In 2017, I had the pleasure of visiting Cape Town while on a trip to South Africa for a dear friend’s wedding. I arrived just before Christmas, the weather was hot and the city was experiencing its worst drought in years. And yet, I was delighted to dive head first into its burgeoning specialty coffee scene, probably Africa’s finest, which was being developed by leading names like Rosetta Roastery.

I visited Rosetta personally in 2017

One of my first stops during this stay in the Mother City was at Rosetta Roastery’s café in The Yard, a development down by the spectacular Zeitz Museum of Modern African Art. I remember seeing the Kees Van der Westen Spirit espresso machine on the counter and enjoying a perfectly prepared Flat White, which was a great introduction to the local scene for me. Many more great experiences would follow and I set myself the goal to try and work with these pioneering local roasters at some point in the future.

Now, you might say, ‘why did it take you seven years, honey?’ Well, the simple answer is, that until 2023, The Coffeevine only occasionally featured non-European roasters in its monthly selections and it’s since relatively recently that there is a structure in place to bring additional Global roasters to Europe and the world.

I reached out to Robert Cowles, co-founder of Rosetta Roastery, a few months ago to check in and find out what the interest levels for a collaboration were on his end. Robert, who currently lives in Copenhagen with his wife, was immediately keen to get this ball rolling. Though he lives in Europe for most of the year, there is a fanastic and very talented team back in South Africa that is running the show on a day-to-day basis.

Voted Best Roastery in South Africa 3 times

While South Africa produces some coffee locally, its is very small scale stuff compared to its behemoth northern neighbours. However, the appetite for great coffee is definitely there as I witnessed already seven years ago and not just in the major cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg. As one of the early adopters of specialty coffee, Rosetta Roastery helped shape the local coffee industry and continues to set the bar high for others to follow. Its flagship café on Bree Street has been crowned ‘Best Roastery in South Africa’ three times and was also mentioned amongst the world’s best specialty coffee shops by the Financial Times.

I am excited to bring you one of Rosetta Roastery’s tastiest coffees in the upcoming December box, one that really stood out to me on the cupping table a few weeks ago. The coffee in question is from Ethiopian producer Buku Abel located in Guji. This is a natural processed mixed heirloom lot that offers a deliciously sweet cup with a fruity punch in the after taste. It’s exactly the kind of coffee that I personally love. Sweet, clean and comforting.

If you want to get this coffee along with its Global companion from Driftaway Coffee in December, be sure to visit our shop to explore our options.

Pre-orders close on 15.12.2024 / Ships globally on 16.12.2024