We’re pouring heart and soul into our Cork city café

THERE’S a cosy corner of Washington Street brimming with kaleidoscopic personality, and it’s called Pink Moon.

Owner Grainne Darmody fell in love with coffee in New Zealand, and after her Zoology and Marine Biology studies, she decided to venture into the café trade, with sustainability still close to her heart. She opened Pink Moon in 2018.

Her space hosts different social events, with an intimate shebeen-like seating area to the back. The wide, bright windows add to the welcoming energy as you walk through the beautifully tiled doorway. And the counter is generally packed full of tasty home-baked treats, with often different crafts for sale on the surrounding shelves.

I caught up with Grainne for a chat about her café.

Can you explain the origins of your mystical name, Pink Moon?

Pink Moon is the name of my favourite song by Nick Drake. I think it’s a beautiful song and it always makes me ponder a bit when I hear it.

Where did the inspiration for the design and aesthetic of the café come from?

To be totally honest, at the beginning we intended the space to be very minimalist with one centre-piece mural designed by a local artist, Lorraine McDonnell. Over the years, it has taken on its own personality organically.

Can you pinpoint when you fell in love with coffee?

100% when I lived in New Zealand. I lived and worked in Wellington where coffee was at a totally different level and had such a great scene. This was definitely the place and time when I saw coffee in a totally different light. 

It became more than just fuel to get through studying for exams. It was such a great scene over there, a real social community.

What are the most important factors for serving quality coffee?

I suppose there’s a few variables that go into serving quality coffee; the machine, the bean, the barista. Love and attention.

What espresso machine do you use?

We’re using a pure work-horse of a machine, an Astoria, lovingly named Hansel. It’s not the most on brand or trendiest of machines but it’s banged out some damn good coffee over the years!

How do you choose your espresso blend and how often do you change it?

We’ve been with Stone Valley Coffee Roasters since we opened in 2018 and the guys work closely with us when choosing beans. Before Covid restrictions, the whole team would partake in tastings and decide collectively as a group. We have a flavour profile we know our customers love so always choose with that in mind.

What are your three bestselling drinks?

1. Flat White 2. Cappuccino 3. Latte.

What’s the favoured drink amongst your team of baristas?

I think all of the crew love a flat white with oat.

Have keep cups made a full resurgence since Covid?

We’re definitely seeing more keep cups come through the door, but not as many as we did pre-Covid yet.

Do you stock dairy alternatives, and how popular are they?

We stock oat and coconut, and find oat is by far the most popular alternative for us.

What’s an ideal barista to you?

Someone who really listens to how you like your coffee.

Can you speak on the social aspects of your business?

We’ve run some great pop-ups over the years, including vintage nights, poetry events, art openings and raw dessert workshops. We’re hoping we can get back to running more events like this again in the future.

What’s your ideal morning café playlist to get the blood flowing and the punters happy?

That’s a really hard question… we have an eclectic bunch of music tastes in Pink Moon, but I love to listen to some Fat Freddy’s Drop, Elder Island, and Thievery Corporation. 

We generally try and keep the atmosphere chilled and upbeat, but when the doors are closed and the cleaning starts, it’s always Pearl Jam or Tash Sultana.

What’s your daily caffeine limit and do you have a cut-off hour?

Two coffees is 100% my limit. 2pm is usually my cut-off point, although since having my son that’s flexi nowadays!

How would you describe the spirit of your café?

I would like to think we have a friendly and inclusive vibe in Pink Moon.

The team really puts their heart and soul into Pink Moon, and I think this reflects in the spirit of the space.

One final word to your customers and the people of Cork city…

Thank-you to all the people who have called in and supported us over the years.

It’s been a crazy few years for everyone, but it was the support of our regulars and the positive attitude of the team that kept the doors open.

There’s still some really difficult times ahead for the industry with rising costs across the board so please continue to support small businesses as best you can.

Visit Pink Moon Café at 23a Washington Street West, Cork City