While New Zealand often lays claim to having invented the flat white, Pour and Twist in Wellington has taken a different direction, serving only filter coffee.
The manual brew bar saw some teething pains when it opened in 2017, but the local community has come to embrace its artisanal approach to coffee making.
“We have no espresso machine and everything is brewed by hand,” Co-owner Elaine Loh says.
“There’s more to it than just downing a coffee. It’s about the whole process, actually tasting what you’re drinking, being mindful and aware of the bean-to-cup process. It’s a connection with our customers as well and getting to know what they like. It means a lot when customers come in and order a black coffee and say ‘wow, it doesn’t taste burnt or bitter’.”
Elaine and her partner Zuyi’s interest in hand-brewed coffee began about five years ago.
“Filter was taking off in Wellington around the same time. A few years later it died down and cafés embraced quicker options like batch brew,” Elaine says.
“After a while, you really start to miss that handmade feel. Batch brews can be great, but nothing beats a hand brew. It’s also a point of difference for us and fills a gap in the market.”
Pour and Twist uses multiple brewing methods including V60, Chemex, AeroPress, and cold drip to highlight a frequently changing coffee menu, featuring a rotation of roasters from around New Zealand such as Flight Coffee, Rocket Coffee, Rich Coffee, Vanguard Coffee, and Silverskin Coffee.
Pour and Twist takes its coffee offering even further with a menu of specialty drinks and recipes. Popular drink the Grey Marble includes activated charcoal powder, coffee or chocolate, maple, cream, and milk served over ice.
Orange Choffee is another crowd favourite, using freshly brewed coffee filtered through an orange peel over blocks of chocolate topped with creamy froth and chocolate shavings.
“We’ve also added a new drink called Salted Creamy Cascara,” Elaine says. “Cascara is the skin off of a coffee cherry and the drink is kind of like a coffee tea, but we add a salted cream on top that makes it really nice and refreshing.”
Pour and Twist
13 Garrett St, Te Aro, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand
Open Monday to Friday 8am to 5:30pm, Saturday and Sunday 8:30am to 5pm