The votes were counted, the judges sipped and a Porirua entrant has once again taken out the Cool As Challenge.

Nineteen cafes and restaurants in Porirua - along with a number from Lower Hutt - entered the competition to find the tastiest summer drink over the past four weeks, with a public vote putting Porirua Bakery & Café, Tuk Tuk Thai Restaurant and Sushil’s Musclechef Kitchen and Café’s creations through to the top six for experts’ judging on Thursday.

They were joined by Espresso High, Grazie Ristorante & Pasticceria and Jojo's Sweet Treats from Lower Hutt.

The Hospitality Hub at Whitireia and WelTec campus in Petone hosted the nerve-wracking final, where the finalists were judged on flavour, presentation and creativity.

Tuk Tuk Thai was crowned the overall winner with their 'Thai Famous' drink. It contained lemongrass, chillies, kiffir lime leaves, lime juice, galaga, white rum (optional) and soda water.

Judges noted it was fresh, with clean flavours, had passion and a great story behind it. Espresso High's 'Ube Crush' creation took out second place.

This was the second year Porirua entered the Cool As Challenge, with Beer Engine in Titahi Bay winning in 2023 with their ‘Gin makes me Em-ocean-al’ drink taking top honours.

Mayor Anita Baker said it was great to hear thousands of drinks were sold in the Hutt and Porirua, putting money back into the local economy.

"All the finalists showed off their creativity and diversity - what a fantastic effort by everyone who took part."

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