continuing our journey from hawkes’ bay, we stopped by palmerston north visiting long time friends. and just like other towns we went to, at least one coffeehouse is a must to look around.
@arrostacoffeeroastingco came number one on the list given its high rating on google map and it sits just on the route to our next destination. perfect for a quick grab n’ go.
at arrosta, they have quite a selection of beans, both blends or single origins, and how you’d like the coffee to be brewed, espresso based, filter, or aeropress. i think it comes mainly because not only that they’re a roastery but also distributor of many familiar coffee relating tools and equipment.
like other coffee places we’ve gone to, we placed order for ethiopia urabeast iced americano (old habit) and a blend as an espresso which has stonefruits undertone to it.
despite their old school vibes, the coffee offers much more modern and lighter profiles than i thought it would. at some point, their style reminded me of the neighbourhood coffee place back home. juicy with bright acidity while retaining a nice balance of sweetness. unexpectedly and pleasantly surprised. wished i’d had ordered more. 😂 but at least i had nz’s greatest, cookie time, to munch on after. so all’s fair
WoC week recap: lots of bar takeovers, lots of painstakingly beautiful coffee consumed and shared, lots of new friendships formed, and lots of meaningful and inspiring talks with coffee friends and professionals.
to put it in a nutshell, twas exhilarating. i love this community 🙌
from napier, we made our way towards a nearby town in hawke’s bay, havelock north, for full day of wineries expedition but first ..
@workroom.coffee situated in an industrial looking arcade, serving locally roasted coffee from @firsthand.coffee , from which crazy good from previous post also uses. however, at workroom they had a batch brew ethiopian on that day so of course i did order it along with an espresso, and ham n cheese sammie, which really hit the spot btw. (a bit digress here but coffee with savoury baked goods and/or sandwiches is totally underrated.)
combined those combo with a lovely morning walk around the neighbourhood, can honestly say it was a perfect start to the day.
pov: you’re having a nice cup of washed kenyan roasted and brewed by a group of top of the game coffee professionals. what more can a (weird coffee) person could ask for on the morning on their first day of yet another year around the sun (aka 🎂 day)?
located in hamilton just a few hours away from auckland, @greyroastingco was my first coffee spot of the north island trip where i first discovered from @softervolumes . so naturally, the first thing that drawn me to this place was their meticulously designed space.
but not only that, after having done a little research, i came to find out that they’re well decorated with titles and awards from working and competing in coffee industry and comps for many years.
with that said, you bet i could not leave with just having a cup. a bundle of three coffee bags joined me the rest of the trip and all the way home. 🙂↕️
Ending March with a high note (as well as high on coffee 😆). Thank you to K Ping @_pingpichaya / P’May @jakkapat / @kintothailand for entrusting and giving a rare opportunity to this amateur coffee drinker to be included as part of the judges panelist of Kinto Brewer Cup Championship 2026. What an absolute honour and gratification to have experienced, learnt from, and judging the competition side by side with a group of Thai coffee industry’s finest whom I’d like to express my admiration to, namely P’Tor @tor_kaeosanit , P’Sopa of Sopa’s Estate, P’Yuth @yuttanasittipan & Mic @_anuwat of @stackcoffee , K Ben @ben_ja_555 of @brewlabcafebkk , K Ploy @picolofolkvento , K Hed @hedfarang Thailand Brewer’s Cup Finalist 2025. Special shoutout to K Tommy @thanabut_gier for tuning up today’s fun vibes without fail. And, of course, to the champion and all the competitors, massive congratulations! You guys totally blew my socks off! All the cups I had the pleasure of tasting were incredible given how challenging the contest was. Keep it up and keep on the love of coffee brewing! Last but not least, thank you to the Kinto people working behind the scene tirelessly and making the exhibit running smoothly and making all these past months memorable to us visitors. See you again very soon!
wrapping up the week on many high notes, ie. exceptionally amazing aussie barista champion brewed coffee, dreamy martinborough pinot noir, and possibly new fave donut shop 🤤
