Columbus Coffee in Annesbrook is the Nelson outpost of a name that helped shape New Zealand café culture. The story began in 1995, when four forward-thinking coffee aficionados opened the original Columbus café in Auckland's bustling CBD, intent on sharing a fresh kind of coffee experience — the many and varied brewing methods they'd discovered on their travels. In a country then devoted to tea, Columbus set new standards and started the conversation about premium coffee and true café experiences, and today the company counts more than 70 cafes nationwide.
At this café, the coffee is the Columbus house blend — a specialty blend that is small batch roasted at the company's own craft roastery and delivered fresh to its cafes. Alongside it sits a full drinks menu: chai lattes, matcha, Belgian hot chocolate, iced chocolate, smoothies, frappes, milkshakes, iced coffees, iced matcha and a range of Tea Total teas.
The food is classic Columbus: everything from cooked breakfasts to hearty lunches, freshly prepared in store by local chefs. Expect kitchen staples like Eggs Benedict, the Columbus Breakfast and Brioche French Toast, seasonal dishes that rotate through the year, a cabinet of sweets, savouries and sandwiches baked fresh daily, and a dedicated kids menu. Add a free Columbus Rewards programme, Kids Club offers, and bags of the House Blend to take home or order on subscription, and it's a handy all-day stop in Annesbrook.
Columbus Coffee's Annesbrook café sits at 99 Quarantine Road in Nelson, and it carries the banner of a brand that helped start New Zealand's café culture. The story begins in 1995, when four forward-thinking coffee aficionados set out to share a fresh kind of coffee experience — the many and varied brewing methods they'd discovered on their travels around the world. Their original Columbus café opened in Auckland's bustling CBD, filling the air with the aroma of roasting beans and giving people the chance to discover the freshest coffees from around the globe, with tastings and demonstrations on the art of great coffee making.
At the time, New Zealand was a nation of devout tea drinkers. Columbus Coffee helped change that, setting new standards and starting a national conversation about premium coffee and the true café experience. Today the company counts more than 70 cafes nationwide, and the Annesbrook branch brings that same promise to Nelson: great coffee, fresh food and a proper café welcome.
At the heart of the drinks list is the Columbus blend, a specialty coffee that is small batch roasted by the company at its own craft roastery and delivered fresh to its cafes — how Columbus makes sure its coffee is as fresh as it can be, roasted just the way it likes. If a cup here wins you over, you can take it home: bags of the Columbus House Blend are sold online, with a subscription option for regular deliveries straight to your door, and brew guides that cover plunger, filter, stovetop and espresso.
Coffee is only the beginning. The drinks menu also covers chai lattes and matcha, Belgian hot chocolate and iced chocolate, smoothies, frappes, milkshakes, iced coffees and iced matcha, plus a range of Tea Total teas.
Barista craft is taken seriously, too. Every year Columbus baristas from regions across the country compete in the company's Barista & Latte Art Championships, with one crowned National Barista Champion of the Year — a sign of the standard behind the machine at your local.
Food gets the same treatment. Columbus classics run from cooked breakfasts to hearty lunches, all freshly prepared in store by the local chefs. The kitchen menu covers staples like the Supreme Omelette, Eggs Benedict, Creamy Mushrooms, the full Columbus Breakfast, Brioche French Toast, Free Range Eggs on Toast and the Angus Beef Burger. A seasonal slate adds dishes such as Plum & Apple Crumble Waffles, the Chicken Katsu Bowl, Chorizo Hash and Pumpkin & Haloumi Bruschetta.
The cabinet is baked fresh daily — sweets, savouries and a changing line-up of sandwiches, wraps and salads — though the exact selection varies from location to location. Younger guests have a menu of their own, with an Eggy Breakfast, Hungry Tummies Breakfast, Banana & Caramel Pancake and Chicken Nuggets & Chips. The chefs get their moment as well: each year they can showcase their skills and create their own recipes for the annual Chef Competition, with winners celebrated across the network.
Joining Columbus Rewards is free, and members enjoy perks including free beverages and exclusive membership offers, managed through the Rewards app or a physical card. Families can look out for Kids Club offers, gift cards make an easy present for the coffee lover in your life, and a monthly newsletter keeps regulars up to date. You can also order online through the Columbus website, and the team welcomes feedback on every café visit.
Whether you're after a coffee made from freshly roasted beans, a leisurely eggs benedict, a quick cabinet lunch or a bag of the House Blend to take home, the Annesbrook café puts Columbus' three decades of coffee know-how on your doorstep in Nelson.