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Photo Credit: courtesy of ASCA
Two Countries, One Passion
Williams (left) with jury members at the 2014 Australia Coffee Championships
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Photo Credit: courtesy of Bunker Coffee
Two Countries, One Passion
Creative director Penny Wolff lends a helping hand at her Dandelion & Driftwood Café in Brisbane.
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Photo Credit: courtesy of Bunker Coffee
Two Countries, One Passion
Creative director Penny Wolff lends a helping hand at her Dandelion & Driftwood Café in Brisbane.
Australia and New Zealand share a British tea-drinking heritage but their coffee consuming cultures are by no means boring or stagnant. In fact, the recent past has brought on remarkable developments in both countries – at a pace that is accelerating.
In the land “Down Under”, drinking coffee has become as much a part of the daily lifestyle as enjoying an ice-cold beer after work, savoring a rich and tasty steak-and-kidney pie for lunch, or relishing a glass of flavorsome domestic wine at dinner. It certainly wouldn’t be wrong to claim that a very large proportion of Australians are, in fact, almost obsessive coffee lovers. After all, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that in 2012 – the latest data released – an astonishing 57.3% of those 18 and older consume coffee or coffee-related drinks daily.
Coffee to the forefront
“Although Australia was a tea-drinking nation, following its British roots, American soldiers first popularized coffee in the country during the Second World War,” explains Brent Williams, president of the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA). “A wave of Italian immigration in the middle of the 20th century further helped spread coffee [consumption] in Sydney. Espresso-based coffees are today the drink of choice throughout the country, with lattes being most popular, closely followed by cappuccinos and flat whites,” he said.
The younger generation also has increasingly embraced specialty coffees in recent years.“Virtually all drinks are espresso-based, although some specialty cafés are promoting alternative brewing methods via brewed coffee to better highlight the nuances of very high-grade coffees,” said Williams. “I think we are going to see filter coffee grow as consumers become more aware of high-grade coffees. Our strong foodie scene also has embraced specialty coffee, with hundreds of local roasters creating a competitive market with high quality coffee available virtually everywhere,” he said, adding that “Australian coffee consumers are some of the most discerning in the world.”
Cafés everywhere
Virtually every major town and city in the country has developed its very own, individual café scene, with Melbourne arguably being Australia’s uncrowned coffee capital (although other places would probably challenge that notion).
“The majority of Melbournians, it is expected, start their day with coffee – and a large proportion of those seek this coffee from cafés on their way to work, rather than making it at home,” said Kayla Blackmore, who is a tea expert and current member of the Australasian Specialty Tea Association (AASTA). There is strong competition between cafés to present only the best brews to their customers and striving to deliver a solid product each time. In this market it would be simply impossible for cafés to serve mediocre brews and survive for long, she said.
A good meal with coffee …
Apart from grabbing a quick cup on the way to work, going out for breakfast with friends and family is also a favorite pastime in Melbourne, especially on weekends, according to lackmore. But lunchtime also is a busy time for many cafés - and not only in Melbourne but elsewhere in the country as well.
Across Australia and particularly in urban areas the majority of venues double as restaurants; or rather, they are cafés with an extensive food menu.
Australians worship their savory native fare just as much as their coffee, so it seems only natural that these two culinary aspects should go hand in hand. One can visit for just a quick, solitary cup of coffee or linger at leisure for a delicacy-laden brunch rounded off by a sophisticated serving of espresso, latte, or cappuccino.
… but also great on its own
Standalone cafés that are primarily dedicated to serving the perfect cup are not the norm, but the exception. They usually are little more than hole-in-the-wall establishments located in residential areas or near the main business centers, where neighbors can meet for an afternoon chat over a cup or two and commuters get their early morning caffeine fix before entering their workplaces. Most sell pastries, cakes, and a limited selection of savory snacks.
Suppliers keep the beans rolling
With such an expansive café landscape, it’s not surprising that Australia sustains a correspondingly large number of coffee brands and coffee roasting companies.
There are currently more than 200 coffee franchise brands, more than 600 coffee roasters, and “we probably have close to a dozen importers,” according to Williams. While Melbourne is generally considered as the heartland of specialty coffee companies, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth are not trailing far behind. “They also have some great coffee roasters there, who could certainly compete with what we see in Melbourne,” said Williams.
My own beans, my own caféMany of these suppliers also operate their very own cafés, usually under their brand name, such as St. Ali, Market Lane, and Proud Mary in Melbourne, Bunker Coffee and Dandelion & Driftwood in Brisbane, or Coffee Alchemy in Sydney. Besides engaging in direct sales to the end consumer, these roasters additionally cater to independent cafés, too, which is a great way to keep the market competitive.
“While some [independent] cafés lock in contracts, many others prefer to leave them open so they can switch between roasters, encouraging [their suppliers to produce consistently] high quality coffee. There are a handful of coffee chains, but they’re mainly restricted to high street areas and shopping centers,” explains Williams.
