Espresso Lab Microroasters, Cape Town

Coffee is all about the times and how they’re a-changin’.

Hipsters in Cape Town are flocking to The Old Biscuit Mill, a former – you guessed it – biscuit factory that has undergone a revitalization of sorts and perhaps the key reason for Woodstock’s rapid change. The brick-red façade of the former mill is well-preserved; clean white lines frame it crisply. While many shops have flamboyant store fronts, one stands apart due to its distinct lack of colour.

Espresso Lab Microroasters is all black and white with occasional spots of crimson to draw your attention. Indeed, its “laboratory” ambience – think: beakers as coffee pots, a snowy-white Diedrich roaster and a tiled map of bean-producing countries around the world – is meant to invoke a very precise and technical passion for specialty coffee.

Yet the café is far from cold and clinical. Jovial baristas are happy to converse with us and offer recommendations. Espresso Lab’s founders, Renato Correia and Helene Vaerlien, believe in sourcing green beans from sustainable, organic farms and roasting them in small batches to allow their flavours take centrestage.

Their current coffee selection spans the globe, from Costa Rica to Kenya. For single origin filter coffee, we try their Ethiopian heirloom beans from Sasaba, Guji; these are harvested at approximately 1800 metres above sea level. This natural processed coffee had a delicious floral aroma and tasted of Medjool dates and pineapple, a most winning combination.

Lovers of a good cappuccino should try their Alpha 2016 espresso blend – now into its version 3.0, according to the barista – that is a mix of 50% Fazenda Recreio (Brazil), 25% La Union de Narino (Colombia) and 25% Konikona (Ethiopia). Its caramel-almond and cherry blossom flavours cut through the milk to create a balanced cup. Their Black Ice – espresso, crushed ice and natural sweetener – is a cool favourite during the summer months.

Old Biscuit Mill 顧名思義的是一家舊餅乾廠，
不過在經過一番整修和改頭換面后，
這裡成了開普敦Woodstock郊區的一處熱鬧角落，
除了有許多的特色商店外，
這裡還有著名的餐館、巧克力工坊以及一家口碑不錯的咖啡館。

這家名為Espessolab的咖啡館以黑白為基調，空間不大但乾淨明亮，
加上類似化學元素的咖啡豆子名稱縮寫、
元素週期表似得的菜單以及盛咖啡用的錐形燒杯，
給人有種來到化學實驗室的錯覺。
選自世界各地有機咖啡園的豆子，再由小量性質的自家烘焙，
加上咖啡師對咖啡的熱誠，讓這裡成了城裡咖啡客的好去處。
無論是單品手沖依索比亞帶來的花香甜美，
還是由巴西、哥倫比亞和依索比亞製成的綜合豆子帶來的均衡口感，
都為我們這趟開普敦之行 留下難忘的一頁。