Five or six years ago, in spite of Melbourne's supposed reputation as the 'coffee capital' of Australia, most of the running in espresso coffee was happening in Sydney, with great names like single Origin, Mecca and more recently, The Source.
However in the last combine of years, that has changed and Melbourne is firmly re-established as the nation's coffee capital! What makes a cafe great? There are a lot of factors that go into it, but the consistent factors are that our top cafes commonly roast their own coffee and they all have an uncompromising attitude towards freshness and coffee quality. If not coffee 'geeks' they are absolutely coffee purists!
Ashley Furniture
And as these innovative purists continue to set the bar even higher, the coffee buyer and cafe patron are being educated, either knowingly or not, as to how great their coffee sense can be. Although it's difficult to keep churning out great coffee time-after time, these cafes have a commitment to quality and a pursuit of excellence that makes it not just a possibility but a reality.
We voted Andrew Kelly's Auction Rooms in North Melbourne as No. 1. Auction Rooms is a build statement, as well as a purveyor of fine food and truly perfect coffee. Fine 'regular' origins consist of names such as Ecuador El Guabo -Teofilo Jimenez Microlot and Costa Rica Lourdes de Naranjo - Finca Genesis. Andrew is one of a new breed of espresso purists and Auction Rooms provided him with a way to 'push the boundaries' of espresso coffee. Superb!
The Maling Room [in Canterbury] has played a critical role in developing specialty coffee as it is in Melbourne today. Roasting on-site on a 5kg Renegade roaster, using a pair of Synesso espresso machines and an customary 1957 Faema lever, an ever changing offering of single origins are served alongside a seasonal house blend which are all ready to take home. The Maling Room is an perfect cafe with wonderful coffee, and we voted it No.2.
Perched on the 'edge' of the Prahran shop precinct, shop Lane came in third. They are a relatively up-to-date increasing to the Melbourne cafe scene and they have a focus on alternative preparing techniques such as ceramic pour-over, and have a keen eye for sourcing and roasting enticing beans. up-to-date examples on the menu consist of Carmo Estate from Brazil, with notes of blackcurrant and cocoa and Kenyan Mbee - sweet and complex, with notes of passion fruit, vanilla and rose hip tea.
Fourth was Mark Dundon's most recent endeavor Seven Seeds, nestled in the warehouses of inner Carlton. Behind a slightly unprepossessing surface lies a stylised and slightly cavernous cafe space, with the roastery descriptive straight through viewing windows out the back. The decor is quite striking, with a bare, approximately minimalist succeed and metal chairs and forces stencilled cutlery boxes giving unique utilitarian undertones. There's nothing utilitarian about the coffee though, which like the simple but yummy food, is of a very high standard.
Fifth was Proud Mary in Collingwood. Greeted by the world's only 6 group Synesso you would expect espresso to be the main focus at Proud Mary. But you will soon survey a Clover machine, syphon bar and an Uber boiler used for the some other filter brewing methods available. One of Melbourne's most recent specialty coffee destinations, Proud Mary doesn't disappoint!
Why is this of interest to our international readers? Because I can approximately guarantee that these five cafes are the equal of, or best than any cafes in the world, together with Italy, home of espresso!
Melbourne's Best Coffee 2010
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