Elite Event: Demystifying The Third Wave Coffee Movement

This was one of the best Elite events yet!
We were lucky enough to learn from one of Auckland’s leading organic coffee roasters Kokako about the Third Wave Coffee Movement.
Just like the Slow Food Movement the emphasis is in producing high quality coffee in an artisan way just like food and wine products. The most important factors being to trade directly with coffee growers for very high quality beans for making coffee in alternative ways to bring out and appreciate the subtleties of flavours.
The guys at Kokako told us the story behind the brand, where they source there coffee and the importance of trading fair. They showed us the cupping technique with which they choose the coffee beans, then demonstrated different ways to brew coffee — cold drip, cold brew, and Chemex. IT was so interesting to learn how to detect distinct flavours coming through in the different way you can brew coffee.
I now have a new appreciation for Kokako and their community. I already know they have great food and look forward to many cold brews in the future!
Thanks Alex and the team at Kokako! xx

If you think coffee is what Starbucks serves or what comes out of a Nespresso machine, or worse, fine powder from a tube, you have been missing out. Coffee is like wine, there is the good the bad and the ugly. There are also tastings and this event hosted by boutique roastery Kokako took a few of us on a crash coffee appreciation course.
Kokako believes that innovation, design, service and sustainability (in no particular order) are what sets them apart. I would have to agree. Socially responsible, the beans are sourced from places such as Peru, Papua New Guinea and Ethiopia, the quality is premium, it is fair trade and organic. Coffee with a conscience. I always feel good about buying Kokako because that money went to the villages, the communities of the growers and you can pay as much for coffee elsewhere, it most likely won’t taste as good and who knows how little those beans cost, what the real cost of that coffee you’re drinking was.
Enough of that though, third wave coffee movement, is the practice of new or the reinvention of methods that enhance the overall coffee drinking experience. Kokako take coffee to the next level, and as well as sniffing, cupping and tasting, Kokako gave us some vital third wave movement coffee need to know.
Passing on the knowledge, here it is. Cold drip versus cold brew was explained, cold brew is basically a giant coffee bag infused in water for 8 hours, a lower coffee to water ratio than cold drip, producing a beautiful coffee syrup that can be used in cocktails, served over ice, with sparkling water or in smoothies. Cold drip is more concentrated, less acidic and usually served straight or over ice. The event was ended on a perfect pure origin note prepared using a Chemix. Experience the third wave, get yourself down to Kokako and speak to their coffee obsessed staff and get caffeinated.

My first Unilocal event: loved it!
i have a bunch of coffee geek friends, but the whole third wave coffee scene has always seemed a bit elitist and just not worth the hours spent talking about brewing methods and origin.
However, the guys at Kokako managed to change my mind! it was so interesting to experience how different beans can be, and that coffee doesn’t just smell like ‘coffee’ — who knew?! Really appreciated the knowledge of the Kokako team, and also how happy they were to put up with our [potentially naïve] questions…
Particularly liked hearing about Kokako’s efforts to make sure they are supporting fair trade and sustainable practices — seeing photos of the impact buying fairtrade can have on the communities has re-​inspired me to think more carefully about what i buy, and which businesses i support.
Also, a mention must be made of the bread and dips. That pesto, man. Amazing.
Thanks Alex for organising, and I certainly feel way less mystified, and look forward to ordering a chemex next time I’m at Kokako.

