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| - As I was informed by my bean-crushing, brew-sipping, coffee-critic SO, pilot won microroastery of the year. So, clearly, we had to visit.
What a cool space!!
This location is Pilot Coffee's tasting bar and roastery (the coffee also appears at their cafes, Te Aro and Crafted) so it's a pretty huge place with stacks of burlap (?) bags, filled with presumably coffee. There is a glass-panelled room for coffee-tasting sessions ("cuppings") and a tasting bar with top of the line coffee machines, of which I fail to grasp the majesty (but I was assured they were a big deal). Off to the side, they've displayed bags of their beans, bars of chocolate, and coffee paraphernalia available for purchase.
We sat at the bar for the tasting menu: an espresso, a brew (chemex or pourover), and the specialty drink (which happened to be the cold brew when we went). The barista was extremely friendly! It was great casual entertainment to watch her prepare the drinks slowly and meticulously--everything is measured on a scale when both dry and wet, the technique is consistent from customer to customer, and it was fascinating to watch some latte art being poured.
Maybe it's because I don't really drink coffee, so I am easily impressed, but this place definitely feels as if it's above and beyond your regular cafe in town. It isn't somewhere you come to squat for wifi while working and absent-mindedly sipping a cappuccino: the coffee is really the focus of your attentions. With that in mind, I would come by for that experience: coffee front and centre. Don't really expect to do anything else while sitting at the bar!
PS: Cold brew was quite tasty. But I imagine the beans and drinks are probably switched out regularly, so just consult the menu or ask the barista--don't listen to people on the internet.
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