Best Coffee in Durban: 2016 Illovo Café Society Awards

On Tuesday, 25^th 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:

1^st Place – Tea @ Baytree (South coast mall, Shelly Beach)

2^nd Place – Daily Grind (Hibiscus Mall, Margate)

3^rd Place – Beaver Creek Coffee Estate (Port Edward)

Best Coffee – Pietermaritzburg and Midlands:

1^st Place – Terbodore Coffee Roasters(Midlands)

2^nd Place – Sagewood Cafe (Pietermaritzburg)

3^rd Place – Olde Duck Cafe (Underberg)

Best Coffee – Durban:

1^st Place – Lineage Coffee (Builders Way, Hillcrest)

2^nd Place – Antique Café (Churchill Road, Morningside)

3^rd Place – Bean Green (Glenwood, Durban)

Best Coffee – North Coast:

1^st Place – Counter Culture (Ballito)

2^nd Place – Wonderland coffee at Linc church (Salt Rock)

3^rd 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)