Espresso 3121, Cremorne

Espresso 3121 made this years Top 100 and rightfully so. It's got its own style here and I really like it. Seems like a lot of regulars coming and going. I'm not going to talk so much about the flawless piccolo latte I was served here...

Espresso 3121 reminded me just how comprehensive and broad the coffee industry is now and I'd like to ponder that with you. People who know this cafe know it well. I can see by the way they interact as customers, clients and neighbours. They have a massive flat screen on the wall with their live twitter feed... great touch. Especially considering it's a sure way to advertise another way to order your coffee in the morning. Tweet it in! Doesn't that just show you how far this industry has come! Displayed on the wall, a black silhouette world map illustrating the origins of the coffee served and sold here.

I had a moment of appreciation for the vastness of what comes in a take away cup to us on our way to work, or the afternoon espresso that saves our day. Recognising value of knowing exactly where the 'single origin' of your coffee comes from in order to give credit to a farmer living in perfect conditions growing thousands of trees and combing each one in whatever form they deem fit. To find a cherry that conceals, colour and fruit, to pick it only when it's ready. To dedicate your labour, intensively to each cherry and reveal beneath the layers and after all your time, a simple green bean.

Now, to think of the relationship that each bean has with how many people, countries and cultures before it even reaches our lips in the morning. It's huge! The entire process, I could tell you about it all day. To be able to specify exactly where my coffee has come from to satisfy me this day, is a moment of appreciation for the work before the cup. To be able to tweet my order before I leave my house, is a matter of the future. Tomorrow when you take that first sip, stop, reflect and take time to, remember the journey and not just the destination.

Table Talk - Hawthorn

Cute Cute Cute…. I love it when people realise that food and coffee can go hand in hand with other things! Table Talk Cafe on Glenferrie Road has paired a cute little cafe with a homewares and gift shop where you can sit and sip amongst the products and throughout. They use organic, fair trade Red Star coffee through a neat la Scala machine. My flat white has come to me in a cute ceramic ‘latte glass shaped’ cup with a bright red star on it. Really great actually, perfect temperature and decently texturised milk. The staff are smily and quick to serve and obviously enjoy being here. It would be nice to sit and relax here and have a few coffee’s, or a little meeting as I’m sure the various Hawthorn 9-5ers in the area do. They cater for grab and go lunches and afternoon tea’s with some yummy treats on display. If you’re in the area be sure to stop by and say Hi to Jaison and have a coffee and a browse.

Red Door Corner Store - Northcote

What a little treasure to find. The Red Door Corner Store is a neat little place on the corner of Mitchell and Andrew Street in Northcote. I arrived on a sunny Saturday at the tail end of a breakfast rush to find, people reading newspapers outside on bright red tables in the sun. A buzz and hum inside met with clever and cute eye catching enamel pots and pans and all things red can be found here. Muffin trays and the like have been framed and decorate a whole wall on one side. It is a feast for my eyes. Tables dressed with flakey sea salt and red pepper grinders along with raw sugar bowls and mismatched art deco, 50’s style cutlery. Serving Gravity coffee in gorgeous cups and saucers, quaint and sweet attention to detail has been paid. My flat white was the perfect temperature and beautifully presented and although it wasn’t as strong as I would have preferred it was still a lovely cup of coffee. I watched as plate after plate of delicious breakfast feasts pass me by and remind myself to come back for a feed another day. I decided to try the Gravity as an espresso to see if it had more punch in it. I think that I should have stuck to my regular flat white as it was the least favourite part of my experience here and its crema did not last long at all. The milk based coffee’s here are just fine and are a compliment to the fabulous food and venue on offer. A lush and green courtyard to catch the rays in and slow the day down is available or you could grab a red and white ‘keep cup’ and get it on the run with your breaky groceries from the Red Door Corner Store.