Ok I know this is BNE COFFEE aka a Brisbane based coffee blog but this past July I was in New York for a few days and in our travels I stopped at a few different cafe’s .. most of which I was not impressed with. In fact the worst espresso I had was in Little Italy. Then on my last day in the big apple I was getting ready to give up on finding a decent coffee when I stumbled upon Macchiato Espresso Bar in midtown. After all the bad experiences I nervously entred to what was a surprisingly very cool modern vibe. I had ordered a piccolo and was amazed at how good this coffee was.
The service was fast and the staff were very friendly. They seemed to attract the business crowd but there were a few tourists lurking as well (inlcuding me). I loved the whole look of the cafe. It was bright, modern and classy and it fit perfectly into its midtown location. You’ll find Macchiato Espresso Bar a few blocks east of grand central station on 141 East 44th Street.
Before we left I had a double shot latte and I was again very impressed by the quality of the coffee. The pour was pretty close to perfect and the over all taste was strong with no bitterness to be found. So .. if you find yourself in New York and can’t find a decent coffee these guys are worth a visit. For info check out http://www.macchiatocafe.com
Categorized in Cafe Review
One Drop Specialty Coffee is located at the base of the Cardno building / Green Square on St Pauls Terrace in Fortitude Valley. Owners Ben Graham and Blaine Swanborough are seriously passionate about coffee. One Drop sources its beans from a local roaster located in Brendale on Brisbanes North side.
The boy’s have two grinders running at all times so you can choose from the house blend which is a multi origin FTO bean .. It’s origins are Honduran, Ethiopian and East Timor or there current single origin direct trade bean which at the moment is Cuban. After being here nearly every morning since they opened the doors last week I still can’t decide if I like the house blend or the Cuban single origin more. This morning I am leaning towards the Cuban. I’d describe the house blend as strong and smooth to the taste while the Cuban single origin is on the stronger side.
Quality control is very high here and the staff are super friendly. Since opening its doors last week I have watched it get busier and busier as office workers and locals catch on to this hidden gem. Having lived and worked in the valley area I can tell you that there are plenty of cafe’s but very little decent coffee. One Drop is already standing out in the crowd as one of the serious coffee spots in Brisbane so if your in the valley make sure you drop in. Just don’t sit on the stool in the corner .. thats my seat!
Wanna know more? Check out there website @ http://www.onedrop.com.au
Categorized in Mobile Blog
Tags: One Drop Specialty Coffee
When I started this blog the first cafe I planned on reviewing was Caffeine Espresso in Teneriffe Qld. Well all I can say is .. better late then never. Caffeine Espresso was the brainchild of Mark Pearce who opened the cafe in the trendy suburb of Teneriffe just as the suburb was making a name for itself. Last year Mark sold Caffeine Espresso in order to focus on his new roasting operation “Cleanskin Coffee Co”. Caffeine Espresso still uses its in house bean “krank” which is still roasted by Mark Pearce via Cleanskin Coffee Co. I have to say I do miss the days when the roasting machine was sitting at the front of the shop as it added a real vibe to the place. That being said the coffee is still amazing the staff are still very friendly.
I ordered my usual double shot latte and as usual it was flawless. The pour was near perfect which is what makes the krank blend so great. Its smooth and strong all at the same time with no hint of that over bearing bitterness sometimes found in some the locally roasted beans. Between the great service and the quality locally roasted krank blend Caffeine Espresso should be on every coffee lovers list of cafe’s to visit in Brisbane.
Cafe: Caffeine Espresso (Teneriffe)
Web: www.caffeineespresso.com
Category: Locally roasted
Beans in use: Krank
Wireless Internet: none
Date: Wednesday, July 1rst 2009
Categorized in Cafe Review
Chocolate Soldier Espresso Bar – 275 George Street ( initial stop in review )
I stopped into Chocolate Espresso Bar on its second day of operations and was promptly met by very friendly staff who were happy to have a chat inbetween customers which straight away gets one thumb up from me because we all know a good cafe is about more then just a good espresso. I will do a full write up in the next week or so but for today I had a wicked take away latte .. tripple shot ristretto style .. yeah thats how I roll! They use Campo’s beans and they know there stuff so be sure to stop in next time your on George Street. Check the pics for now and stay tuned for the full write up.
