Coffee Crawl Day #1: Stereo Cafe, Bloemfontein

35 President Steyn Ave, Westdene, Bloemfontein, 930

The first stop on the Smooch Africa Coffee Crawl was Stereo Café in Bloemfontein, and since my family and I had been driving since 4 o’clock this morning, by the time we arrived – temporarily misguided by our GPS and very thirsty – it was most definitely time for our first cup of coffee for the day.

Firstly, I loved the atmosphere in the coffee shop, as it takes up residence in an old house, which gives it a particularly intimate and homey feeling. After reading about the history of the place in the “Coffee Culture” Magazine, I came to know that the owner, James Kilbourn, also worked as a radio DJ, and thus, the vibe in the local Bloem coffee haunt is self-explanatory: it is a perfect culmination of James’s two loves of coffee and music. When we sat down, Mick Jagger was crooning away about how much he missed Angie, and this set the tone for the rest of the coffee date, with power ballads playing softly in the background whilst customers chatted away. The other thing that I noticed straight away about the room was how busy it was: from my experience, it seems that it is a local favourite. The environment is home to a diverse ecosystem; housing everyone from casual hipster couples to businesspeople poring over their documents.

As for the drinks themselves, I ordered a pour-over filter coffee, with my parents opting for cappuccinos. For me, coffee is a universal experience, and one of the aspects that this encompasses is presentation. I was very impressed by the intricate latté art of two lion’s faces that sat atop the cappuccinos, beaming up at me, and it is clear to see that the seasoned barista is equipped with some serious skills. The flavours of coffee came together in a delightful bouquet, with flavours of both sweet and a little bit of bitter coming through. This combo definitely made for some very happy customers.

As an ending note, I would like to point out the fact that there is one rule that I have stuck by, that has always held me in good stead. That is, when you are travelling, the best bet when pertaining to food and drink is to go where the locals go. Now usually, this applies to when you are visiting a different country, but being a Pretoria girl who is very much unacquainted with the Free State, Bloemfontein may just as well be on a different planet. To sum up my point: if Stereo Café seems to be perpetually crammed with locals on their lunch breaks, it is most definitely the place to be, and I promise that you will not be disappointed.