In March of last year I made the scariest decision of my life and moved from the quiet, peaceful country of New Zealand to the hustle and bustle of London.
Now, almost a year after that decision, I can safely say it’s one of the best I’ve ever made – but there is one part of my new life that has me missing my Antipodean past.
Despite living in London, where coffee shops spring up on every corner, I have not been able to find a single cup of coffee that is even half as good as what I drank in New Zealand.
It would almost be impressive if I didn’t find it so depressing.
Despite searching from the most gentrified streets of Hackney to the corner shops of Streatham I have not been able to find a sip of coffee that’s made me happy.
In New Zealand, I was a barista for five years before becoming a journalist, and that work fostered a love of high-quality caffeine as well as a pretty serious dependence.
It used to be I would refuse to get out of bed if there was no coffee in the house but since switching hemispheres I have pretty much given up on coffee altogether.
British people are known for loving tea, and might I suggest that is just because the coffee here is so crap it’s not worth drinking – at least that’s why I drink tea now.
I never drank tea in New Zealand but since moving here I have ditched the morning coffee for a cup of the milder stuff, because I have just been unable to find any kind of bean that makes a drinkable cup of at home coffee.
When I’m out on the weekends, I will occasionally go out for brunch and get a coffee, but my order has changed drastically since being here.
I used to order an Americano – two shots of espresso with hot water but in London, more often than not, I order a mocha – two shots of espresso with chocolate milk.
This is not because I fancy a sweet treat, but because the espresso here is so frequently bitter or acidic or over extracted that I need the chocolate to mask it.
I have resorted to begging my New Zealand friends to bring over bags of coffee beans when they happen to visit, and rationing myself to just one cup a day – not an ideal situation, but certainly better than spending £9 on artisan beans that taste like coins.
There are many things London does better than New Zealand – groceries are fresher and cheaper, public transport is fast and efficient, and the arts and culture are beyond comparison.
With that said, all of these things – grocery shopping, travel and a good show – would all be massively improved by a good cup of coffee first.
