Rita G wants to roller skate

Grab your walkman, lace up and take a spin with her playlist!

Rita is the editor of PhotoED Magazine and part of the Sparkplug team, too.

She’s travelled and lived all over the world, notably in coffee-crazy New Zealand, and is now back in her home town of T.O.

I love working with this fun, smart and creative gal and feel I know her a bit better after bopping to the tunes she picked. I love the covers by bands that are new to me - Lisa Crawley and Blondie’s Heart of Glass?! Amazing! And I am obsessed with Wake Up by Aaradhna. Thanks for broadening my music horizons, Rita!

Well, I got a brand new pair of roller skates
You got a brand new key
I think that we should get together
And try them out, you see

Q&A with Rita G

Your inspiration for these tunes?

I just wish for rollerskates and a sunny day!

How would you describe your coffee style?

Flat white. Dark, sweet, but not smokey.

What do you love about coffee?

It's a daily personal ritual and such a lovely comforting moment, to start the day or an afternoon break.

What’s the most memorable coffee you’ve ever had?

Perhaps unusually... but my favourite coffees have come from my time spent in Australia and New Zealand, where they take coffee culture seriously. They love their local independent cafes, and Starbucks is considered kinda low-average over there. I don't think I ever went to a cafe or restaurant that served percolated [drip] coffee - it's just not done.

Trim Flat Whites were always my go to. In New Zealand 'skim milk' is called 'trim' - not sure if that has to do with the milk being lower fat or the person drinking it! You can't get cream in your coffee (like, really - that's not an option) and even adding sugar is kinda weird. When I lived in the UK the hottest trend there was sourcing a cafe with an Australian or New Zealand barista!

How do you make coffee at home?

french press - it’s too easy + eco friendly!

Do you have a coffee tip or secret to share?

Well, one life lesson is to make sure the plastic handle on your moka pot isn't directly above the flame of your gas powered stove top. It's very messy. A moka pot without a handle is very hard to use.

What’s your favourite place to go out for coffee?

An independent cafe. I love the variety of what's possible and the feeling that the people that work there care more, above large chain stuff. With large food and beverage companies you know your hard earned dollars are going directly into more marketing. I'm still not sure of why walking around with a white paper cup with a round green logo is such a popular thing to do, or why so many people swear by it.

What do you love most about Sparkplug Coffee?

Besides the coffee (which is awesome) - it's the TLC. Kara knows her stuff and it's fun to learn from her.

What coffee to drink with these tunes?

• Make a yummy, New Zealand-style flat white with KICK START medium roast blend

• Rita’s a big fan of our LOW VOLTAGE HALF-DECAF blend - great in the afternoon when you want a coffee but don’t want all the caffeine!

PhotoED Magazine - Fresh, Canadian Photography

Complete your at home cafe experience with a fun, Canadian photography magazine to browse through while you’re sipping on your coffee, listening to this playlist. Of course we’re talking about Rita’s PhotoED Magazine, Sign up for a subscription - it’s only $20 a year - or pick up a single issue or make Rita really happy and become a VIP Patron for just $3 a month!

Thanks to Rita for sharing some of her wonderful coffee-related travel photos with us.

Kangaroos, Maori designs, NZ flags, and Melbourne library books are some of the clues that these are not Canadian coffee shops!