We walked into a beautifully decorated sidewalk cafe, Rococo, right opposite the Sandton Gautrain for our first fix of the day. After a 4am wake-up call , we were hanging badly for that first hit.The plush upholstery and clinking of china gave us hope of a decent cup.
As we sat down, the news was heartbreaking. A dysfunctional (Starbucks) espresso machine. Remnants of a giant empire in ruins. No coffee. NO COFFEE!!!
After a quick inspection of the equipment, we were left with only one option. The backpack came out. Hand grinder. Red Berry Malawi Mzuzu Peaberry. And desperation. Luckily there was a slightly worse for wear Sunbeam filter and espresso machine tucked away in a corner of the counter.
We couldn't help but get stuck in behind the counter.
Agnes helped us to grind the beans, she was very excited to learn something new!
This look says: Don't mess with me. I haven't had coffee yet.
Success! The finished product, two double shot cortados.
So in the end with the very helpful and appreciative staff at Rococo, we got our fix. The most amazing thing was to see the enthusiasm of the staff to learn. They even used our grinder while we were sitting there finishing up. They were so excited and proud to serve freshly roasted coffee!
Have you ever had a similar experience. Tell us about your story of desperation (mel@truenorthmedia.co.za) and we'll publish the best one on the site and send you a bag of freshly roasted beans from The Coffee Merchant.
