302 Barkers Road, Hawthorn 3122
Friday 24 July 2009 @ 9.30am. Coffee Brand – Di Bella
Coffee: Espresso Score 13/20 By SimonLWhile Sam was completely disappointed by his coffee, I found a few positives. Unfortunately they applied only to the look and style of the coffee. This espresso looked fine and the quantity was spot on, around 30ml. The crema did appear a bit thin and light coloured. However the taste wasn’t what I would expect from a good short black. There was plenty of bitterness but lacking in body, flavour and strength. I agree with Sam, the grind was perhaps too coarse resulting in poor extraction.
Coffee: Long Macchiato Score 12/20 By SamWThis coffee was presented in true fashion, a double shot of espresso that appeared to be stretched out with hot water. The milk was heavy-handed, which resulted in an opaque length of milky-long black. The heat was well-maintained through out the drinking (which leads me to believe the barista used hot milk & hot water), but similarly to the espresso the crema departed all too quickly. The flavour was also weak, which inflated my espresso ego (“I could drink 10 of these”), but subtracted from the whole drinking experience. In summation, this coffee is best served in the late afternoon following a light stroll but before an afternoon nap.
Coffee: Cafe Latte Score 14.5/20 By SimonLThis was the best of the three coffees. The let down is a familiar trend, a lack of real strength and depth. The coffee presented well with what looked like a Protea flower image in the froth (unintentional I suspect). Density and thickness of foam was spot on (no thicker than the thickness of my little finger). Colour was light tan hinting at a mild coffee. The taste was fine with a mild nuttiness and rich creamy milk in support. This is a straight down the line Cafe Latte bordering on coffee flavoured milk. there was just enough nutty, roasted flavour and bitterness to be appealing to the masses. It just didn’t have the drive and body to rate any higher. This is quite typical of milky coffees here – text book like. I prefer a bit more grunt.
Service rating: 3/5 Ambiance rating: 4/5 Busy rating: 4/5
