly amazing.
Gorgeous, succulent chicken on a bed of salad - something to go back for again and again and again!

                                                                                                             The chef is extremely passionate about this job and he insists on checking in on each table to ensure the food is satisfactory.

My mom also opted for a salad - something with butternut? The pictures just don't do it any justice and you'll just have to go there and try it yourself :-)

The coffee... well thats what we were there for wasn't it?
Nouvo has its own blend that they now bag and sell (ground or beans) and if you can, get yourself a bag to take home.
The Americano's and the Cappuccinos are very tasty. The blend is quite strong so when making at home, add a little extra water at the end (just a hint)

I will say though that the barrista's are excellent and passionate about there job. The effort put into each brew is fantastic and these guys are looking to give the Urban Express across the road a run for their money :-p

After 3 cappuccino's and a coffee shake, I packed two 250g bags into my suitcase. Upon my return home I popped into have coffee with a new friend, Leandri, and we tested the Nouvo blend. Not bad... not bad at all.


Till the coffee journey continues....

xx