Hunker down in the bunker
Multi roaster Bunker Coffee operates in a Brisbane neighborhood – and never was a venue name chosen more aptly. As the company name suggests, the café literally occupies a bunker built by a local resident in the 1940s as a tiny, reinforced concrete air raid shelter in fear of bombings by the Imperial Japanese Air Force.
Neglected and decaying for decades, Bunker Coffee eventually took over the location. Renovated and decorated by owner Marcus Allison, it is probably the most unusual coffee-only shop in the whole country.
“The walls and ceiling are covered in a creeping fig inside and out. The fit-out was built by myself and consists of wood, rusted steel and natural stone. The ambience is relaxed and down to Earth, yet extremely quality-focused,” Allison proudly describes the prevailing atmosphere.
The interior space is a miniscule 15 square meters with seating for five customers. But outside along both the vine-covered walls to the left and right of the open-fronted entrance Allison has set up benches and stools under large sunshades that can accommodate a further 15 to 20 coffee aficionados. Welcoming a steady trickle of local business workers and residents throughout the day, as well as tourists, Bunker Coffee Café obviously thrives on an almost palpable community spirit. This is a place where one meets old friends and makes new ones, engaging in a friendly chat while enjoying a great cup of coffee.
While space is extremely limited, this is more than compensated by the amazing weekly line-up of different coffees.
“As a multi-roaster, we curate the offerings from Australia’s leading roasters. Each week, we offer a total of five coffees from two different roasters and rotate through twelve roasters over 12 weeks. Occasionally we even bring in coffees from world-renowned roasters abroad. As far as I know, no other café currently has a coffee program this ambitious,” said Allison. His staff of five baristas serves 400 coffees a day, requiring approximately 200 kilos of coffee a month.
Word of mouth works best
Bunker Coffee recently started offering its own ready-to-drink iced coffee; filter coffee and chocolate milk in 330ml glass bottles. But marketing is primarily word of mouth “and through articles such as this one” as Allison puts it. “Our vision is for constant improvement and re-evaluation. Obviously, the aesthetic of our shop is what really sets us apart from our competitors. After that, our coffee rotation, quality control, professional staff, and unique ambience is what hopefully keeps people coming back.”
Dandelion & Driftwood, another popular Brisbane café, started as a coffee roastery before opening a café under its name, exclusively serving its own coffee products.
The cafés positioning statement “Aaaaahhhhhhhh, simple pleasures…” apparently represents the sigh of pleasure from the first sip of an exceptional coffee, according to creative director Penny Wolff, who co-owns and operates the venue with her husband Peter, a certified master roaster who created the Dandelion & Driftwood brand.“It’s the way it makes you feel, the magic of that glorious cup in your hand - and that is the essence of the Dandelion and Driftwood business!” she elaborates.
Comfortable environs
Of course, that magic also immediately envelopes a customer as soon as they step over the threshold. The café emanates tempered yesteryear elegance seamlessly interwoven with warm, homely unpretentiousness. Fabric chairs, vintage pressed-metal feature walls, and old-style bar counter lighting: This is a place where one wants to settle down for a while, a venue that pushes the boundaries between old and new and merges old-school service with a modern twist. “Our mission is to understand the coffee consumer and to empower each and every customer by offering high-quality single-origin and blended coffee. We aim to widen their palate experiences and encourage them to explore options at a level that will continue to vibrate with them,” said Penny Wolff.
Know thy coffee
The café exclusively serves coffee roasted by Peter Wolff, both special blends and an array of single-origin coffees that change every couple of days. Packaged ground or whole-bean coffee for home are sold, too, and each pack comes with cupping ,notes and additional information on origin, estate, altitude, variety, and processing.
“It’s all about being completely transparent, sharing the knowledge and allowing the customer to make a judgment about what it is that they are after all consuming,” explains Penny Wolff.
For example, the company’s Dandelion Blend focuses on the feminine and imparts a delicate fruitiness and brightness that is both memorable and comforting, while the Driftwood Blend is decidedly more masculine, a robust and earthy aroma sensation that – in the words of Penny Wolff – “explodes in your mouth giving you a risky action hero experience.”
Unlike Bunker Coffee, Dandelion & Driftwood Café belongs in the “coffee-and-food” category that is so dominant across Australia. A quick glance at the establishment’s menu reveals “Granny’s Famous Savoury Mince”, the “Big Bad Wolff Sandwich”, and the mouth-watering “Creamy Chicken & Leek Pie”, which together with some 20 other, equally delectable dishes can be ordered all day long.
Fill’er up, please!
Almost ingenious in its nature is Dandelion & Driftwood’s “coffee refill” offer. Customer can purchase an amber-colored glass bottle filled with freshly brewed coffee of their choice and take it home. Once emptied, they simply take that re-useable bottle back to the café and have it re-filled. Penny Wolff: “It is like in the olden days when you would pull up at the service station for [car] fuel and say ‘$10 refill’ or ‘$20 refill’.”