Coffee in the Coffee Capital: High Expectations

As one of my motivations for choosing Melbourne for my main destination in Australia was my interest in coffee and the presumption that this city can live up to my standards, the expectation to find some perfect coffee locations was high. There are millions and trillions of speciality coffee shops, roasters, cafes and other places that think they know everything about coffee in Melbourne! Due to the high volume of coffee available though, it is even harder to find these great spots that have the highest standards and succeed in making the best cup.

When I visit coffee shops in different cities, I try to do some research beforehand to get some information whether the place is supposedly a ‘coffee heaven’ (like Melbourne) or if they rather sell them through other features (in which case the existence of good quality coffee is still highly likely but there are less recommendations made beforehand by other guests via the internet). I normally pick a few cafés that have great feedback and try fit them into my daily agenda. If I have more time in a specific location, I usually tend to make trips to coffee roasters that are a bit out of the way but look interesting enough for a special visit (these are places that have really high ratings by other coffee enthusiasts and usually do not disappoint). Then I also randomly visit places that I have not seen on any list but that suddenly pop up on my way to other places (these might end up being good or bad) and attract me for whatever reason (cool design, professional coffee equipment, barista who knows what they are doing etc).

Following this logic normally works in smaller places or cities where coffee culture is existent in moderate levels. Well, let me tell you, in Melbourne it is impossible because coffee is literally EVERYWHERE! Melbourne is full of establishments that sell coffee and I am not even talking about centralised coffee chains but loads and loads of genuine individually owned places that all have their own branding. And this is not just in the CBD area but in the suburbs as well. Melbourne has the most coffee places I have ever seen anywhere before!

But now comes the interesting part: are they actually good quality? That is the tricky part. I was obviously very excited about coming to Melbourne and trying ‘the best coffee in the world’ because that was what all the Australians who I had met previously had told me. I think the truth is somewhere in between. Melbourne has been voted as the coffee capital of the world by ‘experts who know these things’. This does not automatically mean that ALL coffee is perfect in Melbourne. I have already been to multiple places that use Melbourne’s name and reputation to praise their own coffee but actually serve pretty average stuff made by average baristas. In one particular place, I have even unfortunately been asked by a head barista what ‘coffee brewing’ means. In another place I was told that the longer you run a shot the ‘stronger’ the coffee will be. It is not all perfect so some establishments that want to sell coffee but not invest into training or quality product still try and promote their coffee by using the city’s good name.

One thing is for sure – coffee is the best at the places that actually specialise in producing it (surprise lol)! There are plenty of quality coffee roasters that serve fresh brew or perfect latte made by experienced baristas. Some cafes use beans from a coffee roaster because they do not have a roasting room and depending on how much they focus on coffee making and how knowledgeable their staff is, it might still be possible to get great coffee there. Places that focus mainly on food but label themselves a ‘café’ are usually the type of establishments where the chances of getting some average stuff and astonishingly uneducated answers from baristas are higher. And this is because coffee is not their main product and they should not sell themselves as the ‘provider of best coffee in town’! OK, most of them do not but some do.

One is for sure – it is a highly competitive market and only the best ones survive and grow. Although the thirst for their daily coffee is strong in Melbourians, they are picky and spoilt when it comes to it. Only the best make it!

Here are some of my favourite picks so far (in no particular order):

1.     Dukes Coffee Roasters (CBD) – great selection of beans including some great single origins and organic espresso 

2.     Patricia Coffee Brewers (CBD) – great spot, perfect on a sunny day for enjoying your coffee outside or by the big open windows 

3.     My Other Brother (Camberwell) – great local brunch café with good quality coffee, including single origin brewing options 

4.     Seven Seeds Specialty Coffee (Carlton) – they have a roasting room with cuppings and plenty of space in a trendy industrial environment, their coffee is great 

5.     Axil Coffee Roasters (Hawthorn) – spacious spot with great food options and plenty of choices for great coffee from the roasters 

6.     The Maling Room (Cantebury) – interesting café that looks like a random old café from outside but has excellent selection of beans, coffee equipment and very knowledgeable staff 

I I hope this list will get longer and longer as I discover the greatest coffee spots in Melbourne!