Creative at heart, Matt Ross was drawn to the versatility of coffee.
Ross is Owner and Head Barista at Mt Zion Coffee in Tauranga, located on Spring Street and “slinging shots” Monday through Saturday.
The specialty coffee shop was created by Ross to introduce customers to something new - showing them that coffee isn’t just a large flat white but can be incredibly interesting with exciting flavours.
“Seeing customers come to that realisation is incredibly rewarding.”
At Mt Zion Coffee, Ross serves Grey Roasting Co coffee, along with Breadhead treats. The barista typically heads towards Ethiopian coffees, but finds it hard to define what makes a coffee great.
“Everyone has different expectations from their coffee.”
He judges coffees and other coffee shops on their black coffee, as a short black is his drink of choice. Black coffee is the hardest to make and get the taste just right on. With no milk or other tricks to hide behind, it is all there for the drinker to taste.
Coffee is an art, and Ross encourages at-home baristas to be easy on themselves. His advice for good at-home coffee is securing great beans.
“If you have good beans then it is hard to go wrong! Buy from your local roaster and ask them for some hot tips!”
At Mt Zion Coffee, latte art is a big thing. A customer’s first impression is the view of the coffee as it is presented to them, and Ross wants his customers to feast with their eyes as much as their taste buds.
Whilst being trained as a barista by Michael Boyd, Ross was attracted to the competition side of the industry and his creative hand got stuck in. The coffee shop owner has competed in coffee competitions, coming 4th in New Zealand at the Barista Championship, and 5th in New Zealand at the Latte Art Championship. His skills shine through at Mt Zion Coffee, with coffee served topped with perfect hearts, swirls, seahorses and swans, ready to delight customers.
Away from the coffee shop, Ross’ spare time is taken up with his 10-month-old daughter, who he loves spending time with, alongside his wife, at the beach.
