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Locals emerge as cream of the crop of coffee shops

After more than eight months of intense judging, the results are in and The Battle of the Beans have a trophy waiting for KwaZulu-Natal’s top three coffee shops as well as its best barista.

THIS week, the Coffee Colab – the non-profit organisation that is behind the Battle of the Beans competition – has tallied up the findings of its panel of 30 judges and released the names of each of the regional winners. The overall provincial winners remain top secret, however, and will only be revealed at the handover of the awards on January 30.

Local coffee outlets are among the best. In no particular order: Boston Brew, Morningside; Skyline Coffee Roasters, Morningside; Saviors Café, Glenwood; Hilton Hotel, Basi Bean Cafe – in the process of relocating from the beachfront promenade.

Coffee guru and food critic and founder of Shrewd Food, Ingrid Shevlin, has kept watch over the judging process in each of the eight regions – the Durban Berea, Central Durban (including the beachfront and the Bluff), Durban North, Glenashley and La Lucia, Umhlanga and Kwamashu, the rest of the North Coast, Amanzimtoti, Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands and Upper South Coast.

She thanks the hand-picked panel of 30 judges that visited various independent coffee shops incognito during 2024, scoring them on their cappuccinos and espressos as well as the entire coffee drinking experience.

Also read: Battle of Beans brews full-steam

Shevlin explains: “In KZN, coffee shops are the cornerstone of the hospitality industry, offering spaces where you can linger over a freshly brewed espresso or a creamy cappuccino while chatting with friends. When thinking about our coffee shops, we realised the importance of affordable community spaces. While many restaurants did not survive Covid, most coffee shops did! They kept the industry and the spirit of cafe society alive and provided places for people to meet, work and enjoy a bean brew. We felt it was important to recognise that and the role that these shops will play in the future.”

However, she says the number of both existing and new coffee shops kept the judges on their toes and she was impressed by the quality of the coffee that was being served across KZN.

She observes that, when it comes to the best establishments, “the cream always rises to the top”.

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Wendy Sithole

Wendy Sithole is currently a community media journalist, attached to Berea Mail (Durban). She first joined Caxton Newspapers in 2004. After a newsroom hiatus she rejoined Caxton in 2024. She is responsible for reporting through writing and photography, for both print copy and digital platforms. She studied Journalism and Social Sciences. Apart from reporting, Wendy possesses vast knowledge in the spheres Communication, of Public Relations and Events publicity.

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