Friday, March 27, 2015

Tripping on coffee in Melbourne

For a South Indian who's grown up on a staple diet of filter coffee ('kapi' for those in the mood to nitpick), it's difficult to shake me from my preference for how it's made the traditional way. I can't stand the instant variety and my biggest peeve (come to think of it, probably my only peeve) about travelling is not getting my morning cuppa. But that's not to say I won't taste any other kind. In fact, I am quite enthusiastic about tasting and have even come to relish a few, though for sheer comfort, it's always the filter coffee. But I digress. So on a cloudy, slightly nippy Saturday morning, I went on a coffee tour in Melbourne with Maria Paoli of Evolving Success, gazing at quirky and unusual cafes, and came away fascinated and impressed. Not to mention of course that I was so loaded up on caffeine, I could bounce around for a whole week. Oh well...


Padre Coffee which leads Melbourne's new wave coffee movement and their beautifully creamy, rich and invigorating coffee below.


The Hardware Societe, a yuppie hangout where the queue usually goes round the block, especially during weekends.


Krimper, (above) located in a warehouse kind of place banked on the place's history as a cabinet factory, was utterly cool and their 10 hour cold drip brew (below) served with a large blob of ice had the finesse of vintage liquor.

I got a glimpse of the cold brew process at the quirky Little Mule Cafe.


It was also quite a surprise to stumble across a cafe called Brother Baba Budan; the lush, green slopes of Bababudangiri and Chickmagalur came to mind.


But the most endearing experience was a day later at Heronswood Garden, just outside Melbourne, where the coffee was nice and rich, served in a set of bright mismatched cup and saucer and came with that most English of things - fluffy scones with clotted cream and blueberry jam. This is the stuff of complete bliss!