Blood may be thicker than water, but coffee is pretty much more important than blood. We pump our veins full at these places.

Customs Brew Bar

Customs Brew BarEspresso is just so ’90s! Customs, in a beautifully designed little spot on Ghuznee St, is spearheading the brewed coffee renaissance in New Zealand. They offer six or more very different single origin beans brewed in a number of ways. Ralph and Charlie will gently guide you through the process of figuring out just which combo of bean and method is best suited to your own tastes. Of course, they can also make you a trim flat white, using their legendary Slayer… but just don’t ask for takeaways, OK?

Customs Brew Bar: 39 Ghuznee Street

Memphis Belle

Siphon, at Memphis BelleYour hosts: Nick and Bink, two baristas with years of experience in the best espresso houses in the city. They really know their stuff, and between that and being new owners of a small business they’ll really look after you. Memphis Belle is one of the few Wellington cafés offering brewed coffee: and probably the only one rocking the classic siphon brewing devices of old. Memphis Belle is a delight both for lovers of coffee, and for the smaller but rather more fanatic group who admire hipster boy-baristas.

Memphis Belle: 38 Dixon Street

Peoples Coffee (Newtown)

Peoples Coffee, Newtown, WellingtonPeoples in Newtown do one thing and do it really well – they make fine coffee. The diminutive cafe can be found full of people getting their daily fix, and taxi drivers fuelling up on the rich, dark fuel.

Peoples Coffee: 11 Constable Street, Newtown

Mojo Old Bank

Matt, Mojo Old BankWe hear a lot about Mojo’s engagement with social media, but at its heart is great coffee. Mojo Matt, the 2010 Wellington Barista Champ, may have returned to Australia, but his legacy remains in Old Bank’s great coffee. Popular with both office workers getting their daily brew and those just wanting to relax in their outdoor seating, Mojo Old Bank is an inner city gem.

Mojo Old Bank: Corner of Lambton Quay & Willis St

Cubita

Shiny and blackWhat would Cubans know about coffee anyway? Plenty, as it turns out. This small cafe on Taranaki Street may be overrun with Saatchi posers, but they’ll still get you your hot strong cup to go very quickly. It’s nice too, that a large latte will only (only!) set you back $4 in this world where many places are edging up on a fiver. In fact, for $5, you can get a coffee AND an empanada. Nowhere else in town will offer you that!

Cubita: Corner of Taranaki Street & Courtenay Place