The last time I flew up to Jhb to visit my sister was 2019 and we all know what happened between 2019 and 2022. I would always fly with Kulula and now with the airline changes I had to do a search and see who to fly with. FlySafair turned out to be the cheapest and I made sure to choose the cheapest flight times for my 10 day trip to Jhb.
Had to wake up extra early so that my husband could drive me to the airport so that he would not be late for work as there is always a chance of an accident that could cause delays. Fortunately it was smooth sailing and I got on my flight with priority boarding, as I had a checked in bag, and flew to Lanseria.
So, so excited to see my sister and the adventures started straight away as we had to go and get coffee.
As in previous years our first stop was :
Sihle’s Brew Barista Love
The coffee shop is situated at North View Shopping Centre in Randburg. His roastery is also situated in an other part of the shopping centre.
Sihle Magubane has a very inspiring story about how coffee changed his life and you can read about him here.
Sihle’s Brew has 5 different coffee products : Signature beans, Signature ground, Java Press ground, Espresso ground and Decaf. The coffee is available to buy online and also in selected Pick n Pay stores countrywide. In addition to his Sihle’s Brew coffee he also produces coffee for Pick n Pay’s ground coffee.
He worked for 2 years together with Pick n Pay to launch Vanilla, Caramel Fudge and Hazelnut ground coffee under the PnP brand. The coffee is GMO-free and uses plant based flavouring. I did not expect to see Sihle himself and it was wonderful to be able to chat and catch up on what is happening with his business since the last time that I saw him.
Delta Central – 74 Hillcrest Avenue, Blairgowrie
The next day my sister and I took a walk from her house to Delta Central and to have a cup of coffee from Motherland which is opposite Delta Central.
Some of the Delta Central shops and restaurants are : Paul’s Homemade Ice Cream, Torero, My Deli, Vinyl Junkie and Fresh Earth.
Killer Coffee
What a surprise to discover the coffee in Paul’s Homemade Ice Cream, Delta Central store. The only reason I entered the Delta Central store was because my sister wanted me to see the lovely decor. I just wanted to get to our coffee destination.
The 1st surprise was seeing the eye catching coffee packaging and cups, the 2nd surprise was the barista who knew everything about the coffee on offer and the last and the best was that the coffee he made was fabulous.
In fact Teecee made a Killer cup of coffee.
Have you heard about or tried Killer Coffee?
They also sell their coffee beans in store – 1kg bags and 250g boxes.
After the wonderful cup of coffee from Killer Coffee we walked past the tractor (yip a tractor) and then over the road to have coffee at Motherland.
Friday was a hot and busy day and I went adventuring to Linden with my sister and brother-in-law. Our first stop for coffee was at :
Yield Coffee Bar
The last time I visited Yield Coffee Bar was in 2018 and since then they have moved into a new premises.
If you are looking for a little oasis of calm away from the hustle and bustle you will find it at Yield.
Where is the perfect place to sit at Yield?
In the little courtyard surrounded by beautiful Bonsai and with the sound of running water. Take a deep breath and look at the Koi and enjoy a cup of coffee. The Bonsai are from the nursery next door called To Be A Bonsai.
Yield serves light meals and sweet treats. They also have a retail section with coffee beans and refrigerated items such as The Gourmet Greek products.
Yield have their own coffee beans and I bought a bag of their ‘The Linden’ which is a City Roast Blend.
Shop 1
Corner 4th Avenue and 8th Street
Linden
Opening Times
Monday to Friday : 6am – 3:30pm
Saturday : 6:30am – 1pm
Sunday : closed
Gonk
After Yield Coffee Bar we walked to Gonk to look at the decor items and gifts. I bought myself a stamp and pretty washi tape with a Protea design.
The Argentinian
My sister and brother-in-law raved about the delicious croissants at The Argentinian so we had to walk over there and have one. Carryn and I shared a Pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant).
Rise & Grind
Rise & Grind was added to my must visit list for Jhb when I saw Beethoven Coffee Co share about the newly opened coffee shop.
