Atomic’s bold espresso bar on Mills Lane is a sharp, stylish retreat from the city’s daily grind.
Hidden down the new 50 Albert Street back alley, some of the CBD’s best brews are served up to the hippest playlists in town!
“We wanted to cater to the nine-to-five crowd but not in your typical way,” says Masako Yamamoto, Atomic’s training manager, coffee specialist – and the project manager of their brand-new site. “We didn’t want to be just another lobby cafe, rather an escape, somewhere to hang chat with your colleagues about what you did on the weekend. Somewhere to drink single origin filter or espresso and soak in the good vibes. Just because you might wear a suit, doesn’t mean you’re not into cool stuff!”
Finding the right site is challenging, admits Masako, with this one taking a year before the work even starts, in part “to ensure the cafe will be viable long term”.
“The most rewarding part is seeing the cafe alive with customers, creating something that serves local community and brings joy,” she adds. “As well as spreading our love for coffee!”
What was the inspiration behind the new bar?
“We were inspired by speakeasys and record stores and wanted to bring a bit of our historical ties to music back. Atomic has always carried a grungy element, so using materials that are raw and industrial juxtaposed against softer warmer elements like the cork works well to create an interesting tension.”
The smaller, more streamlined footprint provides a different experience to their Kingsland cafe, “the beating heart of Atomic”.
Can you also tell us about your Ponsonby Rocket Store?
“As a distributor for Rocket Espresso Machines, an opportunity arose in partnership with Service Denim to share the space. We felt Ponsonby Road was the perfect location and market for retailing domestic espresso machinery. The design was inspired by Deus ex Machina stores – it’s a unique concept having the retail machinery on display while you have your morning flat white but also being able to see Rockets being serviced on the back bench.”
Atomic has a strong focus on sourcing – can you share more about this?
“Firstly, we ensure the quality of the coffee – flavour, taste, score (specialty-grade), consistency, and freshness – is fit for purpose. Secondly, it’s important that our coffee is ethically sourced, both from a labour perspective and an environmental view.”
The company’s head roaster, August Hislop, who recently won the New Zealand Cup Tasters Championship (“She’s basically a sommelier of the coffee world”), carefully curates a diverse selection of processes, origins and flavour profiles for Atomic’s coffee programme.
“This ranges from classic Brazilian coffee to experimental Colombian coffees or outliers from countries such as Myanmar or India,” continues Masako. “We have four or five new single origin coffees every two months, as well as special releases such as Fruit Punch and Outliers once a year.”
The most rewarding part is seeing the cafe alive with customers, creating something that serves local community and brings joy,” she adds. “As well as spreading our love for coffee!
Anything you’re especially excited about at the moment?
“Our barista trainer, Heesun Lee, recently placed third at the Aotearoa Barista Championships and she used an incredible coffee from the Huila region in Colombia. The producer, Finca Los Nogales, has created a highly controlled yet experimental process of fermentation which they call ‘calma’, which combines three separately processed Tabi variety coffees which undergo fermentation using various strains of bacteria and yeast. The coffee is incredibly fruity – think tropical notes of pineapple, strawberry, apricot, grapes, blood orange when you drink it black, and with milk it tastes like banana chips, vanilla beans and apricot.
“During the month of September, we’ll have a limited release of that coffee for purchase and it will be available to order on the bar in Kingsland. It’s a rare opportunity to try a coffee of this calibre.”
Masako says that everything about coffee continues to surprise and excite her. “I especially love cafe culture – the energy of cafe environments, the connections that are made in cafe spaces. They play such an important role in society. I love to wonder about all the intellectual conversations, political discourse and creative exchange that has occurred in the history of cafes. Coffee secretly fuels the world!”
And as for your favourite coffee?
“I’m often triple parked, tasting all that’s on offer. I’d be a terrible regular customer as I never have the same thing! In an ideal world, I’d have a tasting tray or flight of coffees. If we’re talking single origins, I have a personal preference for black honey processed coffees from Costa Rica – I love anything aromatic, complex and refined. I’m a gewürztraminer fan so often think these two share similarities.”
And that love of all things aromatic reaches well beyond the beans.
“I’m big on fragrance, so naturally enjoy perfume and have had a bit of fun playing around making my own,” she adds. “I get a lot of enjoyment being in nature, especially gardens, so in the weekends I enjoy visiting the winter or botanical gardens.”
