On Tuesday, 25th of October 2016, KwaZulu-Natal’s top coffee cafe owners and baristas gathered at the 2016 Illovo Café Society Awards at the Bellevue Café in Kloof.
With the coffee culture on the rise and baristas and coffee shops seeking to roast their own, it was only natural that the team at the Illovo Café Society Awards had to add another category which separated the North Coast with its fast-growing cafe society and of course Central Durban, into two.
This year’s panel to decide who makes the best brew in Durban was made up of 28 strong coffee critics judging the competition which included local celebs; Darren Maule, Logie Naidoo, Vanessa Marawa and Sorisha Naidoo who all underwent a training workshop with top baristas before judging commenced, to ensure they understand precisely the art of coffee and its bean to cup story.
This also ensured that there was a form of base criteria for each of the coffee fiends to work through.
The awards are given per the following “Best of” categories/regions:
Best Coffee – South Coast:
1st Place – Tea @ Baytree (South coast mall, Shelly Beach)
2nd Place – Daily Grind (Hibiscus Mall, Margate)
3rd Place – Beaver Creek Coffee Estate (Port Edward)
Best Coffee – Pietermaritzburg and Midlands:
1st Place – Terbodore Coffee Roasters(Midlands)
2nd Place – Sagewood Cafe (Pietermaritzburg)
3rd Place – Olde Duck Cafe (Underberg)
Best Coffee – Durban:
1st Place – Lineage Coffee (Builders Way, Hillcrest)
2nd Place – Antique Café (Churchill Road, Morningside)
3rd Place – Bean Green (Glenwood, Durban)
Best Coffee – North Coast:
1st Place – Counter Culture (Ballito)
2nd Place – Wonderland coffee at Linc church (Salt Rock)
3rd Place – Piccadeli Cafe (Ballito)
Barista Personality Awards:
Durban Winner and Overall Winner – Kgune Dlamini (Lineage Coffee)
North Winner – Precious Ngcobo (Piccadeli Café)
South Winner – Princess Ntini (Tee @ Baytree)
Inland Winner – Sinjini Wicks (Terbodore Coffee Roasters)
Aliza91
November 3, 2016 at 12:42 amSo Many places to try so little time!!!