Customs by Coffee Supreme sits on Ghuznee Street in Te Aro, a short walk from central Cuba Street, with the waterfront to the north. The room is compact, wood-lined, and domestic in mood, with street stools outside and Coffee Supreme retail on display inside.
Customs serves Coffee Supreme espresso and filter, with beans and brewing equipment available to take home. Customs was built around espresso and filter, with rotating single origins offered in small retail quantities and a short drinks menu. Open since 2010, it combines coffee service with a small retail shelf and light food.
Coffee style
The bar serves espresso and single-origin batch filter. It is a cafe and retail bar with espresso, filter, rotating single origins, and beans offered by the 100 gram. You can try a cup before choosing beans for home.
Order filter to try a single origin, or espresso for the Supreme blend used in the everyday drinks. The retail shelf is part of the visit: beans, branded cups, and brewing gear make it a useful stop before leaving town.
What people go for
The menu is intentionally simple: espresso or filter, hot or cold, with alt milks and Coffee Supreme beans. Food is built around toast, sandwiches, and pastries rather than a full brunch kitchen, with bread from Wellington Sourdough.
That keeps Customs flexible. It can be a ten-minute coffee stop, a light breakfast, or a place to sit outside on Ghuznee Street and watch the Cuba Street edge of the city move around you. It is less suited to laptop settling or a large group.
The feel
Wood panelling, mid-century furniture, open shelves, and stools make this a compact place to settle with a cup. Window seats and the tables outside catch the morning sun; they are also the seats most likely to fill first.
Because it is central and well known, it can fill quickly. Allow for limited seating, or take your drink away and continue towards Cuba Street.
Why Customs by Coffee Supreme is shortlisted by Filter Notes
Customs combines espresso, single-origin filter, retail beans, and brewing equipment in a small central cafe. Cross town for the Coffee Supreme filter bar and the compact Ghuznee Street atmosphere; know before going that food is light and seating is limited.
Coffee Supreme also has a cafe and retail store at Midland Park, on Waring Taylor Street in the business district north of Te Aro. Use that branch when you are staying near Lambton Quay; Customs is the stop for the small wood-panelled room and Cuba Street walk.