Saturday 22 February 2014

Cigana Sunhill


Cigana Sunhill  
Sunhill Produce Centre
St Johns Road

Large Flat White: $5.00

This red cafĂ© is a mainstay of the Eastern Suburbs of Auckland. Based in Kohimarama, people go there almost by instinct, calling each other “darling” and raving about how great it is. Well, is it?

Coffee: Not bad. It has a nice warm, rich taste to it but doesn’t make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. (4/5)
Milk: Good foam and texture. A tad too creamy, but only just. It took a bit away from the coffee so the teamwork is not going here. (4.5/5)

Presentation: Decent cup and lid combo, though I was let down by the black cup when they have the red Cigana ones to brand their small drinks? (3/3)

Verdict: It’s a good coffee but not perfect yet. I feel the milk was the key here. It looks like the rich housewives of the Eastern Suburbs are right on this one.

Overall rating: 11.5/13. A good coffee that I’d happily drink every day if I was nearer. The $5 price tag is not the best value for money though in my opinion.

Saturday 8 February 2014

East Village Takeaway, Howick


East Village Takeaway
60 Picton Street,
Howick 2014


Medium Flat White: $4.50


Now I start Howick village. Fewer cafes than I thought, this one happens to be the first I stumble on an early Saturday morning.

Coffee: Very blah. Almost like having a hot water, which is hugely disappointing. (1/5)

Milk: It’s a shame the coffee was so poor because the milk was done really nicely. Lose a point though because it tastes like trim instead of skim or full blue. (4/5)

Presentation: Decent cup and lid combo. (3/3)

Verdict: It gets 8 out of 13 and that’s chiefly from the milk. If I wanted warm milk, I could get it at home. The milk suggests they know what they’re doing but the coffee just isn’t strong enough to match it, or give enough of a kick for your morning flat white.

Overall rating: 8/13. Weak coffee. Try bringing your kids for a fluffy, it’d probably be fantastic!