Barista – Prahan. Overall Score 15.59

3a Carlton St, Prahan 3181

Coffee Brand Italcaffe

There are plenty of positives to be found here and not all of them are coffee related. This is a place where the young and sexy hang out ( in no small part because of the dance studio next door) and they are dressed to show off. The place is tiny (refer to the first review), busy and bustling. Service can be inconsistent, and like some places we’ve come across it is completely unclear initially whether table service is provided or not. As you walk in there is generally many folk milling around the counter. On our first visit we joined this throng thinking we were meant to order and pay at the counter. After lining up for five or six minutes we were firmly informed to take a seat and orders would be taken then……just as well we weren’t in a hurry!

The coffee started out well on the first visit with perceivable complexity and freshness. We are willing to admit being initially seduced by the robust blend but over subsequent visits, like many places that use a “commercial” roast, we found that Italcaffe lacked some of the bright vitality and freshness of in-house roasters.

However that is not to say that you cannot get good coffee here. You can and do. The roast is robust, darker in character and easy to like; and, we suspect, easy to use from a barista point of view, lending itself well to all forms of coffee. The score suggests that Barista is not far off a “Highly Recommended” rating. Care and attention to the coffee being served is evident and the presentation and faithfulness to the styles are spot on. Flavour, complexity and freshness of the coffee fluctuates depending on environmental and supply factors, but overall the coffee is of a high quality.

This place lives up to its name, Barista, because if it were called Blend or Roast, things might be different.

Score Summary. NOTE: No ristretto ordered last visit.

Cafe Latte: 16.5, 16, 14

Macchiato: 15.5, 15.5, 15.5

Espresso: 17, 16, 15

Ristretto: 16, 14.5

Overall Mean Score: 15.59. Recommended.

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Barista – Prahan. 3rd Review.

3a Carlton St, Prahan 3181

Friday 13 November 2009 @ 2.30pm. Coffee Brand Italcaffe

Coffee – Espresso.

Score 15/20

By SimonL

In the darker spectrum this coffee wasn’t far removed from the last I had last visit. While there was some pleasing aspects, full-bodied with a smooth, charred cocoa and slightly grainy texture I feel that this particular brand falls short somewhat. It did present well with a deep and gorgeous coloured crema. It seems to lack freshness and vitality and finishes astringent with a drying, wood-like tannin finish and not altogether pleasant bitterness. Certainly the barista’s skill is in no doubt but the brand is. Compared to the places that roast beans on-site, there is a marked difference.

Coffee – Short Macchiato.

Score 15.5/20

By SamW

I couldn’t fault the presentation of this coffee. It just looked perfect and true to style. In fact, the only reason it got this score, was due to the spectacular way it was made. If only looks weren’t deceiving.

Instead of a macchiato, what really stood before was an aggressive hippopotamus. The taste lay waiting beneath the surface, and when it attacked it was too late for me…the dry blend was hidden very well by the presentation and I got bit. My first sip was disappointing and bitter, and the coffee finished with overstated tannins. The Italcaffe blend is letting Barista down, and in this day & age of in-house roasters the skill of the barista can only take you so far.

Coffee – Cafe Latte.

Score 14/20

By SimonL

The presentation and its adherence to style were spot on and it had a decent strong looking colour. But this cafe latte was a bit of a let down this time. Bordering on coffee flavoured milk, this was creamy/milky with little more than a hint of coffee. It was like flavour wanted to present itself but, like trying to climb out of a deep hole with no ladder and smooth sides, it kept sliding back.

Service 3/5

Ambiance 4/5

Busy 4/5

Switchboard Cafe – City. 2nd Review.

11 & 12 Manchester Unity Arcade, 220 Collins St, Melbourne 3000. Corner Swanston & Collins St’s.

Thursday 12 November 2009 @ 8.30am. Coffee Brand – Cafe Supreme – New Zealand.

Coffee – Espresso

Score 17/20

By SimonL

Admittedly there was a fair bit of anticipation in returning to review this place. The coffee is quite full on yet complex and we gave the coffee very good scores the first time. Does it shape up the second time?

You bet.

It was presented in a cool little ceramic cup with a perfect draw of espresso. The aroma was dark and toasty and the crema thick, oily, syrupy and deep golden in colour. It began sweet and rich with mild acidity that abruptly gave way to dark, earthy, cooking chocolate, and woody flavours. There was a slight charry character on the finish that added to the complexity and a gentle, nearly imperceptible bitterness.

An espresso for the espresso addict.

Coffee – Short Macchiato

Score 15.5/20

By SamW

The macchiato served to me made me feel like the BFG holding a spa. The cup was huge, which dwarfed the coffee.  The taste was deep and rich like smoldered toffee. I really enjoy this blend because it is very bold, strong and to the point. There’s no mincing around with switchboard.

Coffee – Cafe Latte

Score 17/20

By SimonL

Apart from the dodgy looking but humorously quaint glass it was served in there wasn’t too much wrong with this coffee. Quite frankly if I was served this kind of cafe latte every morning, I could face the day with super-human confidence. My original score was going to be 16.5/20 but there is something so appealing about this coffee, so I’ve given it an extra half point. The coffee is damn good especially for a place that doesn’t roast on-site and doubly so considering the coffee comes all the way from New Zealand.

It was hard to tell the colour and crema depth because of the coloured glass but the flavour was great. Genuine depth and richness coupled with the fantastic creamy milk texture. This blend lends itself very well to milk based coffee.

Cocoa and caramel sweetness, with a hint of anise, it was smooth, well balanced and easy to like. Well made.

