How did you begin your day today? Chances are, like millions of people worldwide, you did it with a cup of coffee. Whether it was a dodgy cup of instant or a full-bodied, full-flavoured espresso depends on how serious you are about the brew.
Not all coffees are created equal, and it all begins with the beans, says David Donde, of TRUTH.coffeecult - the roastery, café and all-round temple devoted to all things coffee located in the Prestwich Street Memorial, at the end of Somerset Road on the border between the city centre and Green Point.
If you start with bad beans, you're never going to win, but the best flavour is going to come through the roasting.
"Different terroirs (growing conditions and locations) make different flavours available to the coffees. Altitude, soils, macro and micro climates are all location-specific factors altering the characteristics of the coffee," says Donde, who is described in the press material as a coffee evangelist, but more humourously refers to himself as a coffee geek, in a quiet, self-deprecating manner.
This might have something to do with his vintage 1960s roaster, of which Donde is very proud. It combines the elegance of the past with modern technology and, "hey, it's cool!" smiles Donde, a self-confessed gadget freak who previously launched one of the most successful coffee brands in the country - by way of chicken farming - before embarking on this solo project.
Truth's coffee is sourced from all over the world and roasted in the artisan process. This means there isn't a formula for roasting; each coffee is roasted according to its own needs to maximise the flavour profile of that individual coffee... a kind of "best of three" method to find which tastes better.
Supplying hotels and restaurants, as well as the café, Truth produces five blends: Resurrection, Vengeance, Antithesis, Donde's Chaos and Organic. "The names should, hopefully, resonate with each of the people they are developed for," explains Donde, whose personal goal is to have coffee which tastes as delicious as its freshly-ground aroma.
"The difference between good and bad coffee, and good and excellent coffee, is in the aftertaste - you want that to be long and lingering, not bitter," he says.
With factors like storage conditions, roasting techniques, age of beans, freshness after roast and preparation techniques and conditions all having dramatic effects on coffee character, or lack thereof, you might be forgiven for thinking that achieving the perfect cup of coffee outside the controlled environment of Truth is a complicated exercise, but the fact of the matter is that they have done all the hard work for you already.
"Unbelievably, coffee is only fresh for two weeks after roasting and four minutes after grinding," says Donde.
Purists may want to grind their own beans at home, but even if you choose your blend at Truth and have them grind it according to your domestic coffee-making method (plunger, filter, espresso), you should never keep it in the fridge. "Coffee goes off because it oxidises. A cool, dark place is fine," says Donde. And really, if you're going to keep it longer than that two-week window, you're not that serious about your coffee.
With coffee as the star of the show, everything else at Truth is kept simple and elegant, from the matt white packaging of the ground coffee to the pared-down decor. "Form follows function. There is little or no fluff," says Donde.
The space is open and airy, and furnished with flat-pack chairs and tables assembled from pieces which are popped out and slotted together.
Outside, there is grass and shade, just metres away from one of the city's busiest roads, but it's surprisingly quiet, nonetheless.
Free wifi, with plenty of power points for laptops, means you can keep working even while you're stopping to smell the coffee.
It comes out of the Jet Steam espresso machine which is, Donde says, the best in the world, and the only one of its kind in South Africa.
"The problem with espresso machines is that wherever you position them, you're either going to have the barista with his back to the customer or his back to the wall, and in both cases you are unable to see what he is doing."
The Jet Steam is skeletonised, with its mechanisms concealed under the counter and the heater in the head, which allows a clear view of the barista's hands.
Along with your flat white, you can order a bottle of water purified on site, served in gorgeous take-home bottles, or something small and snacky designed to accompany coffee - like nougat, biscuits, tartlets or savoury nibblies.
The newly converted can browse through the small selection of coffee paraphernalia and equipment.
For more information, see truthcoffee.com/cult/ or call 021 419 2945.
COFFEE BENEFITS
Lowers your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease and colon cancer
Lifts your mood
The brew is purported to have 14 times more anti-oxidants than blueberries
Can alleviate headaches, in some cases
Makes you more alert and boosts concentration
Coffee drinkers have shown a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular causes than non-drinkers
There's some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable
Coffee causes the release of dopamine, which makes you feel good
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