new zealand coffee review (archive)

Espresso Republic is located on Featherston Street, just opposite the Hotel Ibis.

I walked into the cafe at 11:40am accompanied and as there was no queue, went straight to the counter and ordered a Latte and a Panini. This was at 11:41am.

The coffee arrived 3 minutes and 26 seconds later.....

Hmm, colour was a bit on the thin side although the top looked creamy enough. First taste was a bit disappointing. It is all in the milk and this was clearly not up to the usual standard which is unusual for this particular cafe.

The nice throthy top covered a reasonable brew though and whilst a tad bitter very drinkable. Since I would actually drink coffee from the used bowl of a bulldog, not in itself a recommendation but not a bad cup nonetheless.

There is some great art on display. In front of me is a piece by Bill Burke (www.billburke.co.nz) and as there is access to CafeNet, I Google the artist to view his other works. This piece is of a woman on a beach and strangely makes me think about Caroline at Trivial Pursuit (http://morphess.org). Everything else about the cafe is classic simple decor, lots of suits meeting with suits and an absence of kids. Not one. Good, I think having spent two days with mine!

Coffee finished. A small aftertaste, again a bit bitter. This is my benchmark coffee and is sadly a rather weak 6 1/2 out of 10. I have had clear 10's here in the past so I am shocked. The panini was delicious though and the price for one latte, one Earl Gray Tea and the Panini was $16.00 which ain't bad. The delivery of the coffee was excellent and the food not long after. They clearly gear up for lunch with the aim of getting you in and out quickly. Just what you want really.

I'm ready to leave. My table has been cleared and I am guilty of taking up space with no food! I am amazed that everything on the technology side worked so well with CafeNet. I only had one issue when the wireless network from the Hotel Ibis rudely tried to take over my connection but in terms of speed and connectivity, this is almost as good as being at home.

This is an edited version of a review undertaken on 1st May 2006.
Tbe full version can be found here:
http://whisperinginferno.blogspot.com/2006/05/espresso-republic.html

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