Addington Coffee Co-op, Christchurch

Coffee is a syrupy sun.

The morning light is slow like honey, the thick and undulating sort, not its runny cousin. Dawn seems to arrive so much earlier during summer, even down under. It’s tempting to stay in bed and draw the curtains closer but addicts that we are, we need coffee.

Christchurch, the city centre at least, still bears scars from the earthquake that wrecked buildings and lives four years ago. This makes it all the more meaningful that we are getting our morning cuppa at a café that is part of a larger organisation that gives back to the community – Addington Coffee Co-op.

Located on Lincoln Roald, Addington Coffee Co-op is a former mechanic’s workshop turned into a café and roastery. Much of the architectural features now rare in post-earthquake Christchurch is carefully preserved.

The natural light-filled café serves Fair Trade coffee roasted in their in-house roaster – wittily named Jailbreaker Roastery – and offers a strong brunch menu. The Brioche French Toast (with bacon, maple syrup, mascarpone and confit orange, topped with crushed roast pistachio) and the Buttermilk Waffles (with Kohu Rd ice-cream and berry compote) are awesome.

As part of the co-op, there is even a self-service laundry for café-goers to wash and dry their clothes. (Makes one wonder if there are any customers hanging around in their undies, sipping on a flat white, while waiting for the tumble cycle to complete.)

Addington Coffee Co-op redistributes 70% of the profits back to the Christchurch community and to some of the overseas producers and communities that create the products they carry. Here is a space where the locals feel like they belong. Scratch that: it’s not just the locals; even visitors like us feel the sense of belonging. It’s a beautiful, generous, joyful place.

夏季的晨光來得真早，雖然還想再賴賴床，
可是卻抵不住嗜啡蟲的誘惑而起了個大清早。
今天的行程是從基督城開車到Mount Cook。
出發前，當然先得來杯咖啡和填飽肚子。
今早要拜訪的這家咖啡館是Addington Coffee Co-op，
它的前身是一家修車廠，由於不在市中心內，
在大地震中得於倖免於難，保留了震前的建築風格。
裝潢以木質家具配上不加修飾的紅磚墻為主，
木樑上除了懸掛著的國旗和盆栽外，還有自行車，處處是驚喜。

Addington Coffee Co-op這裡採用是通過公平貿易平台得來的豆子，
并自家進行烘焙，而烘焙商還取了個俏皮的名字叫越獄Jailbreak Roastery。
這裡除了咖啡不錯外，早午餐的菜單也相當的豐富，
所以到訪人潮可想而知，要找一張空桌還真不容易呢。
雖然大地震已過四年，
可是基督城市中心內的傷痕依然觸目可及；可見當時受創之深。
在這當兒到Addington Coffee Co-op可說是別具意義，
因為Addington Coffee Co-op除了提供好咖啡和食物外，
還會將70%的盈利回饋到基督城的社區，以及一些外國合作商的社群，
取之於民用之于民。