We stopped to take a quick coffee break with Atomic Coffee Roasters, one of Auckland’s cafe scene pioneers, Kingsland institution and original 'purveyors of good taste'.
With 26 years of roasting under their belts, the Atomic approach remains true to their roots with espresso blends that are rich, sweet and robust - how espresso was meant to be. Espresso is about maximizing flavour and Atomic has it in spades. All six beans in their flagship Veloce blend are roasted separately before blending, ensuring they get the best out of each origin to deliver trademark complexity in the cup.
The past few years have seen a renaissance in the art of coffee roasting and Atomic has evolved, embracing modern roast technology, meticulous roast profiling with a strong QA focus. The result is cleaner roasting and, coupled with a desire to treat their beans gently, the coffee's unique terroir is preserved, with nuances of roasted nut, ripe stone fruit, chocolate and leather all coming through in your Veloce espresso.
The other vital piece of the puzzle is provenance. All Atomic coffee is traceable to a co-operative or farm, with fairtrade and certified organic blends, giving some assurance to both Atomic and their loyal customers that your morning latte got there only by meeting set ethical and environmental criteria.
Currently there’s a global crisis in coffee with prices at 15-year lows, meaning many coffee farmers won’t cover the costs of production. More than ever, Atomic’s policy to only use fairtrade coffees in their espresso blends feels right - with fairtrade minimums encouraging growers to keep producing coffee. Put simply - if farmers don’t make a living, they’ll stop producing and switch to a more viable crop.
For a full-flavoured coffee hit, visit them at their Kingsland HQ, Ponsonby Road, Shortland Street or Wynyard Quarter stores.