Common Ground Espresso

If you’ve been to a few cafés in Dunedin, by now you’ve likely already tried one or two of Common Ground’s roasts. These folk make it their mission to supply local cafés with the best single-origin beans they can get their hands on. They specialise in small-batch roasts of ‘nothing but quality.’

It was a quick lesson in the craft of roasting after purchasing a 5 kg roaster back in 2014. At that point, Common Ground was roasting around 150 kg of beans per week to supply two cafes. Fast-forward to today, they’ve got three roasters running and their beans can be found in numerous cafes and restaurants from Dunedin to Wānaka to Rakiura Stewart Island. The team is talented, kind, and never complacent, always focused on their core values: a quality product, produced by hand and passed along with excellent service.

Their 'House' roast features hints of citrus, caramel and milk chocolate. As a medium roast, it’s sweet and balanced – the perfect cup of coffee. ‘Grunty’ meanwhile offers toffee, malt and dark chocolate undertones with a smooth finish. ‘Fair Trade Organic’ is versatile and is suitable for any brewing method, with stone-fruit, vanilla and cocoa notes. Decaf beans are also available.

At Common Ground, it’s all about the beans, and this is hugely evident at their Strathallan Street location. Here, café orders are prepared and new beans and roasts are experimented with. They also whip up mean barista beverages at the espresso bar counter. Order your coffee of choice and get a glimpse into the research and development that goes on at this humming roastery. You’ll leave happy, with the taste of an expertly crafted coffee on your tongue, a bag of beans for home and new connections with like-minded people who frequent the place.