What can you expect at Rise and Grind?
– Coffee
– Sweet treats
– Light meals
– Breakfast
– Healthy meals
– Smoothies
Fungai Cas Chabuda, the barista, made a fabulous Flat White from Beethoven Coffee Co beans.
Rise and Grind is a great place to get coffee or have a light meal while getting some work done or even just meeting with friends. They are also busy setting up a work hub.
Go and visit them!
Denmyr Court
65 7th Street
Linden
Next door to The Refillery
Opening Times :
Monday to Friday : 7am to 3pm
Saturday : 8am to 3pm
Closed Sundays
Friday evening we went out for supper at :
Smoke Daddy’s
“Where there’s smoke there’s flavour”
Smoke Daddy’s is inside Cedar Square, Fourways and they have an extensive menu with dishes such as ribs, burgers, nachos, steaks and salads.
We were there to enjoy ‘The Smoking Double Deal’. 2 x American Cheeseburgers with chips and a choice of a Milkshake or Softdrink for only R160.
This deal is Monday to Friday from 12pm and is for sit down only.
Smoke Daddy’s also have other daily specials such as ‘Mom Eats Free’ on Mondays and they have a fabulous kids playground area including a Chill Bus.
I loved the decor and our waiter was amazing. All the staff have one setting – fast! It would be best to make a booking as the restaurant is very, very popular.
I wish KZN had a Smoke Daddy’s.
Saturday was the whole reason why I had flown to Jhb, other than to spend time with my sister. It was the 1st Speciality Coffee Experience coffee expo.
The Speciality Coffee Experience 2022
The term ‘specialty coffee’ is used to refer to coffee that is graded 80 points or above on a 100 point scale by a certified coffee taster or by a licensed Q Grader. Basically, some of the best coffee in the world is considered to be ‘specialty’, and attendees were able to taste and experience some of it at the expo.
The Specialty Coffee Experience will be an annual event that will take place at Fourways Mall in Sandton.
Some of the best roasters from all over South Africa were together under one roof to showcase their brands and specialty beans. There was also home brewing equipment and machines on display for demo or purchase. The exhibition style event was also supplemented by some of the finest Patisserie & Chocolate offerings.
The 2022 event was from 26 – 28 August and well known coffee roasters from Cape Town, Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal, Bloemfontein, Potchefstroom & Pretoria were hand picked and attended the show by invite only. The exhibitors were Seam Coffee, Father Coffee, Bluebird Coffee Roastery, Gegrond, The Black Sheep Coffee Company, Origin, Legado Coffee Roasters, Bean There, Toro, Beethoven Coffee Co, Seattle Coffee Company and Mpanjati Coffee.
One of the main sponsors was La Marzocco and all the coffee roasters were using La Marzocco Linea Mini Espresso Machines to make their coffee on.
I so enjoyed chatting and drinking lots of coffee. I left on a caffeine high and laden with bags of amazing coffee beans.
Keep a look out for the dates for 2023. It is a must visit if you are a coffee snob (like me).
Monday was another very busy day and my sister and I visited a few places and people.
BRU
We started at BRU Coffee Roasters inside Cradlestone Mall and had lovely cappuccinos made by the barista Nonkanyiso Sikhosana.
After BRU we went to meet Helen Bean at Bootlegger Coffee Company at the new Blueberry Square.
Helen Bean Ceramics
Meet Helen Bean of Helen Bean Ceramics, maker of decorative and functional ceramics.
Helen dived into the world of ceramics after her husband gifted her a month’s worth of pottery lessons in 2015. It did take her a year to redeem the lessons and little did she know that she would ‘fall in love with mud’.
I own 5 pieces of Helen’s beautiful ceramics with my favourite being her Protea design. I do have my eye on a Pincushion Protea design and I love the shape of the Cactus Vase.
How and where to buy?
Buy direct from Helen via her Facebook or Instagram page or if you are based in Gauteng she sells at markets : The Field Market and The Linden Market. Her ceramics are also available at Pretoria Products. A website is coming soon and she also takes commissions.
