Rosetta Roastery, Cape Town

Coffee is about leaving your comfort zone.

Woodstock is a suburb of Cape Town, located between Table Bay and Devil’s Peak. The South African neighbourhood was in danger of becoming derelict with rising crime but then hipster yuppies moved in, renovating Victorian-era houses and starting up new businesses. Gentrification saves the day.

Right in the middle of this urban village is the vibrant hipster haven also known as the Woodstock Exchange, billed as “place to work, play, interact, exhibit, flourish and be yourself.” Designers and artists, photographers and illustrators, entrepreneurs and cocktail maestros alike; they all flock to and congregate here.

And when these creatives need their morning (and afternoon) cuppas, they all stroll to the Rosetta Roastery.

Started six years ago by Rob Cowles and Jono Le Feuvre, Rosetta Roastery is all about single-origin, micro-roasted coffee. The duo sources single origin and estate coffees from South and Central America, Africa and Asia, so it makes sense that two thirds of the space is allocated to their roastery, where a Diedrich IR roaster reigns supreme.

Their head barista, Ollie Balekage, is both amiable and passionate about sharing his ideas about what’s the best ways to prepare a specific coffee, what beans he’d recommend based on our desired profiles, and more. He’s a coffee geek’s dream come true: a barista who knows his stuff and who is unapologetically geeky about it too.

Come here for excellent coffee and conversations with like-minded coffee folks too.

Woodstock是開普敦的一處郊區，位置介於Table Bay and Devil’s Peak 之間，
這裡沒有旅遊景點，自然而然的也不見遊客們的蹤影。
不過近來隨著越來越多維多利亞時代老房子的被修復，
這裡正逐漸轉型，也變得更熱鬧起來。
在Woodstock中心有一棟名為Woodstock Exchange的建築物，
這裡聚集了設計師、藝術家、攝影師和插畫家等，
并標榜著結合工作、玩樂和展覽，是一個非常有趣的地方。
而在這種文青氣息濃重的地點，又怎麼能少得了一家咖啡館呢？

Rosetta于六年前由Rob Cowles 和Jono Le Feuvre所開設，
從意式到手沖，用的全是自家精品微烘焙的單品咖啡豆。
據咖啡師透露，豆子的產地來源并不局限於非洲，
中、南美甚至亞洲的豆子也常有出現。
非洲的豆子我們喝了不少，不過坐在非洲的一處，
享用著一杯精心泡製的咖啡還是頭一遭。
而且我發現無論是身處於哪個大陸塊，只要和咖啡師們談起咖啡，
大家都會很樂意的分享有關咖啡的點點滴滴，
談得興起時眉飛色舞，和專注泡咖啡時的嚴肅神情截然不同。
所以在咖啡館里和咖啡師聊天，也變成了我們旅行時的一件樂事。