by Anthony on Sat Oct 17, 2009 8:05 pm IN GENERAL, I found the coffee scene in at least these parts of Australia to be much better than in the States. I mean by this that the baristi are more consistently well-trained, and coffee expectations much higher. I realize that these are larger cities, and the odds of finding better coffee is greater. Nevertheless, coffee for the most part is espresso, so they did not have to sway others to espresso drinks via what are essentially dessert coffee drinks. Starbucks was never able to make inroads in Oz, I was told, because the Aussies were already offering better coffee. Whatever the reason, one can walk into almost any café in these two cities, order a ristretto, for example, and not have someone say: "What?" "What is that ... I've been a barista for nine years and never heard of a ristretto." Instead, all you get is "no worries, mate," and a ristretto, and not a bad one at that. Also, all of the cafés I went to served food (breakfast, lunches) so they can be quite busy preparing dishes as well.
Melbourne was my first stop, and I was able to visit St. Ali, Crue, and Seven Seeds. In Sydney, I made stops at Single Origin, Toby's, and most happily, Mecca.
Melbourne
1. St. Ali. Before I fulfilled my "real" obligations, I did the really important thing: I checked into the hotel, took a shower, and bee-lined it to St. Ali's. The baristi who helped me (Jamie, Angelina, Lucy, and Chris ... hope I spelled their names correctly), served me the following drinks:
First, I had the Costa Rica Herbazu, pulled on the famous "Slayer" as a ristretto. It was very smooth, velvety, caramel. It also was chocolatey, with a hint of citrus. They told me that when they pull it more coarsely, it's more assertively citrus and flowery. Next, I had the Kenya Gaakundo from the vacuum pot. This one was clean, bright, fruity and citrus. Finally, Angelina asked me if I had ever had a cold drip. I was not sure if this was the same as a cold toddy, so I said no, I did not and had a cup; the brew was a Yirgacheffe: thick, viscous, going to syrupy; I recall the striking feature here the hints of cardamom. In any case, I had never seen a "cold drip" like this. It takes four hours to process, and then they chill it for a couple days.
2. Crue. The next day I happened by Crue (closest to my setting at the moment, and recommended by Chris from St. Ali). Crue is a smaller café, and they primarily pull their shots on a Syneso. Will and Craig
traded shifts as baristi, with Leon, the owner in the background. Here I had an El Salvador San Emilio, which as a ristretto was plummy and fruity, and just a little sharp (sort of like the praline one finds in the Ritual Sundae). The Zimbabwe, Pezuru Estate was earthy, tones of dark chocolate, sweet, and smooth. My visit ended with a Bali Gunung Batur Highland.
Interestingly, they (and others I visited) liked the Scottie Callaghan dosing tools, http://www.scottiecallaghan.com/tools.html but at 120 AUD for a bag of them, I think I will stay with my fingers.
3. Seven Seeds. Seven Seeds was a real treat. Not only did they have a cool bike wall (which warmed my heart), they had incredibly knowledgeable baristi. Taylor pulled all my shots, and she was most helpful. First, I began with a Kenya Gerthumbwini, which was peachy, honey-like, floating on the tongue with a short finish. I ended with their espresso blend, but the most memorable drink there was the Ethiopian Aricha (lot 14). It had aromas of strawberry, mango, melon, and dark chocolate. Taylor competed with this one recently (but from a different lot) and mentioned that when it is pulled as a double ristretto, you get pink lemonade.
Sydney
There were a lot of great places to go in Sydney, but limitations of time prevented me from making a grand tour.
1. First I went to Single Origin, since I was staying in Surry Hills. Nick Smith was kind enough to serve me a variety of coffees even with a buzzing morning crowd. There, I had their espresso blend, which had high notes, was nutty with a cherry liquor/kirsch resonance, and mildly spicy. Then, I was served a Northern Rivers Australian coffee (unaware before this that there even was Australian Coffee from NSW). It was bittersweet, earthy, and caramel. Finally, I had the Ethiopian (Sidamo, I believe) in a "plunger" (or French Press). It tasted like huckleberries on a waffle.
[Incidentally, I went to a place for dinner and had an after-dinner espresso: they served a Single Origin blend. I did something I have never done: I kindly told them that I was sorry, but I could not drink it and confidently stated that they soured the shot. To my surprise, the waiter thanked me, got someone else on their Syneso, and pulled the shot for me. Hey, it worked! It was back up to par.]
2. Toby's on City Rd. was a great café, great location, with a counter lined with HB espresso machines, most of them E61s, tamps, and other paraphernalia. I tried their heavy bodied India Monsoon Malabar, and then what I thought was a Costa Rican bean as a ristretto, but they were so busy that I could not get clear on this. Later, I was offered a complimentary piccolo. So, I drank it. It was hard for me to discern too much about it, except that it was milky, but enjoyable.
3. One of my favorite coffee moments on the Sydney leg of my trip was Mecca. I wrote Mecca in advance, and Paul was kind enough to respond to me while still in Brazil, sourcing, and set up a cupping date! I stopped by their roasters on Cleveland St., and we cupped three coffees.
We cupped the new Brazilian beans, an Ethopian Beloya, and the Kenya Gethumbwini. I liked the later two so much that I took a bag of each home with me. The Brazilan had aromas of plumb and lime; the Beloya was extremely aromatic, and Paul nailed the "honey dew," along with berry notes. In the Gerthumbwini, again, Paul helped me find the blackberry notes, though I was still looking for the peachy, honey aromas that I had with Gerthumbwini in Melbourne at Seven Seeds. It's amazing how the "same" coffee can yield a spectrum of aromas. (As an aside, Chris Tacy figured prominently in our discussions of "super-tasters"! And though I do not know him personally—only what I have read by him—he is apparently world-renowned and not merely a local HB phenomenon
.) 
Finally, in an unexpected stop on the way to the airport the morning I left Sydney, I had breakfast and coffee at Allpress. Although I had heard good things about Allpress, and the café looked sharp, I had two disappointing drinks (the "ristretto" was thin, weak, and flat; the macchiato was milky with a half-hearted attempt at "latte art"). But with my Mecca beans in tow, and the hospitality of all the other baristi and roasters, I left Australia on a bright note.
Anthony
