Crema Magazine Announces its Best Cafes of Melbourne

This job just keeps gets harder and harder as the standards of coffee in Australia just keeps on getting better and better. Not only that but our standards just keep on getting more exacting. The Australian palate is becoming increasingly discerning when it comes to knowing what is great, what is good, what is average and what is simply just not good enough when it comes to coffee. From our point of view, that’s all to the good!

Melbourne has always been seen as the birthplace of espresso in Australia, and so that might be. But when it comes to truly great coffee in today’s espresso-savy market, it is not the traditional Italian coffee-houses that are getting the thumbs-up but rather, the new breed of Melbourne café serving brews from home-grown roasters and indeed, their own blends.

 Once again, we make no apologies for our selection of cafes that have made the grade and those that have not. Those that just missed out, and there were a few, are also great cafes with a passion for their product but, at the end of the day, selections had to be made. We did not base our decisions on the taste of one person, nor on the basis of a single visit, but on many visits from our many “caffeine-spys” – both coffee professionals and ‘prosumers’ alike. Visits are typically unannounced and reviewers will remain anonymous.

When it comes right down to it, it is as much about consistency as it is about the quality. We expect to get a great coffee from a café, anytime and every time. And for this, all the elements have to be right – the freshness, the technical expertise of the baristi, the equipment maintenance and finally, the pride in knowing that the coffee they are producing is the best that it can be. In the end, for us, as always, it is all about the coffee.

We thank our panel of reviewers – you know who you are! We also thank our Forum members, who always keeps us up to date with the passing parade of who’s new and who’s through!

And the Top Cafes are…

Brother Baba Budan

The first thing that strikes you when you, when you walk into Brother Baba Budan, is the unusual décor. If you haven’t been there before, you can’t help but be struck by the image of tens of chairs suspended high from the ceiling – a visual metaphor for where their coffee will take you perhaps.  Brother Baba Budan was a 17^th Century Sufi who smuggled coffee beans out of Mocha in Yemen; it is from here that coffee is believed to have spread to the rest of the world.

But what makes Brother Baba Budan stand out most is its superb coffee. BBB is the little brother of Mark Dundon’s South Melbourne institution St Ali, from whence their coffee comes. As well as having one of the few Clover’s in Melbourne [perfect for tasting single origin coffees], the Brother pumps out shots of espresso, as near to perfection as possible, time after time. It’s not often that inner city workers have the chance to sample great coffee – but here’s your chance to sample the best!

Liar Liar

Opened in November last year, this exceptional café has raised the bar for Melbourne coffee purists. On Kinkora Ave, just off Glenferie Road, Liar Liar is the creation of Nolan Hirte along with business partners Nathan Toleman and Diamond Rozakeas [formerly of Apte in Heidelberg Road]. Hirte was 2007 Western Australian Barista Champ and, having made his mark in WA, was determined to move east and make an impact in Melbourne – and that he has certainly done.

The décor is distinctive, but even more distinctive, at least to the coffee aficionado, is the impressive-looking Clover unit sitting upfront on the main counter. For the uninitiated, a Clover is a special vacuum press coffee machine, which combines the best of filter and plunger brewing, and is ideal for tasting single origin coffees. Not quite able to leave his roots, the café uses coffee from WA roaster Five Senses along with exclusive coffees, when available, especially blended for the café.

90 Kinkora Ave
Hawthorn
Tel: (03) 9818 8863 

 

The Maling Room

What once was an historical post office now delivers a message of a different sort, as the Maling Room continues to stamp its impression upon the Melbourne coffee scene.

Since it opened in its slightly unusual location, Andrew Lew has built up an excellent reputation, not only for producing great coffee, but for the number of interesting and unusual blends he has on offer. Want to taste the lovely natural orange marmalade characteristics of the Ethiopian Sidamo coffee?  Not a problem!

Andrew was one of the first in Melbourne to own a Synesso Cyncra espresso machine. Imported from Seattle, these machines take coffee-making to a whole new level, as they allow the barista to temperature surf – to adjust the boiler temperature to compliment the characteristics of the beans he is working with. Definitely a destination on the address list for the true coffee aficionado.

7 grams

In unprepossessing premises on Church Street in Richmond, 7 grams is somewhat of a hidden gem. However, when you learn it is jointly owned by Current World Latte Art Champion, Con Haralambopolous along with his brothers, Peter and Jim, then it is not surprising that the coffee is excellent.

Coffee is primarily by Melbourne’s own Veneziano Caffe, but the brothers also alternate with Con’s own special blend of Columbian Pennsylvanian Supremo and Competition Balinese Gunung Batur blend, which he developed for the Australian Barista and Latte Art Champs and then, of course, took to Copenhagen. And yes, you can be sure every coffee is served with a perfect free-pour design.

 

First Pour

As part of the Veneziano Caffe roasting complex, First Pour is a humble cafe offering, serving quality coffee, and very little else. If you are lucky you might even be served by David Makin, current Australian Barista Champion. But regardless of who is working behind the immaculate La Marzocco FB/80, you are guaranteed to be served one of Melbourne’s finest coffees.

The cafe often features Single Origin coffees in conjunction to its espresso blend, and you can also purchase coffees as roasted or green beans. First Pour often hosts informal ‘barista jams’ – where some of the countries finest and aspiring baristi get together to strut there stuff. Opening hours tend to be a bit irregular, as they are often scheduled around Veneziano’s training times, but if you want to mix it up with the who’s who of the coffee industry’s gliterarti, then you’ve come to the right place.

Honourable Mentions

A Minor Place

Serving their own specially tailored blend of Atomica coffee, and running with a highly coveted Synesso Cyncra coffee machine, this quaint cafe is set in a distressed timber weather board building, which features a hands-on approach to renovating.

And although the site used to be a Milk Bar, you get the distinct feeling that you are lounging in someone’s home, and this warm and cozy feeling is further reinforced by relaxed but professional service in cozy surrounds.

Inside this L-shaped space you’ll find some of the best coffee that Melbourne has to offer, impeccably made and served with a minimum of fuss, by staff who are as funky as their surrounds.

Porgy and Mr Jones

And the ‘Peoples’ Choice’ Award goes to Porgie and Mr Jones for scoring the highest number of positive reviews on our cafe review site. Good coffee and great food in Hawthorn.

291 Auburn Road
Hawthorn
Tel: (03) 9882 2955

Tags: barista, best cafes, cafes, cafes australia, coffee, espresso, espresso coffee, Melbourne cafes

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 12:15 am and is filed under Cafe Reviews, Melbourne cafes & restaurants, Online Magazine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.