Bean There in 44 Stanley

Okay - before I start, I must declare outright that I am going to be biased. I love this place. 

Example: "it doesn't have wifi which makes me sad, but that also keeps out the anti-establishment emo kids. The ones that would arrive in charity clothing and pull out their iAccessories, parking themselves in to blog about the evils of the capitalist man in between phone calls to their executive daddies about bank transfers and the payment of rent. I can't stand the hypocrisy - it makes my coffee taste bad."

You see? No wifi = better coffee. Shocking.

44 Stanley. 

When people from Joburg tell me that they have never yet visited, the following physiological reactions take place:

1. My jaw drops
2. My eyes widen
3. My nostrils flare as I breathe in; and
4. My tongue begins to wrap itself around equal quantities of profanities and praises as I reach for my iPhone to pencil in a visitation date (I have no issue with my iAccessories - it's only those other emo kids - the hypocritical asses).

I mean - 44 Stanley is home to Vovo Telo and the Salvation Cafe and some other places that I can't remember the name of. There is also a secondhand bookshop (albeit an overpriced one). But mostly, it is the home of Bean There.

Bean There is a micro-roaster specialising in African Coffees. The old roasting mill runs in the middle of the shop, with the bags of raw beans piled up around the sides. The air is honeyed with the crisp chocolate aroma of roasted arabica and the burnt nuttiness of robusta, framed by white walls and pale wood counters. 

The roasting mill

The Roasting

The decor

The product:

The flat white

If I could, this would be my everyday place. R15 for a flat white? Not bad. Not bad at all.

Do yourselves a caffeinated favour.