Taking the MIKI is a cafe at 6 Birmingham Drive in Middleton, Christchurch, holding an excellent 4.9 Google rating and keeping in touch with customers through its Facebook page. Cafes tucked into commercial and light-industrial streets live on the morning run: fast, consistent espresso, food that travels back to the desk or ute, and baristas who have a regular's order memorised by the second week. Hours are the thing to check before visiting, since cafes serving office and trade crowds often follow weekday rhythms and keep shorter or quieter weekends. The surest sign of a good one is the small queue of familiar faces at opening time. For workers and locals around Middleton, Taking the MIKI has the kind of rating that suggests it has already earned its regulars.