Coffee Wrap Up - For Now

The Melbourne Coffee Review 2010 Guide is out in good bookshops and newsagencies now, and naturally the first inclination for all coffee geeks (and wannabes) is to find out whether their favourite haunts have obtained or retained their three-bean score. After all, coffee is as subjective as wine; some like their coffees light and fruity (hello P, how are you?), some like their coffees Italian-style (hey JG), others like their coffees nutty and intense (hey that’s me!) or strong and chocolatey (the rest of the Foodie Team). A favourite is affected as much by the season and origin of the coffee bean as it is by the roaster and barista.

In the case of the Foodie Team, the focus this year has not just been about finding our favourite baristas (e.g. the redhead mo-bro at Handsome Steve’s, Chris in the Brunswick branch of Toby’s Estate, Jesse at Dancing Goat) but also our favourite beans and blends for use on percolator and stovetop. On the point of coffee trends, Toshi from the St Ali family has certainly made his mark as one of the top siphon-coffee brewers in the country, even becoming the Australian spokesperson for the siphon-equipment manufacturer Hario. Those who enjoy their Kenyan beans will do well to watch out for the smooth and clean flavours the siphon exposes in a well-roasted Kenyan.

We have also been fascinated by:

- the financial success of the cup that looks like a disposable coffee cup – what happened to the normal mug and lid?

- the oddity of the cold drip at Outpost – “it takes five hours to set up?!”

- the user-friendly coffee filter for a cup – golden mesh or ceramic makes more sense than paper, of course, and

- the Vacuum Press.

How the baristas in town view and encourage or discourage the use of these coffee making equipment in 2010 will be something to watch out for. The Foodie Team, drooling over the latest release of coffee machines and pondering over the Vacuum Press, will not be moving away from the percolator and stovetop just yet. There is always that thing known as "tight on budget".

This year also saw the scale-back of coffee franchises as the independent cafes re-took the suburbs and street corners with their brunch-pumping kitchens, homemade muffin displays, home blends and single origin offerings. The caffe latte continued its reign as Australia’s favourite way of enjoying coffee, while the increase in coffee sales signs using “fair trade” and “organic” continued.

The Nicaraguan bean has certainly conquered mocha taste buds this year whether roasted by Padre, Jasper or Toby’s Estate, but Toby’s organic Mexican has had the most successful fan accumulation rate from what we can gather (or rather, from whom we have gathered). A Guatemalan is tastier cold than hot (try as a double shot over two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream), but the Brunswick East Project boys know their Padre blend kicks butt whether in a silky latte or an iced coffee served in a bowl. While the idea of drinking a Veneziano or Vittoria Gold blend at home has yet to cross our minds, Jasper’s has enjoyed a nice steady income from its blends courtesy of SL’s filling orders from overseas.

While FH enjoyed an El Salvador short macchiato at Yahava Swan Valley (WA), I struggled to ever go beyond the “sour” verdict for the same bean in Victoria. We have had no luck with Zimbabwe, and the Indonesian beans have also failed to impress this year. Brazil’s fame was only justified via a Cup of Excellence bean found ever so briefly at Seven Seeds, and we mourned over the fact that Seven Seeds only offered its Neopolitan blend for one day after the Victorian State Barista Championships. Coffee that tastes like Neopolitan ice cream is just bamboozling and marvellous at the same time. The light pleasing tones from Rwanda and East Timor continued to rule the aisles though much avoided by the Foodie Team (they do get ever so boring unless served in Clover style) and India’s offerings divided baristas and coffee geeks. Intense, nutty and earthy at the best of time, beans of Indian origin have been described as “powerful”, “metallic”, “bitter bitter bitter” and “bloody” as well.

Back to the 2010 guide. The guide, which scores independently from the blog of the same name, is unsurprising in its conclusion though coffee geeks may struggle to work out what happened to the three-bean members of previous years such as Mart 130 and Dancing Goat. Melbourne’s love affair with the St Ali family continues, with all three key members (St Ali, Brother Baba Budan and Seven Seeds) being the only cafes to get three beans this year. Luckily, to ensure that the Foodie Team is not dismissed as a bunch of idiots for having “issues” with the St Ali family this year (I knew I was in trouble when Chris at Toby’s Estate exclaimed “Shame on you!” after I confessed I was not a fan of Seven Seeds), the guide also awarded 2.5 beans to the following cafes:

- Atomica Caffe, 268 Brunswick St Fitzroy

- Auction Rooms, 103-107 Errol Street North Melbourne

- Brunswick East Project

- Maling Room, 206 Canterbury Road, Canterbury

- Social Roasting Company, http://www.socialroasting.com.au/

- The First Pour

- Toby’s Estate

I think I will save my money and keep reading the blog.