Kush – The Coffee House
Founded by Andy Budd in 2005, Kush Coffee is a renowned coffee house situated on Church Street in the thriving arts and food scene of Nelson, New Zealand.
Andy’s lifelong interest in coffee developed into an obsession during his travels across Europe. From Turkey to Italy to Spain, Portugal to Germany, and France, he became fascinated by the personalities, professionalism, and mystique surrounding coffee and the myriad of tastes to explore. Andy has carried this passion for coffee ever since, making coffee the way he liked it; rich and round, with depth and character, smooth yet with a certain kick, strong but not overpowering, but always with taste taste taste.
Today, Kush Coffee is regarded as one of the top coffee destinations in New Zealand.
Kush – The Coffee
Kush Coffee has always been made using 100% organic, certified Fair Trade beans.
Kush use only Arabica Beans, grown by small producers focused on quality. The beans are shade-grown and ripened naturally rather than sun-forced to ripen quickly. Kush’s beans are not sprayed and are handpicked rather than machine harvested to ensure their quality. Less than 1% of the world’s coffee is produced in this way.
Being Fair Trade certified means farmers and co-op members are paid properly and the environment is respected.
Kush’s beans are pre-blended and roasted in small batches in Nelson. The House blend, Afghani Black, is made from four beans. Though it is an impressive blend you have your choice of three others: Over the Moon, This Stuff’ll Probably Kill Ya, or Lebanese Red. There are five single origin beans to choose from: Sumatran, Guatemalan, Ethiopian, Peruvian and Congolese. Kush regularly have a guest coffee they find interesting. There is also a decaffeinated bean that uses the natural Swiss Water Method (rather than commonly used carbon tetrachloride extraction).
Kush founder Andy with his prized Has Garanti drum roaster
Making the best coffee at home.
The quality of your coffee beans is the single most crucial factor in making great coffee. Buying your beans from Kush will assure you of that quality. Coffee should be consumed within a few days to a month of roasting and at once after grinding. It is best to buy smaller bags of beans more often.
The way you grind your beans can have a significant impact on the flavour . A burr grinder is best to ensure a consistent and finer grind size.
Use filtered water or bottled water. City supplied water often has chlorine that will spoil the flavour of your coffee. It is important to keep your coffee equipment absolutely clean no matter the method you are using.
Regularly clean the group with expresso machine cleaner. Use a blind filter to backflush the machine. Always wipe your machine down and run the steam wands through after using.
Pay attention to the brewing method: A French Press needs a medium grind and a brewing time of about 6-minutes.
An expresso grind is finer and needs to be compressed tightly and evenly in the basket. It is recommended you buy a tapper for this purpose. The coffee should be expressed for about 18-20 seconds but will vary from machine to machine. Over expressing your coffee will make it bitter.
Make the coffee stronger and dilute it. Do not use boiling water or milk as this will scorch the coffee and give it a bitter taste.
Barista skills
A skilled barista is a vital part of the equation. The best beans in the world can easily ruined by an indifferent Barista.
Kush is constantly looking for baristas who have a passion for coffee. If you have skills you want to develop or widen your knowledge of coffee, Kush are keen to talk.
Where do I get this gold.
Kush coffee is by no means exclusive to the Roastery or the Coffee House in Church St Nelson. Many cafes, offices and retailers take Kush coffee for their customers, staff and clients.
A 200g bag of Kush beans costs as little as $13.30. Kush beans are also sold in 500gm and 1kg bags online or in store, and ground to your requirements. It is recommended, however, that you grind your beans at once before brewing for the best flavour.
Kitchen – Holding its own in a gourmet world.
Although coffee may take centre stage, food is a significant aspect of the Kush experience. Tahlia has done an outstanding job of enhancing Kush’s reputation with her delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes, as well as her exceptional meat-based savoury offerings. It will be difficult for Kush and the team to bid farewell to Tahlia when she departs on parental leave in a month but they are grateful for all of her contributions and express their thanks.
Kush are looking for someone with a passion for food to step in on weekday mornings. Kush are also keen to talk to local suppliers who can offer exceptional products and baked goods.
The Bottom Line
The secret to success at Kush Coffee: Keep it honest, simple, a bit different and naturally, make the absolute best coffee. Kush want their customers to keep coming back for more.
If you would like to get in touch with Kush, please email Andy or Nellie at office@kush.co.nz
Kush Church Street: Weekdays 7:30 to 2pm, Saturdays from 8am to 2pm.
Port Nelson portacabin, 8 Vickerman Street: 06:30 to 12pm.
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