African Roots Coffee

I first heard about and tasted African Roots Coffee when we received a bag of their Tanzanian beans from the Coffee Magazine’s Discover Great Coffee Club in September 2015. We (my husband and I) subsequently chatted to the owner, Mark Platt, at that years Good Food & Wine Show in Durban.

The next time I saw Mark Platt was when he was promoting his coffee at the wonderful Hillcrest Kwikspar. We had a long chat and he was very excited to tell me about his coffee shop that was going to be situated at the new Pearls Mall, Pearls of Umhlanga. Well his dream has come true and the new coffee shop opened in December 2016.

It is a beautiful double volume space with inside and outside seating. The upper area has some lovely comfortable couches and chairs and it looks like a great spot to relax and chat. They serve the following exclusive coffees : Burundian Bukeye, Kenyan Blue Mountain, Rwandan Nano Lot Gankeke, Zimbabwe Farfell, Ethiopia Limu and Rwandan 3 African Sisters. Speciality teas are also available and the menu consists of light breakfasts and lunches. Most of the foods are artisanal and some of the suppliers are Smith’s Bakeshop, Madeleine’s and Glenwood Bakery.

I have been to the coffee shop twice. The first time my husband and I stopped to have a cappuccino before going to breakfast at the Oyster Box Hotel. On my next visit I was accompanied by Inge Loker (Snap, Sizzle & Cook) on a very hot and humid day. We immediately ordered a refreshing Pour Over Iced Coffee. After perusing the menu we both decided to order the Roast Vegetable Frittata. While we waited for our breakfast we had a good look at the coffee available to purchase and the pretty cups on display on the shelves below the stairs. It was a lovely visit and we ended it off by enjoying more coffee (of course). Looking forward to the next time I am in the area and to another great cup of coffee.

African Roots Coffee is a fabulous addition to the coffee shop scene and is well worth a visit. A big plus is that it is very close to the beach, lighthouse and pier; so you can stop for coffee on your way back from taking a stroll.

African
Roots Coffee

Pearls Mall

Pearls of
Umhlanga

6 – 8 Lagoon
Drive
Umhlanga

Monday to
Thursday 7am – 6pm

Friday 7am –
8pm

Saturday 8am
– 5pm

Sunday’s and
Public Holidays 9am – 4pm