meei / Short Black

best i've had in christchurch, but nowhere near the best of auckland or wellington.

home of new zealand's 2011 national barista championship, uh, champion (and former champion, too). i'm surprised at how i wasn't impressed by the coffee. both my coffee comrade (she had a long black) and i found the coffee mediocre. there's nothing wrong with it at all, and you can tell that the barista pulled the shot flawlessly, but it just wasn't a very exciting house blend - no interesting or characteristic nuances to it. but these things are a matter of preference, so (shrug)

a relatively new coffee geekery in christchurch, opened by the switch espresso guy. even has a coffee pot-plant greenhouse on-site. personally don't think too highly of their coffee, though. a bit musky, very sour, not particularly in a pleasant way.

(sigh) if there's one thing i miss about wellington, it's memphis belle coffees. strong contender to ben's for my favourite coffee place in new zealand. ben's signature leans towards a spiciness you don't usually find at other roasters, whereas memphis belle serves its usuals with a zesty note. more commonly adopted, but they treat it so well. just the lightest twang of bitterness, with the lime-y hit intensifying with every sip. many coffee places lean towards a sour-esque flavour profile as well, but no one does it as smoothly as memphis belle does.

not bad, but definitely not the best wellington has to offer. leans towards the lime-y side.