Pour and Twist - CLOSED

Overview

Is there anything better than parking up in the sun with a cup of coffee?

Zuyi and Elaine don't think so. The pair have opened Pour & Twist, a new coffee shop in Garrett Street that also happens to be New Zealand's first ever manual brew bar. Spurning Fetco filter machines and espresso in favour of SwissGold, Chemex, Aeropress, siphon and oranges (more on that later), they're all about the nuances in flavour that manual brewing brings out of beans. Pour & Twist is a place both for aficionados as well as anyone keen to learn more. They've got an extensive lineup of single origins from many Aotearoa and international roasters, making it far too easy to have more than a few cups in the name of research.

Inspired by the clean lines and warmth of Japanese coffee shops, the space creates community, with a long bench to perch on and a cosier couch situation on the second level. You can't help but chat to each other — the place is small, but well thought out, and feels intimate without feeling like you're in someone else's space. Zuyi and Elaine have transformed what used to be the loading dock for the building, doing everything themselves in the couple of months before they opened — from the dark wood seating and bar to the whitewashed walls pinned with black and white photos. Brewing equipment covers every surface, some from their personal collection (they really walk the talk). One thing also well worth noting is the opening hours; they're there til 5.30pm most days, unlike most other good coffee shops in the area who shutter at around 3pm.

The menu is simple, with a few zestier options: black, white, matcha, and one method involving coffee brewed through an orange. The coffee with soda water is especially refreshing. They also make the most beautiful sodas (photo evidence here).

Pick something you haven't tried, have a treat from Arobake, and sit in the morning sun that streams through from the park across the way. Just lovely.