Coffee Supreme Cafe & Coffee Brew Bar 42 Douglas St, Ponsonby, Auckland, NZ http://www.coffeesupreme.com/ A nouveau-hipster cafe that was serving up some Sumatra on espresso as well as their in house blend. An excellent barista pulled us a ristretto and it turned out with a rich body and gentle sweet acidity. Beautifully done! The staff were very generous with their sample bags of whole bean coffee. They have an on-line sight for ordering. Before we left we tried a delicious Kenyan Waitangi cold brew coffee that was apple juice-like refreshing - a perfect cuppa for a hot day in Ponsonby. These folks are dedicated to fine specialty coffee and have some excellent medium roasts for sale. We are looking forward in the weeks to come trying many of their different roasts. When in Auckland, place Coffee Supreme very high on your list of ‘must visit’. 

ARK Coffee Shop 6, 461 Lake Road, Takapuna,  Auckland, NZ http://arkcoffee.co.nz/ Everything has it's place in this roastery/cafe: clean, organized, efficient and above all else — excellent quality. We were served a Costa Rican espresso and cortado by Ulala Ukama whom won 2nd place in the SCAJ 2010 Japan Barista competition. We did not miss the fact that Ms. Ukama was using a Nuova Simonelli Aurelia, the same machine used during the WBC. For us, this cafe and roastery is like a hidden jewel. One can feel it ooze excellence and refinement and utter dedication to the craft. And the proof is in wondrous coffee she pulled. It is certainly to be rated in the upper echelons of all NZ coffee and like Coffee Lab on the North Shore it is world-class. Will we be ordering their roasts...for sure! And not be missed in the splendor of coffee tasting is Ms. Ukama’s sister Naomi’s wonderful art exhibition. 

Coffee Lab 15 Silverfield, Wairau Valley, Auckland, NZ http://www.coffeelab.co.nz/ This is our second year visiting Coffee Lab (see May 9, 2012). It is where one has to go in New Zealand, being one of the the top cafes and roasters anywhere on this planet.  Its continued dedication to roasting quality coffee and making it so very well makes it a delightful and educational experience. Seven key elements come together at Coffee Lab, all necessary for a coffee pilgrimage site: high quality beans, excellent roasting, superb barista, high end equipment, an attitude of genuine friendliness, a pleasant quiet space to taste and discuss the art of coffee and a willingness to share and educate. Cupping roasts with Anna, watching and learning about roasting was a marvelous encounter with attention to detail. We learned plenty and came away with some very fine coffees. As a traveller and explorer of great cafes/coffees, we are open-minded to having mediocre coffees bec

Kaffeine Corner 10 Victoria Road, Devonport, Auckland, NZ, 0624 Easy to miss but well worth the effort. While at Coffee Lab, Anna directed us to visit Lee, owner of Caffeine Corner in Devonport, a suburb of Auckland.  Lee’s tiny cafe is not so easy to find, you will need to use all your senses for this one as he is tucked away in the entrance to a Japanese restaurant called  Makoto Sushi & Danburi. But when you find him you won't be disappointed! We spotted Lee when he came around the corner in the restaurant as he was wearing a T-shirt from 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters which  gave us much hope for superlative coffee! Lee is serving Coffee Lab beans: he was espressing his own blend of Coffee Lab’s current  house blend with some of their Yirgacheffe to produce a lovely, delicious, smooth, creamy, brightly, lively espresso and cortado. Lee is a friendly and dedicated coffee aficionado of the specialty coffee arts, an excellent barista with top equipment. What

Fourbarrel Coffee,  375 Valencia St, San Francisco http://fourbarrelcoffee.com / We entered into the busy cafe roastery and found ourselves easily diverted to the tasting bar. We sampled 3 espressos: A Columbian, Kenyan and an Ethiopian. All had a depth of flavours and aromas that were pleasing with a barista that is competent and concerned to pour us an excellent shot and experiment on the La Marzocco to get it right —  thank you! Fourbarrel is doing lots of things right; not only quality roasted and pulled coffee, but fine service.

Feb.7/2013 Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters 1648 Pacific Ave, San Francisco http://wreckingballcoffee.com / Remnants of the old fire hall With Nick at Wrecking Ball we hade a deliciously well executed espresso and cortados  with a deep dive into the philosophy of coffee tasting. The espresso blend was mostly Columbian with Ethiopian coffee... It is a pleasure to engage with a drink and a barista that are as equally stimulating and thought provoking. This fire hall of a coffee shop is a must visit, on many more than one occasion! Spacious!  Practiced Hands What then must we do?!?!? 

Peter Lowell's Restaurant,  7385 Healdsburg Ave #101, Sebastopol, CA 95472 http://peterlowells.com/ Heather along Highway 1 north of San Francisco We are en-route to New Zealand with a very small window of time in the San Francisco area. Our mission is to sample as many high quality espresso bars, eat great food and experience the arts and culture. Fortunately Dr.Coffee had been to Sebastopol years before and had the “BEST” pizza in the world there. So, as strange as it may seem, we got in the car, after a glorious  lingering pause at Sightglass Coffee and drove out of SF as fast as possible, over the Golden Gate Bridge, then averaging 15 mph and slowly winding our way up #1 to Sebastopol. One of the most scenic drives of ocean and rolling country side in the USA. Going to Lowell's for lunch was delightful! The service is superb and friendly. The outside patio comfortable with the sun pouring in. The espresso that they pull, roasted by Fou

  Feb.6/2013 Sightglass Coffee  Bar & Roastery,  270 7th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 http://sightglasscoffee.com/ A  spacious, light filled bar/roastery with counters and a layout that flows like a gentle river.  We especially enjoyed having the roaster operating in the middle of the cafe while we were sipping espresso that is intriguingly bright with hints of nuttiness, chocolate and sweet cherry-cola...This is one of our favourite places yet, with the option of going upstairs for the coffee-bar tastings (espresso, drip or AeroPress) or staying downstairs for the Sightglass espresso blend (today a combination of Costa Rican, Guatemala and Ethiopia). Fantastic croissants!