Latte art is dead. Do you think I ask to be presented with a sweet cat whose face I must suck into inexistence if I want to enjoy the five-dollar stimulant that, at this point, I chug back as if medication? Ephemeral. Transient. In an effort to clog my life with anything mildly resembling artwork (and as a tribute to the art column from three weeks ago s/o if you’re keeping up), I took it upon myself to pave a trail only slightly more anticlimactic than the street art equivalent, to find a takeaway coffee cup to remember.
It’ll be the kink you never knew you had.
**DISCLAIMER** This trail doesn’t reflect the quality of the coffee in the cup. As an art lover, I clearly take it upon myself to be concerned with superficial details only. I think this will become obvious once we start at:
St David Café – 86 St David Street
A humble beginning. It’s a bit of a roulette. Will you get a cool design? Will this lecture be worth fifty minutes of your life? St Dave has always been that inconsistent friend who either turns up with a 24-pack to share or pees in your front garden by 9:30 and leaves. Purchase here tentatively. I got a cup with a cute picture of spilt milk one time, hence the inclusion in this art trail.
Dispensary – 201 Great King Street
This café is tried and true, unless you decide to visit during the ten-minute rush, which is simply poor judgment. A man named Shin, the new owner of Kiki Beware on George Street, designed the current takeaway cup artwork. A cute cityscape design for both small and large ecocups, whether you’re into recycling or art, Dispensary is eager to please.
Morning Magpie – 46 Stuart Street
If not for anything else, give this Stuart Street gem a try simply for the décor. Decked out in murals, framed works and independent original art, it’s like Oamaru op-shop meets Auckland trend obsessed café. Their cups are printed with a trademarked piece of art by Jessie-Lee Robertson and Josh Hunter, immortalised in mural form in sister café Wolf at the Door.
Classic Café – 265 Princes Street
If you recall the Easter egg from Issue 17, thank you for reading and validating my highly under qualified artistic opinion. If not, I still advise you to make the trek to the Exchange on Princes Street (or the Otago Farmers Market on a Saturday morning) to find the Classic Café coffee caravan serving the most stunning takeaway cups on the trail. Lisa Reihana’s ‘in Pursuit of Venus [infected]’, the NZ submission for the 2017 Venice Biennale, is perpetuated with this Allpress coffee collaboration. The panel spanning the bottom of the cup depicts early colonisers of the Pacific and the sanitization of indigenous culture.
Vanguard Specialty Coffee Co. – 329 Princes Street
A real banger to finish. Vanguard’s cups are supplied by Biopak, an Australian company heavily involved in sustainable, environmentally friendly packaging. Biopak promotes the NZ and AUS art community by printing new art every three months onto the various sizes of cups, with environmental themes at the core of their message. The current designs include two works depicting fields of flowers by graphic designers Jess Spaleta and Grace Wilkinson, titled ‘Life in Bloom’ and ‘Flourishing Floribunda’ respectively.
Five bucks for a real piece of art, cheers, UNESCO city of lit.