Coffee – Ristretto.

Score 17/20

By SamW

Compared to the macchiato, this coffee was served in a slightly smaller glass that allowed the coffee to stand tall and look proud. Its appearance was deep, dark and dubious. The flavours presented were toasted and sweet with a light woodiness, almost like the char on a steak from a really hot grill. Whilst it was hard to find complexity in this blend, it certainly had length and deliberation.

Service 4/5

Ambiance 3/5

Busy 4/5

7 Seeds – Carlton. 2nd Review.

114 Berkeley St, Carlton 3053

Friday 6 October 2009 @ 1.30pm. Coffee Brand 7 Seeds

Coffee – Espresso (Kenya Special Blend)

Score 17.5/20

By SamW

Allow me to first say that my palate was way off with this one*. I tasted black current and grapefruit but the tasting notes stated raisin and gentle earthy tones. What I can say with certainty was that this espresso is a single origin, but it is perfect on its own. The body was spectacular, voluptuous and well-balanced…like Salma Hayek. It was almost bitter-less and, like the aforementioned actor, ticks all the right boxes.

*I intend on visiting 7 Seeds again for a cupping session or a syphon to better understand the Kenya single origin.

Coffee – Short Macchiato (House Blend).

Score 15/20

By SamW

I was rather skeptical ordering this macchiato due to the last visit. So I was pleasantly surprise when my coffee came out and appeared to have less milk. The flavour was bitey and bold, paving the way for toasted nut and chocolate tones.

It was hard to tell how much milk was used it being served in a ceramic cup, but the flavours were well balanced, and it was a nice tasting coffee overall.

Coffee – Cafe Latte (House Blend)

Score 16/20

By SimonL

This was a carbon copy of the last Cafe Latte had here. Although it was straightforward, pleasant yet unspectacular, consistency is the key and we are starting to see that with on the second visit.

Well presented, good head thickness and texture, a creamy mouth-feel with faint caramel and nuttiness. Well integrated espresso and milk, but only just strong enough for me. This is the blend rather than the execution of the coffee talking.

Coffee – Ristretto (Kenya Special Blend)

Score 18/20

By SimonL

A funny thing happened with this coffee. It was sent out looking a bit short in the crema stakes. As I consumed it the barista was hastily delivering a second with the message that he wasn’t happy with the first. While this was pleasing, I was left wondering why the first was even sent out. Perhaps we were spotted for who we are and they were testing us?? However it is not our intention to be sending coffees back and/or complaining that it wasn’t right for fear of looking like a bit of a wanker. Our intention is to describe what is in front of us regardless of it’s presentation and execution.

However….I’ll take it on face value, acknowledge what happened and review the second ristretto.

This was entirely crema. Just sensational in its presentation, adherence to style and flavour. While ristretti (ristretto plural) don’t show the full range of flavour due to the extremely short pour; the oily smoothness, richness and concentration was divine. Amongst all that there was a bright acidity that tingled the taste buds and and an almost imperceptible bitterness on the finish…. more of a nod in the direction of…. than a definite character. Something that I haven’t experienced before was a watering of the mouth some seconds after consumption. A well deserved, high scoring ristretto.

Service 4/5

Ambiance 5/5

Busy 4/5

Barista – Prahan. 2nd Review

3a Carlton St, Prahan 3181

30 October 2009 @ 1.15pm. Coffee Brand Italcaffe

Coffee – Espresso

Score 16/20

By SamW

Barista certainly craft a brilliant coffee that demonstrates an understanding of traditional espresso extraction. They are doing it right! This espresso was a great pour, thick crema and served in a hot cup.

The flavour was a slight let down (bitter and stale), which is indicative of a roast that is old. It was hard to identify other flavours and I felt that this espresso bit me with big and sharp teeth. The only let down with this café is their blend, because the baristas at Barista make brilliant and skilfully crafted coffee.

Coffee - Short Macchiato

Score 15.5/20

By SamW

The skillful presentation of this coffee increased my expectation of its flavour. It was perfect height and the espresso was split by a thin layer of milk. A tiny dollop of steamed milk made a ying-yang pattern with the crema.

The predominant flavour was bitterness that followed with a stale finish. There were hints of cocoa which played second fiddle to the dominant characteristics of a roast that is not so fresh. This is through no fault of their own, because Barista’s coffee comes from out of the country and is therefore not as fresh as cafés that do their own in-house roasting. I’d love to see what these guys could do with a really fresh blend.

Coffee – Cafe Latte

Score 16/20

By SimonL

The staff seemed today to be going through the motions, there was some confusion as to what coffees we were ordering and there was an exasperation evident. It was obvious that we hit them just after a busy period and they were starting to warm down. There is no doubt that this place is popular.

This was probably the best coffee tried here today.  The cafe latte arrived dressed to impress. Good head thickness and milk texture wildly streaked with a deep espresso colour. Creamy but not sweet, and was no problem with the strength. It showed toasted cereal characters amongst nut and caramel. Moorish on the finish and a little dried-out but overall it was damn satisfying.

Coffee – Ristretto

Score 14.5/20

By SimonL

Similar to the last experience this coffee was dense and rich. A perfect length pour with a golden yet thin crema. This time around I didn’t get the complexity, instead the dominant character was plum and cocoa backed up by bright acidity and reasonable oiliness. It finished with a bitterness that was mildly on the stale side leaving a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. This was a coffee that was seductive in its texture and strength and is easy to like, but it lacked the delicacy and complexity of the last visit.

Service 3/5

Ambiance 4/5

Busy 3/5