ME Coffee Boutique, Auckland Central

A few months ago, I began work in Auckland's CBD, and on the face of it, was condemned to dubious, unexciting coffee courtesy of the many Allpress-powered coffee outlets and the ubiquitous Starbucks littering the area. Exhaustive research began, and a process sadly more hit than miss ensued, in the search for a decent daily coffee.

One such hit is ME (is it pronounced 'me'? 'Em Eee'? 'Meh'? I have no idea). It's nestled snugly in between some juice bar or other and the Chifley Suites, near the corner of Albert Street and Wyndham Street, an otherwise unassuming part of Auckland's commercial centre. In all honesty I'm loath to give you this information as the place is tiny and the barista appears to be one extraordinarily talented chap who despite his skill only has so much capacity, so the more people I tell, the longer I'll have to wait for my morning cup.

This, readers, is altruism at work.

As for the brew itself, it's an excellent everyday roast, rich and full-flavoured, delicately aromatic, with a mild caffeine punch but by no means aggressively turbocharged. The shot is a smooth one, with well-emulsified oils and no hint of over-extraction, and several weeks of patronage can report that it's metronomic in consistency. A scrupulous level of care is taken with every cup.

One final point, a nice touch which may or may not be intentional. A cube of Whittaker's dark chocolate is carefully placed atop each takeaway plastic lid. Once lifted off and eaten, it leaves behind a smudge of melted chocolate which, with each sip, delivers a tantalising waft of cocoa. Now that's how you give a touch of luxury to someone's day. Surprise, and yes, delight.

ME Coffee Boutique,
72 Albert Street
Auckland 1010

+64 (0) 9 379 7505