Is Melbourne espresso crap?

Spjarli_Coffee

Hi Admin and thanks for your response, I

admin

Hi Spjarli - no problem...FYI we have members from Qld, SA, WA as well as Vic & NSW; while one of the most prolific forum members is from Canberra. You have a point about the title of the post 'Australian' vs 'Melbourne' coffee, but in fact, it was partly to get more input from VIC coffee lovers that phrased the post as we did. The consensus seemed to be (in as much that you can generalise) that milk-based coffes in Melbourne were fine - it was with short blacks that there seemed to be a question. FYI, the Melbourne writer whose e-mail started the post was referring to Wall 280, where I'd always had good coffees (but they were all milk-based). Ciao -Admin

admin

Interesting to see that the press in Melbourne has finally cottoned onto a subject we've been asking questions about for a couple of years. Epicure section of The Age in Melbourne has interviews with several senior Melb. coffee people in questioning the 'accepted wisdom' that Melb. is the Coffee Capital of Australia. The article talks about Melbourne being 'old school' and goes on to say: 'We have had 50 years of Italian coffee-mafia here, and some of Melbourne's "new school" roasters don't think that is all it's cracked up to be'. According to Justin Metcalfe [director of [i]Cafe Learning[/i], a coffee and cafe consultancy business & chairman of the World Barista Championship] 'we've got a coffee culture, but it is one influenced by the big commercial players'. And Wells Trenfield, a director of Jasper Coffee - and as passionate and stern a coffee advocate as you're likely to meet - puts it this way, and very measuredly: 'Melbourne: I have a strong view. We are mostly bereft of knowledge about coffee. We might be sophisticated about latte, but not coffee, particularly when compared to Sydney'. The article goes on to say: 'Heretical though it may sound to a Melburnian... Sydney, New Zealand and Seattle - which led the American boutique coffee roasting revolution - have better coffee'. Nice that what we've been saying for several years is finally being recognised! Admin. 😉

Remus

is this a trick question ? ??? i thought everything in melbourne was crap compared to sydney. 8)

admin

Hi Remus - just a quick footnote with respect to the actual title of this post - it was really just to encourage vigorous discussion [partially prompted by the difficulties a local Melbournian was having finding a decent shot - see post at the beginning of this thread]. For the record, I love Melbourne; it's just that from a coffee perspective, I've felt a certain amount of complacency for a number of years... it's almost as if the thought is: 'we are the coffee capital of Australia; we have the best coffee, therefore we really don't have to bother' Best Admin

nzroaster

Unfortunately you are all right!!! There is bad coffee in every city all over the world. You have to find the places that serve good coffee and support the (as many have mentioned). In regards to the cafe ratings I also have to agree, many who have coffee rated at 5 stars have served me undrinkable swill on more than one occassion. And going right back to the begining, almost 2 years, Espresso_Amore - get a clue! You import stale coffee! Italians may have started the espresso culture but to say that there coffee is soo much better than ours is as ridiculas as generalising sydney Vs melbourne coffee. I have some undrinkable robusta samples you might enjoy.

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