Who knew you could have coffee tastings, the way one has wine tastings. Thanks to our 3 well travelled expert hosts, I learned a whole lot more about that special little bean. Kokako’s goal is to provide organic, fair trade sourced coffee beans to its customers. They focus on a high quality (you know I love this) product that is brewed to perfection.
Prior to coming here I had never heard of a cold drip brew, or even the many different ways one could brew coffee such as using a Chemex. I will not spill the beans (ha!) about that one, you should definitely let Kokako show you first hand.
Our evening started with a coffee smell test, so that we could experience the aroma of various ground beans prior to them being wet. The next step was to experience the grounds moist with hot water. Then finally the moment we were all waiting for, the taste test. There were so many different aromas from start to finish it was as if these little beans were morphing throughout the process — in fact they were.
This is serious business and all three are knowledgeable experts on bean structure, smell, taste and origin. Even posed with tough questions regarding sourcing and origin sustainability these guys are well versed and proud of their role in the coffee industry. Bravo!
Any business that has corner real estate has a prime opportunity for business and for positively representing the community. Kokako holds their own well. I really love the simplicity of the building outside, it is almost unassuming. Then boom! You walk inside and it’s a mix of Parisian subway tiles on the wall, industrial benches and chairs along with what reminds me of a ghostbusters garage door inside. The shop is spacious, with enough wiggle room for you to lounge and read a book, get sucked into Facebook or Unilocal for hours. They also have live plants inside to give it that comfortable lived in feeling. Nice touch fellas.
Oh my gosh I almost forgot our appetizers during the event. First things first, may I please have both the pesto and beet recipes? Uh ohh I’m enjoying beet. What does this mean?! Although I did not see the full food menu, from what I did sample there is an excellent in-​house chef who I intend to get some recipes from!
Seeing as I will be moving to Grey Lynn next week, it looks like these fellas will be seeing a lot more of me. Thank you for an informative, taste bud watering evening Unilocal & Kokako!

I hate to admit it, but in the past I’ve been one of ‘those’ people who rocks up to a café and asks for a mocha… but thanks to this fantastic event hosted by the talented people behind Kokako, those days are well and truly behind me. It’s wonderful to be able to go learn and experience a place where sustainability, fair-​trade and a quality product is the key vision for this business.
As a coffee-​tasting novice, it was great to have such an educational evening learning new terms and experiencing rich, varied flavours — the event all made possible by the lovely Alex. I now know where I’ll be frequenting for my morning coffee…

Despite arriving back to my flat around 10PM with a pretty major caffeine buzz (remember I’m a half-​strength coffee n00b), I absolutely LOVED this event.
It was fascinating to learn more about the Third Wave Coffee movement and meet some of the terrific people behind the delicately (and mindfully!) roasted beans at Kokako. Despite not having any experience with the art of «coffee cupping», it was so fun to compare the varying tastes and aromas of beans from around the world. I very much look forward to coming back to Kokako (not only for a Chemex cup (that went down so smoooooth!) but also to sample their vegetarian menu.
Thanks to Alex D. for organizing another educational, creative event and of course to the lovely team at Kokako for introducing us to the wonderful world of organic, free trade coffee and not letting us leave without a caffeinated goodie bag!

A great cup of coffee isn’t just about the taste. It’s knowing where the beans come from, knowing the farmers aren’t being harmed by toxic growing practices, and are getting a fair price for their product which helps sustain their communities. That’s something Kokako believes in, on top of making a great cup of coffee.
An amazing event by Alex as per usual. Education about the Kokako philosophy? Check. A coffee cupping where we identified all the different stages? Check. And a Chemex lesson aaaand tasting? Oh and delicious nibbles AND A GOODIE BAG???
Wow. I’ll be back to Kokako for a Chemex cup of single origin Ethiopian. And I’ll be first in line to RSVP for the next YEE! Nicely done! Thanks guys!

Who knew coffee could taste like garlic & cucumbers?!
According to the «Tasting Wheel», those are 2 flavours that have been used to describe coffee blends. And there was so much more I learnt from the clever fellows at Kokako that I never knew about coffee — even the thought of a coffee «cupping» (kinda like a wine tasting) had never crossed my mind!
But these guys are serious about their coffee. They know where it comes from & champion the sustainability fair-​trade initiatives behind it with passion & pride.
We had a great time sniffing, slurping & sampling. We tasted single origin brews from Ethiopia & Uganda, Kokako’s own Aotea Blend & watched a Chemex being prepared, as well as nibbling on some of Kokako’s divine organic breads & dips.
Thanks to the fab Alex D. & the knowledgeable blokes at Kokako for a wonderfully planned & thoroughly enjoyable Elite event. The caffeine-​laden goodie bags were a total treat (I LOVE goodie bags!) and the smoothness of the bottled Cold Brew was an absolute delight — I’ll definitely be using that in cocktails as the boys recommended!