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Haas Coffee Collective – Bo-Kaap

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Oh dear, winter arrives and the blogging goes into hibernation. I’ve taken ages to write about this little gem, partly because they keep growing and expanding their offering (and I crazily wanted to keep up with them – no chance!) and partly because of that hibernation. But I had to share this, because it’s one of those special coffee spots that has outstanding coffee and a vibe to match!

Located in the colourful Bo-Kaap, parking is free, but hard to find. In the interest of preserving your sanity, here are a few alternatives to literally driving yourself dilly: park on a 90° angled hill (but bring a brick to wedge behind your tyre – I really saw this!), take the MyCiti bus then walk…or just go on the weekend – Haas Coffee is open on Saturdays and Sundays. The nutshell version: Find a way to get there – it’s worth the visit.

The Haas Collective is what happens when a coffee guy (Hanno Schwartz), two artists (Francois Irvine & Vanessa aka Tess Berlein) and an ad-man (Glynn Venter) hatch a plan. It is a conglomeration of spaces and service offerings located on two corners of Rose and Church Streets (yes, TWO corners!) and is made up of:

- Haas Design – store selling local art
- Haas Coffee – artisan roastery and coffee shop
- Haas Communications – advertising division
- And, as of 13 June, Haas Gallery, which showcases local art

Haas Coffee is becoming well known for being the only South African artisan roastery that sells Kopi Luwak – does the name ring a bell? These high priced coffee beans make their way through the digestive system of the Asian palm civet on the way to your cuppa and featured in Jack Nicholson’s  The Bucket List as well as in a recent Carte Blanche excerpt. At ZAR80 per cup, buyers are usually coffee connoisseurs and the coffee curious who’d like to say they tried it. If you find the price as steep as the Bo-Kaap hill that you parked on, not to worry, there are plenty of delicious single-origin coffees to choose from at R18 for a flat white.

The coffee is sourced and roasted by Hanno Schwartz of Strictly Coffee in Robertson and I was fortunate to get the chance to witness the roasting process on my first visit. It was a cool day and the heated roaster made for a toasty Haas interior. In these pics you can see the roaster, the funnel that the raw green coffee beans are poured into and the shiny silver barrel where all the magic happens. The beans are agitated throughout the roasting process and I could clearly hear the ‘first crack’ (similar to popcorn popping). At this stage the beans become light brown and then move on to the ‘second crack’ stage when the bean colour becomes a medium to dark brown. Yes, it sounds simple and it looked simple…but somehow I think there’s a lot more to coffee roasting than this…things like temperature and timing and sourcing good beans.

The coffee beans are a balmy 220ºC when they are released into the pan, where they are left to cool down. Even though it smells delicious, the coffee can’t be ground and used straight away  (flavour peaks between 24hrs and 7 days) – an exercise in patience. The coffee being roasted here is Indian Mysore (you’re not alone, I didn’t know India produced coffee either). All Haas coffees are available for purchase and are ground to suit your home coffee-making equipment.

Coffee is not the only thing that will capture your interest at Haas – the interior of Haas Coffee is peppered with local pieces, you might even be sitting on artwork! The counter area has an apothecary-like feel and in a way they are dabbling in alchemy – they roast their own beans on the premises, grind them….

…and then a friendly barista produces a lovely Malawian flat white like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who’ve had enough of all the coffee talk and are shouting for a pot of tea, Haas sells Lady Bonin loose leaf tea. They’ve also thought of your growling stomach and have a buzzing kitchen. They’ve even taken on baking…fresh croissants and muffins! Not sure what to order? Try their croque monsieur – a hit with patrons.

They have a small outdoor seating area, perfect for sunny days, a work meeting or a catch-up with a friend.

Of course, visitors to Haas come in all sizes; some even like to dress for the occasion…

If you pop over to the gallery, Mervyn Gers, a potter and ceramicist, is currently displaying his work. Other exhibitors have included Dale Lawrence and Kirsten Goss.

And speaking of galleries, the SA National Gallery is currently housing the works of Vladimir Tretchikoff – of course Haas with their quirky sense of humour couldn’t pass up the opportunity to launch their Tretchikoffie – :-D .  And now, just a little peek at Haas Design…

 

  • Hours: Mon-Fri 7h00- about 17h00 | Sat-Sun 8h00- about 15h00 | Coffee served 15 minutes after opening
  • Address: 67 Rose Street, Bo-Kaap, Cape Town
  • Phone: 021 422-4413
  • Parking: Free parking on-street, but you’ll be driving around the block a few times on weekdays. Parking further down Rose Street is a bit easier to come by if you don’t mind the walk. Weekends are bliss.
  • Wi-Fi: Free 50MB – just sign in
  • Flat white: R18
  • Card facilities: Yes.

 


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