Thank you so much Helen for for my newest ceramic addition and it was wonderful to se you after so many years.
Genio Roasters, Roodepoort
A peek inside the Genio Roasters factory.
Genio Roasters is an engineering company that specialises in the design and manufacture of coffee roasting equipment.
Genio Roasters is owned and operated by Neil Maree, and apart from coffee roasting machines they also provide customers with a range of services and products to complement the roasters.
Services and products such as : financing facilities, equipment suppliers, green bean brokers, roaster / barista trainers and qualified service technicians.
Clients can customize the different features of their chosen roaster to match their branding. The handcrafted roasters take about 3 months to be built.
Thank you Jacolene for the tour of the factory.
Toasted, Rosebank
I mentioned that Yield Coffee Bar is an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of Jhb.
Another oasis is Toasted but this time it is a courtyard that is surrounded by magnificent towering buildings. Toasted is a women-led co-working and collaboration space designed by Not Ordinary Interiors. It is situated in the heart of Rosebank and strives to make the best toasted sandwiches in JHB.
I ordered Cheesy Chicken on sourdough bread and I also had to order Cheesy Truffle Potato Wedges. One word – Yummy! You will also find a bit of Durban at Toasted as they use Humble Coffee beans.
It is a mini adventure to get to Toasted. Firstly to find where the entrance is – look for the Toasted sign – get buzzed in by the building guard and then walk through the foyer of the building with its beautiful tiled floor. Walk from tiles onto metal and then turn right to enter the courtyard.
You can’t help but look up in amazement at the buildings surrounding the courtyard. 138 Jan Smuts was a 1960s brick apartment block that was converted into a mixed use office hub. The architect integrated as much of the historic material into the facade of the new design and also reused and recycled the original brick.
“We mapped out the history of the building in brick to tell its story.”- Carl Jacobsz (principal architect).
I love the pop of colour of the bright yellow service staircase that serves as a fire escape.
Opening Times
Monday to Friday : 8am – 4pm
Saturday : 8am – 3pm
Sunday : closed for private events
On Tuesday my brother-in-law had a meeting in Benoni / Boksburg so my sister and I accompanied him so that we could go to :
The Victorian Secret, Benoni
“Under the towering oak tree that has grown before the Tait house, lies our beautiful café and french patisserie. Here, our patrons enjoy a relaxing atmosphere among the birds that bathe in the garden. We invite you to our little slice of heaven for a royally delightful experience!”
…….. and a delightful experience it was.
We sat outside next to the water feature and ordered cappuccinos. Something sweet can either be ordered off the menu or you can do what we did and go into the patisserie to choose what to have.
My sister and I had pre-stalked their social media and we already knew what we wanted – Sweetie Pie Macarons. Classic macaron shell filled with marshmallow and dipped in dark chocolate 
So so so divine! My sister and I also shared Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
The Victorian Secret gets their coffee from TriBeCa Coffee
Tait House has a beautiful stained glass window which you can see when you go inside. Walk through to the back room.
Love high teas?
Book to have one at The Victorian Secret.
Opening Times :
Sunday and Monday : 9am – 2pm
Tuesday to Saturday : 9am – 4pm
Tait House History
Tait House (140 Woburn Avenue) was designed by Robert Macbeth Robertson, one of the leading architects of the Victorian era, for entrepreneur WM Tait. Built in 1911, the House boasts features typical of Edwardian era architecture – such as its red clay bricks and arched verandah. The historic home forms part of an important group of Victorian-era buildings to the west of the Benoni CBD.
Wednesday was a whole day adventure to Pretoria which will be featured on a separate post.
My trip to Jhb was nearly over and I had 2 places left on my must visit list. On Friday we visited the 2 places and they were Seam Coffee and Beethoven Coffee.
Seam Coffee, Fourways
I had a great chat to David Walstra the owner of Seam Coffee when I was in JHB and got to try 3 of their amazing coffees : Timor-Leste Raimutin Village, Mexico Margarita Hernandez and Burundi Nyagishuru.
