I
see so many parallels between wine and coffee and I'm almost as passionate
about coffee as I am about wine (even more passionate on particularly long
or difficult days and when the jet-lag is really hurting) that I've decided
to add a blog page on the subject of coffee. Where to get great coffee,
latest coffee sensations and my thoughts on what the wine industry can learn
from the coffee world.
Auckland,
New Zealand
I’ve long held the view,
confrontational as it maybe to Australians, that if you want a reliable cup
of coffee go to New Zealand. OK, there was that time that I actually hopped
the counter and showed two, too shocked to protest, old dears how they
should be making double shot espressos but as a rule, New Zealand delivers.
It’s most unlikely that you’d need
to hop the counter at Agnes Curran, (181 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland.
Ph: 09 360 1551 entrance on Franklin Road ) because this discretely sited
cafe with a groovy courtyard and cool cakes serves magnificent double
espressos.....and if they can do that steaming and frothing milk is a
doddle. Well worth the detour from downtown Auckland.
Sydney (Darlinghurst)
A top find for a
terrific espresso in Sydney. I’ve long been a fan of Campos Coffee; their
Newtown coffee shop having been a regular haunt for several years whenever
I’m in Sydney. I discovered that Campos Coffee’s beans are being used at
The Bunker, 399 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst.
Something is going
incredibly right at The Bunker; their coffee tastes even better than at the
Campos Coffee shop. Bunker’s breakfasts are great too, though beware,
it’s a hole-in-the-wall sized place so queuing may be needed. I don’t queue
as a rule but for coffee this good I’d make an exception.
Californian Cup
Living
in Adelaide is living in coffee-paradise; we're blessed to have so many good
and great roasters locally along with numerous excellent cafes which really
care about the espresso shots they serve. But I was reminded the other day
by a photograph emailed to me by a former colleague that we don't have a
monopoly on great coffee and that great coffee can indeed be found in the
USA. The subject line of the email read "Still the best...." and the
photograph is below. Thanks Karen. So, when you're in Santa Rosa or
Healdsburg, California boost your caffeine levels at Flying Goat. Worth a
stop if your tooling along Highway 101 and unless someone can tell me where
to get great coffee in Napa, I'd say the hour's drive each way for a shot
this good is fully justified.
As the
year comes to its natural conclusion it's a sad fact that newspaper editors
have, yet again, missed me off of their list of contributors to their "Best
of...." lists for 2009. No worries, have website: can list.
Here
goes then, the Reedman Coffee Awards for 2009
Best Coffee goes to the Bay Leaf Cafe in Byron Bay. Their
double espressos were consistently outstanding and used locally grown and
roasted beans.
Barista of the Year goes to Elizabeth at the Peet's Coffee
concession in the Bristol Farms store, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles.
Elizabeth not only makes great shots of espresso but never fails to remember
your order and name even when your visits are many months apart. Now, that's
class.
Coffee find of the Year. The Coffee Barun, Sefton Park,
Adelaide. I read a review of Coffee Barun in a magazine and made the trek
to Sefton Park. Mark Barun and his team not only serve great espresso
but roast and sell the best beans in Adelaide; they judiciously steer clear
of over-roasting their beans. A wide range of beans are sold but the ones
which have consistently hit my C-spot are their Ethiopian Harrar Clothilde.
Previous
Espresso Recommendations
South Yarra, Melbourne
I was
recently in Melbourne to visit the US consulate to renew my work visa.
After a 4am wake up to fly from Adelaide, I needed a coffee and found a
stunner that revived body and soul to normal working condition.
Crue
Cafe, 194 Toorak Road, South Yarra
You
might associate that part of town with inflated prices and store staff with
inflated egos, not so at all at Crue: $3 for an outstanding double espresso
served by a well informed and very happy-to-chat barista.