Gail’s bakery opened this summer on Northcote Road, billing itself as a “celebration of real bread” – using only fresh, natural, healthy ingredients, handmade and seriously ‘slow-dough’ for extra character. They also make cakes, cookies, sweets, seasonal salads, fresh soups, tasty sandwiches, tea and coffee. The airy, open and relaxed space rapidly established itself as a favourite with locals (and especially this local), raising the bar even higher for an area already packed with quality establishments.

Edward Clarke

So I was thrilled and somewhat intrigued to be invited to an after hours “coffee olympics” held on the premises. What’s a “coffee olympics”?

Well, it turns out that the olympics is a way of “raising the spirit of coffee” amongst the staff (and especially the baristas) of this four-branch strong mini-chain. Last Tuesday evening saw the four overall finalists competing for top place. The event was held at Northcote Road partly because it’s the youngest branch and partly because the gleaming coffee machine there is the shiniest, newest model – able to give full scope to the baristas’ talents.

To kick start the evening, competitors, supporters, colleagues, friends and guests were all treated to a special coffee cocktail (coffee, cream, Galliano) before the contestants were quizzed on their coffee knowledge. Then on to the main event – each finalist had ten minutes to prepare two espressos and two cappucinos for a team of technical and sensory judges. They were judged on extraction, beverage presentation, taste characteristics, and consistency.

As anyone who has ever owned a coffee machine knows, it’s a bit like playing a piano: the skills you bring to the task determine the results! Tension mounted as the competitors did their thing. Eventually Marieka was awarded gold, beating the favourite to win. Marieka’s only been studying coffee for a year, so well done to her! In her speech she jokingly said she’s learnt there’s more to coffee than Nescafe.

There certainly is – and nothing beats a great cup of coffee prepared by a dedicated professional. Mmm – time for another cup!