South Africa In A Sip

South Africa’s coffee culture is as diverse as its multi-ethnic population. Rooted in humble beginnings, the country is now gripped by a coffee boom that’s hard to ignore.

- Ananya Bahl

"People used to say that Capetonians can’t function without coffee. So, we embraced that notion and said, ‘Okay, we’re doing this and we’re going to do it really well,’” says Kimala Rose, Public Relations Manager, Cape Town Tourism. We’re strolling along Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront—a complex brimming with cafés, restaurants, pubs, and boutiques. In front of us, the Atlantic Ocean is sprinkled with boats that are ferrying visitors to and from the sombre Robben Island—a far cry from the joie de vivre of the waterfront. I hear street performers busk a rather fun version of Toni Braxton’s Un-break My Heart on trumpets. Seagulls are flying above buildings that are a juxtaposition of colonial and avant-garde. The ambience is eclectic, much like Cape Town’s overall vibe.