275 George Street Brisbane
chocolate soldier espresso bar inside shot
Categorized in Uncategorized
When the former owner of one of my favorite cafe / roasters (caffeine espresso) decided to open up his own roasting operation I had high expectations. When I sat down with owner Mark Pearce and a few other espresso addicts for some sample shots of his new espresso blend “re:hab” I was blown away. Seriously, it was the best kick in the face double shot latte I have ever had. The standard of quality in this blend alone has raised the bar of what I consider a quality cup of coffee.
Cleanskin Coffee Co have many different blends on offer including my favorite single origin of all time their direct trade cuban blend which you absolutley must try. For more info check out http://www.cleanskincoffeeco.com.au
Categorized in Mobile Blog
Tags: Espresso, roasters
Ok, this has been a long time coming. I have finally gotten around to writing my first coffee blog. Growing up in the blue collar town of Windsor Ontario Canada I was all about peculated coffee, Tim Horton’s coffee to be exact. Better known as doughnut shops then coffee shops they are a part of the culture of working class Canadians and Americans alike. They are generally opened 24 hours, most of them have drive trough’s and a very large selection of doughnuts, bagels and sandwiches. Sometime in the late 90’s I started getting into espresso and particularly cappuccino’s and latte’s. It wasn’t until I moved to Brisbane Australia that I started really getting into what is now called coffee culture.
In the past four or five years myself and a few of my friends who are very into our espresso have watched the coffee scene in Brisbane explode. There are two types of cafes I frequent. The first of which are roasters because they roast there own blends of coffee either in house or in a nearby facility within Brisbane. The second type is a cafe that imports its beans rather then roasting in house. So I break it down into the two categories of “roasters” and “importers” Coffee snobs or “purists” will tell you that the only way to drink espresso is from locally roasted beans because they are the freshest. While I agree that locally roasted beans are definitely the freshest I also believe that properly transported imported beans can be just as good in the hands of the right barista. Which leads me to the very first cafe I am going to highlight in my coffee blog.
Cafe: Cremosa Espresso Bars
Web: www.cremosa.com.au
Category: Imported beans
Beans in use: Locally Roasted
Date: Tuesday December 16th, 2008
Post updated Wendesday September 9th 2009
As an avid drinker of fresh locally roasted beans when I discovered Cremosa Espresso Bar on the corner of Queen and Wharf Street in Brisbane’s CBD I was simply amazed at the quality and strength this bean brought to the table. Its a strong yet very smooth taste that is very unlike most of the stronger espresso’s I have had in the past. I am of two opinions on the subject of aftertaste. On one had I kind of like the strong aftertaste you get from some of the local roasters. On the other hand the Hausbrandt bean used at Cremosa is just as strong but leaves the heavy aftertaste behind. It is one of the smoothest imported espresso’s I have ever had the privilege to drink.
For me a good cafe is 50% great coffee and 50% great service. If either one is lacking to much its just not worth it to me. If I don’t feel comfortable spending time and just hanging out in a cafe it wont matter how good the coffee is, I simply will not stick around. Cremosa is owned by Fabio Strati who is a local Barista who has been on the coffee scene for years. He is also one of the best barista’s I know. Fabio and all of his staff always make you feel welcomed and they always remember your drink of choice. Fabio takes great pride in his coffee and in making sure the rest of his staff are well trained before they are even allowed to serve espresso to the public. In my experience a lot of cafes fall down when they try to maintain a high standard of great coffee day after day. Cremosa excels at quality control and I can easily say I have not once been served a bad coffee at any of the three Cremosa Espresso Bar locations.
Cremosa fits both of my key criteria of great coffee and great service. Next time your in the Brisbane CBD I highly recommend you give Cremoa’s Espresso Bar a shot. For more information on locations check out the Cremosa website at www.cremosa.com.au .. if you want to be served by Fabio himself you can usually find him at the Aurora Cremosa on the corner of Queen and Wharf Street in downtown Brisbane.
Check out the Cremosa Espresso Bar Regulars facebook club @ http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=724335154&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=31135964093
Categorized in Uncategorized
Its not often that you find a quality cafe in a shopping centre but lately I’ve been very impressed with the coffee being poured at Cibo Espresso in Westfield Chermside.
I’m noy usually the type to frequent chain shops being the coffee snob that I am. But i thought this particular Cibo deserved a shout out. I’ve found myself here quite a few times in the past month and the qaulity control has been flawless so far. The staff are always friendly and you even get some pretty decent coffee art to look at.
So if you find yourself at Chermside Westfields and your in need of some quality brew but you make sure you stop by. Lets just hope Westfields managment gives up on the idea of charging for parking.
Categorized in Mobile Blog
Tags: Cibo Espresso
