Ideas for coffee!

Today was a twist on the "visit a coffee shop" vibe. And why would I when there are students among us who are selling amazing coffee! Introducing: Cuppaconvo! Basically they are taking the idea of drinking coffee to a whole new level.

In their own words Cuppaconvo is: "the conversation shared between people over a cup of coffee when friendship, innovation and ideas are born."  What better way to get people interacting and discussing ideas than over a cup of, lets be honest, amazing coffee.

So the deal this morning we set up a pop up coffee shop in the Studente Sentrum where we were giving the early birds free coffee... well almost free. In exchange all we wanted was creative and innovative business ideas that address challenges that we find around us.

 The ideas didn't have to be world changing, but it was a great opportunity to let people who otherwise walk around with ideas that they never share, and even those who don't, come share their thoughts and opinions. And who knows, maybe we've given them something to think about too.

It goes to show that sometimes the best cup of coffee isn't the one bought in a fancy coffee shop, it can just as easily be the cup that you drink while meeting new people and throwing thoughts around. After all, Coffee+Ideas= Magic

Go check out the people behind this awesome idea on @cuppaconvo and @entrepSU and drop them a line if you have an idea of your own that you want to get out there.

Wait, you got coffee and cheesecake WHERE?

A while back we had the best sort of day. A sun-filled public holiday in the middle of the week! It was spent wondering around with a friend (despite ill conceived promises made to ourselves that we would study). We didn't have any particular goal in mind besides taking in the loveliness and ultimately finding a place to have coffee. The latter proved slightly more difficult than anticipated as some establishments seemed to take the notion of "Worker's Day" rather seriously and actually gave their workers a holiday.

We eventually walked past the Slug and Lettuce on Ryneveld street and our eyes caught on a sign proclaiming "barista prepared coffee". Skeptical (this is a steak and beer sort of joint after all) but willing, we took a seat in the bustling marquee area inside and ordered Cappuccino and a cheesecake claiming "legendary" status.

The service at the Slug and Lettuce always seems... well... a little sluggish. With what seems to be only two waitresses serving a packed area there is a sizable delay in getting your order, by the time we got the cake our coffee was verging on lukewarm already. However the staff are friendly and the atmosphere so pleasant that it's difficult to find further fault. All in all it was a lovely (if slightly noisy) experience. The coffee was pretty good (at R14 a cup) but definitely lacks that "wow" factor that you would expect from a restaurant claiming "barista brewed".

BUT the baked lemon cheesecake is absolutely deserving of legendary status! Yum! It far overshadowed the Cappuccino in every way and (besides the amazing company and talking nonsense for a good few hours) definitely takes top prize as the high-light of the day.

Sunshine and cupcakes

Last week, Stellenbosch decided to give the flooding and miserable weather a break and instead broke out its reserve vintage of limited edition Sunshine.  And what a glorious few days it was. In the spirit of not wanting to waste such fantastic weather, Adrian and I decided to venture off campus and take a walk. We ended up at Hazz coffee shop on Ryneveld street, a regular haunt of students (we're everywhere), tourists and business folk looking for an informal meeting spot, and wow are we glad that we did. Just walking into the shop provides a hit of the most delicious roasting beans and made us want more- always a good start when I've enjoyed the coffee before I've drunk it yet!

We decided to splurge and each try one of the delicious looking confectionery items on display. About R40 each later we were seated outside under the trees happily discussing studies and test results (there's probably no better place to discuss such heavy topics, with the promise of chocolate cake on its way to soothe the soul).

The waitress was lovely, besides a mistimed joke about us having ordered hot chocolate instead of cappuccinos that left both of us hastily correcting her before realizing she was having a laugh at our expense o_O Not so sure it was the right tack, but different strokes for different folks. Thoughts on strangers making cracks like that? Funny or not?

Besides that, the coffee was absolutely divine and the red velvet cupcake with white chocolate that I had to accompany it was the best I've ever had. The chocolate cake didn't quite make "soul soothing" status, but it was (apparently) still rather delicious. All in all it was well worth the R36 spent, and I would definitely go back ASAP if I wasn't determined to have tried every cup of coffee in Stellenbosch within the next year or two. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

First stop: DCM coffee and muffins

In the search for the best cup of coffee in Stellenbosch, we started close to home.
Home is, of course, The Neelsie: the student center for Stellenbosch students and by far the most popular place to get an all day caffeine fix on campus.

DCM coffee and muffins is an awesome little hole in the wall that never sees a quiet moment, especially with the chill of winter finally settling over the town. With muffins the size of small houses and a decent selection of coffees, teas and hot chocolates it is definitely the go to favourite in the lives of students.

Product: Cappuccino and Bar One muffin

Cost: R14 + R20

Rating: Good, but definitely not outstanding (Ok who am I kidding? Melted Bar One in a muffin is a sure fire winner every time)

Downside: No option of hot milk, and depending on when you get your filter coffee, you also get a healthy dose of leftover grounds in your cup (yuk).

Upside: The staff are always smiling and friendly, even when they're still there at 10pm serving students who just finished tests and need some hope in their lives.