I agree with critics (e.g. Robert Doyle) who argue that Melbourne’s famed coffee culture has one weak spot – the coffee isn’t always what it is cracked up to be. It often lacks bouquet and complexity – the backbone to a lot of the coffees seems to be an unattractive bitterness amid a dishwatery anonymity. Good coffee should share at least one feature of good pinot noir – a very slightly feral element should hover distantly in the background.
Driving through Carlton the other day on a whim I stopped at Seven Seeds Coffee at 114 Berkeley Street. I had the expresso coffee of the day (it was a Columbian, they have numerous speciality coffees) and bought 250 grams of their everyday espresso for $10 which was very reasonable. Great coffees – both – and highly recommended. I’d be interested if Melbourne readers had spotted other centers of coffee excellence. Seven Seeds doesn’t even rate a mention in the Melbourne Coffee Review.
The best espresso in town is from a fantastic little old-italian-men-playing-cards café on Lygon St, East Brunswick, called Covo Sportivo. The walls are decorated with Serie A memorabilia, and the service is…memorable. One of their barristas, Tony, who moved out from Italy in the 1960s, makes great tasting (murky) wine and delicious salami the same way his grandfather taught him, which if youŕe lucky, you may be able to (illegally) sample.
For a nice (late—after 8pm) coffee, I try to get down to the Camel’s hump on Nicholson St, North Fitzroy. They have fantastic (and expensive) coffee. The tables are in little curtained-off booths, and the coffee is served with little chocolate rocks, iced lemon water, and, if you ask for it, the best mud-cake in town. Try a pot of their Blue Mountain (at about $16).
harry -yr right about a lot of melb coffee – but even the near worst melb coffee is better than most other places. I was just in Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands. With 3 exceptions – all in netherlands it was worse than the crap you get travellin up the Hume.
mostly even in .nl it was better buying stuff at the supermart and plunging it ourselves. luckily our unit in netherlands had a drip/filter machine.
the best place in melb to drink coffee is Pelligrinis – but its not the best coffee at all.
I go to a roaster Oasis in whitehorse road balwyn – hes been there 35 years or more -thankfully not prey to coffee coolness permiating inner melb – I get my own blend – strong but sweet no bitterness -doesn’t have to be flooded with milk to make it taste smooth.
Tell george what you like and he’ll get you a tailored blend. over a few weeks and some experimenting you’ll get it just right
perhaps more like 20 years