Kia ora friends,

It’s been a busy and inspiring month at Brewed As! From welcoming some incredible voices at our poetry night to the buzz of the recent barista champs, we’ve been celebrating creativity in all its forms. Looking ahead, we’re getting ready to share our flavours at Savour Northland on October 4th, an event we can’t wait to be part of.

And because no newsletter is complete without a little coffee nerdery, we’re diving into the story of the humble flat white.

So grab a cuppa, settle in, and let’s catch you up on what’s been brewing.

Jazz, Dub & Poetry Night

Our latest poetry night at Brewed As turned into a full house - so full, in fact, we had to set up a speaker outside for everyone who wanted in on the action! The evening wove together the history of jazz and poetry, bouncing between works from influential poets and the music that shaped them over the past century.

It was insightful, inspiring, and a little bit electric, proof that Mangawhai’s creative community is alive and thriving. A big mihi to Damian for pulling it all together, to Frances Chan for sharing her deep knowledge of jazz, and to everyone who packed the house and made it a night to remember.

Feast with Soul & Sound

Join us at Brewed As for Feast with Soul & Sound, a Saturday night celebration where flavour meets feeling. Our five-plate shared menu showcases the best of Northland’s seasonal ingredients, crafted with creativity and served with the relaxed, convivial spirit that defines our restaurant.

Expect dishes like crispy oyster mushrooms from Ora’s Mushrooms and our signature seared Haku (yellowtail kingfish) with Penang curry - a pairing that won us the Perfect Pairings Award at last year’s Savour Northland with Dancing Petrel’s Viognier. We also received an Honourable Mention for our oyster mushrooms and proudly placed Runners Up overall, just behind one of New Zealand’s one-hat restaurants, Terra.

Every plate this year is matched with wines from Mangawhai’s own Brookelane Vineyard, selected to highlight the richness, depth, and vibrancy of our region.

Adding a sonic layer to the experience is Carli Oso, performing his immersive blend of ghost folk and nightmare rock. With looping pedal, soulful vocals, and deep musicality, Carli builds a live soundscape that evolves with the night, turning dinner into a full sensory experience.

This is more than a meal. It’s a celebration of the land, the makers, the musicians, and the magic that happens when they all come together. Whether you’re connecting with friends or treating yourself to something special, Feast with Soul & Sound invites you to settle in, sip slowly, and savour every note.

Price: $69 per person (Optional wine pairing available)
Saturday 4th October 5pm - 9:30pm

Bookings essential

Carli Oso music

Velvety steamed milk over bold espresso, served in a smaller cup to let flavour lead. The flat white is a modern classic, refined, balanced, and proudly ours. Or… is it?

These days, you can walk into a café in some of the smallest corners of the world - from back-alley espresso bars in Berlin to jungle huts in Bali - and order a flat white. It’s a long way from home, but the flat white has found its place on menus around the world.

Like pavlova and Russell Crowe, the flat white has long been caught in a playful tug-of-war between New Zealand and Australia. But no matter where it started, it’s become a defining drink of Southern Hemisphere café culture.

Years ago, before coming to Mangawhai, we used a coffee blend from United Coffee roasters (Karajoz was the shadow roaster) I had the chance to chat briefly with Derek Townsend, founder of Karajoz Coffee (1980s) when I visited the roastery and one of the early pioneers of espresso in Aotearoa. Despite his packed schedule, Derek's warm, down-to-earth nature shone through, offering insight and humbleness in equal measure.

DKD Café opened in 1984 inside Auckland’s iconic Civic Theatre building, becoming the city’s, and arguably New Zealand’s, first true espresso bar. It was a bold move by three young hopefuls - Derek Townsend, Darrell Ahlers, and Karen Bell, who, by their own admission, knew nothing about coffee or food. But what they lacked in experience, they made up for in vision: a welcoming space serving decent coffee and wholesome food at fair prices.

DKD quickly became a cultural hub, drawing in artists, theatre-goers, students, and curious minds. As its reputation grew, so did the team’s knowledge of coffee. By the mid-90s, they were roasting their own beans, developing blends with balance, depth, and nuance.

It’s in that pioneering spirit, experimenting, adapting, and relentlessly chasing better coffee, that the flat white found its footing. Derek Townsend may have crafted the first true version of the drink at DKD. He doesn’t insist on the title. Maybe he invented it, maybe he perfected it, but there’s no question he helped shape the drink into what we know and love today.

Whether or not he’s the “inventor,” Derek’s influence on New Zealand café culture is undeniable. From sparking conversations over espresso to raising the bar on how it’s made and served, he helped lay the foundation for the way we experience coffee now one cup at a time.

There is of course more claims, a second New Zealand claim originates from Wellington as a result of a "failed cappuccino" at Bar Bodega on Willis St in 1989. Craig Miller, author of Coffee Houses of Wellington 1939 to 1979, claims to have prepared a drink known as a flat white in Auckland in the mid-1980s, using a recipe from Australia.

Next time you order a flat white, remember: it’s more than just a drink, it’s part of who we are.