Braamfontein is filled with coffee shops, mostly to cater for its thriving student population. The competition for a good cup of coffee is tough, so The Daily Vox team spoke to BONGS MNTUNGWA about why he thinks he’s Gauteng’s best barista.
“I love coffee. But me, I’m famous, everyone knows me. A young man, an old man, everyone knows Bongs,†says 29-year-old barista, Mbongeni Mntungwa. Mbongeni or Bongs, works at Double Shot in Braamfontein.
He didn’t always know that he wanted to make coffee for a living. He started out as a waiter in the Woolworths coffee shop at the airport. They started giving him opportunities to make coffee when someone was not on duty or sick. He says that when he first started out, he was quite slow.
“At this stage I feel like it’s actually my love. I enjoy each and every cup, that’s what I can say. Once you have love I don’t think you can fail,†he says.
What he soon realised is that he communicates with the milk. When he’s steaming the milk, he politely asks it to give him the type of foam he is looking for. He loves coffee himself, enjoying a good double espresso every now and then.
“I understand that it’s not about making a good art in the coffee, but’s about making a very tasty coffee,†he said.
You can watch Bongs in action here:
Have you enjoyed a cup of coffee made by Bongs? Is he really Gauteng’s best barista? Let us know in the comments!
