Sydney's Best Coffee...

admin · November 2008

PS - in terms of process, just thought I should mention a couple of further things: 1) each reviewer compares like with like in terms of the espresso drinks that review - ie one person will only look at short blacks; another will only look at flat whites, etc 2) in addition to the industry professionals, we have several 'prosumer' people on the panel [depending on city] - to give a consumer perspective, including myself as editor. -A

askthecoffeeguy · November 2008

I see that Luca has had a sex change overnight

admin · December 2008

Went to Velluto Nero in the Sydney [city] the other day - apparently rated top cafe in Sydney by Sydney Morning Herald recently... nothing special - the coffees we had did have a nice rosetta, but very little body or character - basically an OK milky flat white. Will go back to check on espresso shots next time, otherwise can't quite work out what the fuss was about - has anyone else tried this place? -A

admin · December 2008

Hi guys - will be posting our Sydney's Best Cafes 2009 here on Monday, to co-incide with the release of the Summer issue in newsagents! best -A

psaigh · December 2008

I feel the tension mounting!! ..Can't wait to see the results

admin · December 2008

Hi guys - the delay was because we wanted to advise the cafes before we released the list! - congratulations to the following cafes:

over_extracted · December 2008

That's quite an impressive list there Admin. Congratulations to all listed.

OE

JohnB · May 2009

Could I ask a question which might seem odd to some, but is vitally important to me?: Are any of these great cafes open late? I can tell you Mecca and Campos aren't (snuck into one by minutes, and was shut out of the other by the same), I can't imagine Toby's (City rd) would be open late in its location. One of the great things about Melbourne was being able to get top-grade coffee relatively (Buba's) or quite (Degraves) late, and in some districts very late (Brunswick st) - even if not the best in town - most nights of the week. The only place I've come across which looks like it might work is Citrus (?) Newtown - still haven't tried the coffee, though. Any other late-night caf addicts out there?

admin · May 2009

Hi John - that's a really good point - it would be very interesting to know which [if any] cafes are open late. Actually, until a few years ago, the only ones I knew of were in the 'Italian precincts' - eg Leichhardt or Stanley St, City; however, you weren't always guaranteed the best coffee! -A

admin · August 2009

just had a perfect picolo latte earlier this week from Toby's at Camperdown - Aniken made it for me on the Idrocompresso - thanks mate, that was the best shot I've had in a long time! -A

mrblack · November 2009

My current faves: Workshop Espresso beautiful [newish] hole-in-the-wall on George St CBD [own blend from Tobys + regular rotation of SOs]. The Little Marionette in Balmain makes me smile. Great coffee, [own beans] vibe & sense of community. Single Origin in Surry Hills just keeps crankin' along

admin · November 2009

Hey mrB - thanks for the feedback - hadn't heard of Workshop - always good to get updates on great new spots!

hazchem · July 2010

this thread has been quiet for a while, so here's my two cents .... Not mentioned yet - Coffee Alchemy/Flint and Steel Addison Rd Marrickville - Flat out the BEST espresso bar in Sydney & one of the best in the country. Hazel de los Reyes is a passionate and dare I say magical roaster. Her skills as a barista, along with offsider Dan are of the highest quality. Every day you can expect at least 1 espresso blend, 3 Single Estate espressos and 4 or more single estate pour over offerings. This outlet is really all about Hazel's passion for the quality green coffee she is able to source and wanting to serve it in the best way she possibly can. Small space, no food offerings but it doesn't matter. Open Tuesday - Saturday 8am - 3pm. If you're coming from interstate its minutes from the airport so can be the first thing you do in Sydney after collecting your bag! Beandrinking Ernest Place Crows Nest - While not a new cafe, 2010 has seen some big changes for the team at Beandrinking. Sydney's only Slayer (if that matters to you), Syphon and Pourover bar, cold drip offerings. Always plenty of choices for different beans and blends. They have also invested in a roaster but I'm not sure if its in action yet - please correct me if I'm wrong. Nice choices of sandwiches and hearty soups in winter. I'm having a brain snap on names of the whole team, but the owner, Keith's passion for coffee is shared by the whole team. Good selection of Hario products for sale too! Coffeetrails Lee St Sydney - Location is on the upper left of Henry Deane Plaza as you walk down to the Devonshire St Pedestrian tunnel. Coffee from Single Origin Roasters, Jonno and his team are young, passionate (noticing a theme?) and heavily involved in the local coffee scene. Always offering tasty brews, like the other places I like to frequent they are more than happy to talk about what's on offer that day and what is coming up. Serving espresso based drinks at the moment, I think the Syphon is there to tease but maybe we all just need to goad Jonno into offering some brewed options as well. Nice selection of pies, sandwiches, salads and delicious stuff from Brasserie Bread. Le Monde Foveaux St Surry Hills - Coffee from 5 Senses and is one of the few places in Sydney I can think of that are sourcing from them. Anthony and his sister Renee have transformed a catering business into a thriving cafe over several years. Offering espresso and Clover brewed coffee the team at Le Monde are always seeking innovation in their food and coffee offerings. With a seasonal, changing menu they are always offering great specials and also have a breakfast degustation on offer Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings, paired with coffees. My feeling is that their menu will continue to evolve as the chef looks for ways to innovate cafe food service along with Anthony & his lead Barista Brad's constant seeking of better coffee. All these places have something in common - they are run and owned by passionate, friendly people who love to talk and share what they know about coffee. Its an absolute pleasure to be able to frequent these establishments around Sydney.

