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.