Who is Seam Coffee?
Connects coffee farmers and coffee drinkers through ethical and sustainable trade.
Seam was created with the idea that the coffee trade should be different.
How does Seam Coffee do this?
Visit farms, learn about struggles and, most importantly, shake hands on a price that exceeds the cost of production
“We do things differently. By working together, a producer’s profits can be maximised through the coffee you buy. We maximise the impact coffee can have.”
100% of the profit we generate goes to producers, directly through payments for coffee and through community-level investments.”
“If coffee can create community where it is consumed, we believe it should build communities where it is grown.”
Early in 2023 Seam Coffee will be making a move to a new production premises – a 450m2 warehouse.
This warehouse space will have their Nespresso compatible capsule plant, carton (coffee) packaging, cupping lab, training facility, green coffee storage and a new Loring roaster.
“Coffee needs to be about farmers before coffee influencers; about social justice & equity before brew methods; about common sense over profit.”
Seam Coffee like to do things differently and they recently launched their anti-subscription coffee model.
Sign up for their once-a-month newsletter and get :
Interesting facts & figures
What they are listening to
Anti-subscription discount code for 2 or more roasted coffees of your size and choice
Anti-subscription discount code for 2 or more Nespresso compatible capsules of your choice
You’ll receive the newsletter on the 24/25th of every month and the discount codes will last until the end of the month
These discounts will only be available to those signed up for the newsletter
Beethoven Coffee Co, Sandton
Beethoven Coffee Co was a name I knew well from the South African coffee scene, and I had tried their coffee when my sister sent me 2 tubes of their beautifully packaged coffee beans.
Beethoven Espresso Bar was on my must visit list when I was up in JHB. I did get to see Beethoven at the Speciality Coffee Experience before visiting the shop and bought 2 tubes of coffee beans for home.
The Espresso Bar is a small, airy space with lots of light, especially on a sunny day like the day I visited. Seating consists of a few tables inside and there are also tables on the park side for parents with kids.
The coffee was so good that I had a cappuccino and a flat white. Besides the great coffee they also have sweet treats and light meals.
There is a retail shelf with coffee beans and they also have an online store.
Beethoven placed 2nd in the 2021 A Shot in the Dark coffee roasting competition.
Beethoven Espresso Bar
17 Poplar Avenue
Poplar On Park
River Club
Jhb
Opening Times
Monday to Friday : 7:30am – 4pm
Saturday : 8am – 2pm
Sunday : Closed
For my final day in Jhb we tried to go to a coffee shop that my sister and brother-in-law hadn’t been to in awhile but we discovered that it had closed. So instead we decided to go to Sweet Tea and Chickadee which we had seen when we had visited Linden.
Sweet Tea and Chickadee, Linden
Sweet Tea and Chickadee is a Southern American cuisine restaurant.
Their aim is to treat guests to a unique and authentically Southern American experience : from the food, to the drinks, to the environment. They are also committed to working with local farmers and producers to source the ingredients needed in order to create seasonal Southern American dishes.
So what can you have at Sweet Tea and Chickadee?
– Build your own Biscuit. This is not the biscuit you are thinking of but more like a scone. The biscuits come with all sorts of fixins (sides) like strawberry jam, lemon curd or sausage pepper gravy.
– Breakfast such as Pumpkin Pie Granola
– Lunch such as Shrimp and Grits
– Drinks such as Bottomless Iced Sweet Tea
– Sweets such as Key Lime Pie
I visited Sweet Tea and Chickadee with my sister and brother-in-law on my last day in JHB. I ordered a cappuccino and we shared Key Lime Pie and Pumpkin Pie.
Great cappuccino and both pies were delicious. I liked the Key Lime Pie more as I love citrus based treats. I will definitely visit again next time I’m in JHB and have lunch.
Coffee beans are supplied by BRU Coffee Roasters
32 7th Street
Linden, Randburg
Opening Times :Monday to Sunday : 8am to 5pm
I will hopefully get to fly up to Jhb again in 2023.
#lovecoffee
#runoncoffee