admin · September 2010

just out of interest - did a google search for sydney's best cafes' just to see what came up - one was a SMH article from a couple of year's ago [yes, the one that rated Velluto nero no. 1 :-\] and it was amusing to see some of the 'blog' comments that followed, including the following: "I always look for the Segafredo sign when I am after a good coffee. Our local Barista at 'Ogilvies' in Denman (NSW) makes the best." ... just about pissed myself laughing... sorry, but just thought i'd share that with you. A ;D

admin · November 2010

hi guys - we're getting to that time of year again, where we're looking for your input on Sydney's Best Cafes. Am currently working on a shortlist and will be heading up to Sydney mid-week to catch up on some old contacts... if you've got any suggestions, please post here!!

hazchem · November 2010

on 1289792911:

hi guys - we're getting to that time of year again, where we're looking for your input on Sydney's Best Cafes. Am currently working on a shortlist and will be heading up to Sydney mid-week to catch up on some old contacts... if you've got any suggestions, please post here!!

if you'd like to make a new contact (who probably knows some of your old ones ...) I'd be keen to meet up for a brew. Especially if you're going to head to my local Coffee Alchemy ;D aside from the recent additions I made to this thread a few months back we have some new contenders with Klink in the CBD, Room 10 in Potts Point. Possibly 2kF & Sureshot Espresso on the Northern Beaches; I've heard good things but haven't been to either myself. I'll let you know if anything else comes to mind.

scoundrel · November 2010

come into The Rocks and give the locals a spin. We're here and all love our craft, but get disregarded as a tourist haunt... there's a french pattiserie, toby's, campos and two local roasters. I for one would br happy to give any 'top' cafe a run for their $...

cafelawyer · December 2010

True Religion Espresso - Darling St, Balmain Coffee Alchemy - Addison Rd, Marrickville thats my 2cents

DoubleRistretto · December 2010

what's happened to Campos in Newtown? - people used to rave about them a few years ago

hazchem · December 2010

on 1292187438:

what's happened to Campos in Newtown? - people used to rave about them a few years ago

everyone else got better

DoubleRistretto · December 2010

Hey A - just wondered how you're going with best cafes of Sydney - are you aiming to do that for the summer issue?

admin · December 2010

just got back from Sydney; some great cafes... hard to choose! A

admin · December 2010

will be putting up a poll tonight for 'peoples' choice voting - see Bestcafes.com.au home page from around 7.00pm

hazchem · December 2010

so many great places to choose from! my vote has been cast ...

admin · January 2011

... the poll has been up for a couple of weeks now [with a shortlist of Sydney top cafes] -just a final reminder to vote by midnight tonight! A

admin · January 2011

Ok this is how the 'popular choice' went: Pablo & Rusty in Gordon came 1st with 41% of the popular vote, followed closely by Been Drinking in Crows Nest [35%]. Thanks for all your votes and congrats to those two cafes in particular! cheers A PS if you want to see full list with respective votes: http://www.bestcafes.com.au/review/libs/poll/?results=poll_sydney_cafes

admin · January 2011

hi guys - it's been a while coming, but have been through an exhaustive process on this... Sydney's Top Five coming mid-next week, and I think there will be a couple of surprises! A

hazchem · January 2011

on 1295497679:

hi guys - it's been a while coming, but have been through an exhaustive process on this... Sydney's Top Five coming mid-next week, and I think there will be a couple of surprises! A

is it ready yet, is it ready yet? ;D

admin · January 2011

Hi guys - apologies for the delay, as we like to advise cafes in person first; here it is: Crema's Top Sydney Cafes for 2011 . Firstly, a couple of notes; this was extremely tight and our panel of judges agonised over this for some time. Secondly, we go to a huge effort to ensure our methodology is as seemless a way of evaluating this [to ensure no personal interest by judges & also to take account of cafe 'off days'] as possible. Thirdly, it's interesting to note that our No. 1 cafe is not your typically trendy CBD cafe where image is as important as the product... which brings us to the final point to remember - this is not about the food, or the ambience, purely the coffee!! Sydney's Top Cafes for 2011 1. Coffee Alchemy [Marrickville] 2. Mecca [CBD] 3. The Source [Mosman] 4. White Horse [Sutherland] 5. Le Monde [City] Thanks again to the judges, who were of the highest calibre: Emily Oak - WBC Board Member and coffee judge, Scottie Callaghan - 2010 Australian Barista Champ and past World Latte Art Champion, Paul Golding - Operations & coffee bean procurement Manager at Toby's Estate Coffee and Aaron Lucas - Coffeegeek [representing the consumer view]. A PS congrats also to Gnome in Surry Hills, which received the highly respected 'Best up-and-coming' award.

hazchem · January 2011

congratulations to everyone who made the top 5, all these cafes are doing a great job. Sydney coffee is growing rapidly and I suspect its going to be even harder to decide next time around. I'd also like to say a huge thanks to Crema Magazine for inviting me to take part in the panel this year. I was surprised to be asked, and honoured to be a part of this process. A lot of fun! Thanks again.

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