You can get a cup of coffee at Coffee Supreme’s Midland Park store, but please do not call it a café.
For 22 years, one of the best coffee roasters in the world operated out of a retail shop the size of a shoebox in Wellington, New Zealand. In 2015, it expanded, adding new stores in its hometown and Christchurch while handling a surge in popularity in neighboring Australia. Lost in the shuffle was the company’s Midland Park concept store, located right around the corner from the original flagship.
According to shop managers Erin McGarvey and Alex Kyne, the store’s primary focus isn’t to turn out lattes, but to help you buy better coffee gear which they say is the difference between an okay brew and an unforgettable one. Everything about the shop is tailored to guide visitors not only to gear that’s good, but the tools that work for them.
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The store is broken into sections — one for the beans, one for different brewing methods (espresso, drip, pour-over, etc.), one for cupping and brewing coffee and one for all the stuff you can buy. The intention is for shoppers to come in, ask questions and get hands-on with the brewing equipment before buying it. This setup may sound like it’s only suited for to experienced home brewers, but Kyne says that’s not always the case.
“We love geeking out with a coffee fanatic, but it is during these conversations that we figure out where the customer is at, where their flavor preferences lie and we gauge the level of effort they’re willing, and able, to put into making a cuppa.”
Effectively, this makes Coffee Supreme’s Midland Park operation part retail outlet, part brewing education center and a spot where you can, if you’re so inclined, get a cup of coffee. Of course, this also means the Midland Park location is slammed with an incredibly well-edited collection of coffee making paraphernalia. Multi-colored Moccamasters, various pour-over devices, Hasami’s stackable mugs and Porlex hand grinders abound — it’s a coffee nerd’s paradise. Here are three of McGarvey and Kyne’s favorite pieces of gear in the shop, and why.
Technivorm Moccamaster
“When people dream of their future house they often think of the bathroom tiles or that indoor-outdoor flow. Instead, we toy with the idea of flexing a Millennial Pink Moccamaster on our kitchen bench. Moccamasters are easy to use, clean and make consistently great coffee. Handmade in the Netherlands, they’re design classics. Being able to quickly brew a batch at home or in the office, they’re the crowd’s champion. We love the idea of water cooler chat turning into Moccamaster chat.”
“Mugs Not Drugs” Stacker Mug
“As part of our residency at the La Marzocco Seattle Cafe, we produced a set of Mugs Not Drugs stacker mugs to use for service in the cafe. We planned to sell them at the end of our stint. However, they were such a hit that people, by the time it came to do so, were gifting them to themselves for free. I think we call that stealing here, but honestly, we were pretty chuffed that people loved them so much. Stack ’em up and save some space for the rest of your gear. Take yourself more seriously.”
Aeropress + Porlex Mini
“The AeroPress is our number one manual brew recommendation — that desert island item. And the Porlex Mini Hand Grinder is the ultimate sidekick. It even fits all snug inside the AeroPress chamber, making it the optimal — and pretty damn cute — grab and go.”
