Coffee Consumption Supports Third World

I grew up drinking coffee. Been drinking the stuff so long I can't remember when I had my first cup. I didn't start out as a connoisseur and wouldn't say I am one now but I do know a good cup when I taste it. In fact, I have been known to walk into and right out of a restaurant based on how they manage the coffee making machinery. Truth: No respect for the coffee, no respect for the customer.

Well, I was recently invited to a local coffee shop which reportedly "served the best coffee in town." For that kind of guarantee I will travel. Becky and I visited and we weren't disappointed. The coffee was really great! The shop is called "Urban Grounds" and is situated on the south side of Durban (Glenwood area) at the corner of Frere and Ayott Roads. They offer a great line up of coffees, friendly and helful staff, an interesting gallery in which jewelry and art items are displayed (all locally made) and a unique, one of a kind, atmosphere. It is the kind of place where repeat customers pop in just to connect with friends and enjoy the brew. We met several new people when we visited.

I also logged onto their web site and discovered some interesting information. They are very supportive of South Africa and use only locally roasted beans. They follow World Barista Championship standards for making their coffee which means, for one thing, they never use beans more than 14 days old. They also include very interesting posts on various technical aspects of the coffee industry. It is good information to have if you happen to enjoy a good cup of coffee and find yourself needing factual information to defend this enjoyment against coffee antagonists. There aren't many of those left but you do find them occasionally. By the way, UG will serve you a cup of tea if you prefer.

I receommend their shop and their web site. You will find their web page here and it includes all the details for finding or contacting the shop.

Visit soon. Its a long ride for those who live on the north side of Durban but you won't be disappointed once you arrive. They had to run us out. We stayed past closing.

Many of you don't live in South Africa but if you ever venture to this part of the world you now know a place where you can drink the water and the coffee is great!

Another interesting observation came to mind while visiting the UG web site. Coffee is not a first world luxury. It is grown, roasted and ENJOYED in many third world countries. The economic success of these countries is driven by their coffee industry, which means, every time you drink a cup of coffee you are helping to uplift economies of the less privileged. Drink up!