The Iced Coffee Odyssey

Hey everyone, Julie here. I just wanted to share with you all a little journey I’ve experienced here in New Zealand. Those of you who know me, know that I am a big fan of iced coffee. I guess you can call it an addiction, a sickness even… I don’t usually go a day without it. It was a concern of mine coming here to New Zealand. Will it be good? Will it be close by? Will it be expensive? I’ve been here for about 2 weeks now and let me tell you, I’ve experienced a whirlwind of emotions on my search for iced coffee. I tried about 3 local cafè’s including the one on my campus, only to find, that iced coffee doesn’t really exist here. It’s listed on the menu as “iced coffee” but then you get it, and it’s the consistency of a blended mix drink like a frappè-like drink, they even put whipped cream on top. It’s not the same! Then I came across a Starbucks! “Thank god!” I thought, until I saw that the menu did not have iced coffee listed on it. The barista was foreign, and didn't seem to understand me too well. I said, “Do you guys do iced coffee here?” And what I thought he explained to me was that he could put ice in the coffee… (any iced coffee drinker knows that putting ice in hot coffee is just not the same) Then when he asked me what I wanted iced, I said “uh- coffee, just the regular blend” he appeared to be very confused and I ended up having to order an iced latte. It was good but whatever it wasn’t what I was looking for! Then, McDonalds. A McCafe! That’s gotta be the traditional, American, liquidy iced coffee. Nope. Ordered it and got the same old frappy-blended coffee drink. I was beginning to lose hope. Then in the heart of the city of Auckland I saw what I thought was a hallucination. A Dunkin Donuts!!! I eagerly ran across a busy street only to find that it served the same hot coffee as my campus coffee joint, and donuts. That was it. It was a pathetic excuse of a Dunkin Donuts. All choked up I held back tears and carried on. All hope was now gone.

Then something amazing happened today. On my way to the mall to buy some salsa I needed for the quesadillas I’m going to cook for my roommates tomorrow, I decided to stop at this place called Columbus. Since it was cold on the walk there I planned on getting a hot coffee, but when I looked at the menu there was a word in front of “iced coffee”. It said “Classic”. “Classic Iced Coffee”. Eh, I’ll give it a go I thought. The woman called my order to pick up and my eyes widened. I gasped and turned to my friend Blythe and exclaimed, “Blythe look! It’s liquid!” our faces both lighting up. My first sip was as satisfying as water would be to a man who’s been lost in the desert for three weeks with an empty canteen. God bless you Columbus coffee. I really needed this.

But at the end of the day, I gotta be smart with my money and this delicacy isn't cheap. Not to mention the largest size is equivalent to somewhere between a Dunkin Donuts small and medium size. So when I got to the grocery store I bought a french press and some coffee grounds. I’m gunna make my own iced coffee.

However, I'm still thankful for Columbus coffee, and when I do happen to pass one, you bet I will be stopping by.