Keffa Han – Port Melbourne. Overall Score 16.04

Address‎: 816 Lorimer St, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207
Phone: 03 9077 4384 ‎
Google map link
Coffee Brand: Coffee Snobs

You can’t help but relax and enjoy yourself when you come to Keffa Han. The owner and barista Claude has an infectious smile and personality…….and passion. What’s more he is down to earth and willing to impart some coffee knowledge in a friendly way. Having a great deal of experience running his own cafes he understands what the customer wants and provides a down to earth honesty with what is delivered. The brand of coffee is on the darker side and the style could be described as old world meets new world and Claude manages to extract the very best from this particular brand.  We look forward to what he does next with interest and anticipation.

Score Summary.

Cafe Latte: 15, 15.5, 16

Macchiato: 16.5, 16.5, 16.5

Espresso: 16, 16.5, 16.5

Ristretto: 15.5, 16, 16

Overall Mean Score: 16.04 Highly Recommended.

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Keffa Han – Port Melbourne. 3rd Review.

Address‎: 816 Lorimer St, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207
Phone: 03 9077 4384 ‎
Google map link
Date: Monday 15 November 2010
Time: 0930
Coffee Brand: Coffee Snobs

Coffee: Cafe Latte
Reviewed by: SimonL
Score: 16/20

Dark coloured and foreboding I was slightly intimidated by the look. My apprehension was appeased as, while it sat on the strong side of balanced, it didn’t attack as expected. There was plenty of rich dark choclate, roasted nut and smooth creamy richness, and a slight powdery finish on the end. It didn’t go too over the top but I’d put it in the lower end of the strong cafe latte scale.

Coffee: Short Macchiato
Reviewed by: SamW
Score: 16.5/20

The flavour profile of previous visits (chocolate and dried fruits) were as well pronounced as before. The bitterness was cleansing but not too heavy.

It sat in front of me looking pretty and poised.

Coffee: Espresso
Reviewed by: SamW
Score: 16.5/20

If this coffee were a cloud, it would be dark and rolling. It was a very strong caffeine hit that made me stand up to attention. Dark and deathly chocolate swirled around my mouth, finishing in earthy tones. I was quite highly charged for some time afterwards.

Coffee: Ristretto
Reviewed by: SamW
Score: 16/20

The super concentrated version of the aforementioned. Extraction seemed spot on, the coffee thick, rich and smooth with plenty of dark character and strength and follow through. Pretty straightforward but wickedly decadent.

Service 4/5

Ambiance 3/5

Busy 3/5

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Keffa Han – Port Melbourne. 2nd Review.

Address‎: 816 Lorimer St, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207
Phone: 03 9077 4384 ‎
Google map link
Date: Monday 20 September 2010
Time: 0930
Coffee Brand: Coffee Snobs

This time around at Keffa Han there were a few more people floating in and out of the venue. The coffee and service were provided by the sole operator, which is also the owner.

Coffee: Cafe Latte
Reviewed by: SimonL
Score: 15.5/20

This was a coffee to brush away the morning cobwebs, to prime the mind to face the day. Rich and full with light malt, chocolate and nut, and a lovely creamy milk base. It was moderately smooth having a slight raw edge. As a “standard” cafe latte this could be a bit too punchy for some; the espresso part was certainly not shy.

Coffee: Short Macchiato
Reviewed by: SamW
Score: 16.5/20

This coffee had good depth of chocolate with a lovely balance. There was an elegant smoothness and softness of the milk, that was really sung within the coffee. The blend came through a little harshly, but was on par with our last.

Coffee: Espresso
Reviewed by: SimonL
Score: 16.5/20

The colour was dark and foreboding. The pour was spot on with a deep layer of oily glistening crema. Fresh with a full mouth-feel, gentle acidity and moderate smoothness; there was dark fruits and cocoa coming on with a mild sweetness initially then finishing on a more dry, savoury note.

Coffee: Ristretto
Reviewed by: SamW
Score: 16/20

This coffee had a greater acidity than the macchiato, which was not unbalanced, but welcomed. It hung on my palate like dried fruit, but did not seem unpleasant. It was just a little fresh.

Service 4/5

Ambiance 3/5

Busy 3/5

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Seven:am – Port Melbourne. Overall Score 15.54

155 Bay St, Port Melbourne VIC 3207
(03) 9078 5776
Google Map Link
Coffee Brand: Coffee Supreme

We’ve had our eye on Port Melbourne for some years now. We’ve watched the growth of Lego-land (the properties along Marine Parade to the Westgate Bridge), the fame of the Gringo Pizza (Mojos) and a cavalcade of businesses rise and fall in a seemingly endless succession.

Seven:am have plonked themselves in the pointy end of Graham Street closer to the beach than the casino, which we believe is a safe gamble. The venue is comforting without being crowded and the decor suits the vibe they are going for. You can see events posters, fixie bikes hanging from the ceiling, a MacBook for a register and a propped up espresso machine. This place has a vibe which is a little out of place here, in a good way. Port Melbourne overall is still lacking something and t is hard to put the finger on. Seven:am is a warm and comfy place to hang – it wouldn’t be out of place in Fitzroy or the like. The coffee is pretty decent overall and stands out in an area of sporadic quality. There is room to move here and we think they have the ability to improve even further, quite easily. The crew have the right attitude – a good mix of friendliness, professionalism and ability.

Through out our review process we have observed consistency across the two baristas who made our beverages. Our coffees have scored evenly with some variance but nothing too skewed. Seven:am have played a good hand with using Coffee Supreme, which is a brand whose blends can be volatile. However, the staff have worked well with it to present good coffee and with it a BackseatBaristas “recommended” rating. Good job guys.

Score Summary.

Cafe Latte: 15.5, 14.5, 15.5

Macchiato: 16, 16, 15

Espresso: 14.5, 15.5, 14.5

Ristretto:  16.5, 16.5, 16.5

Overall Mean Score: 15.54. Recommended.

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Seven:am – Port Melbourne. 3rd Review

155 Bay St, Port Melbourne VIC 3207
(03) 9078 5776
Google Map Link
Date: Monday 19 April 2010
Time: 1000
Coffee Brand: Coffee Supreme

Coffee: Cafe Latte
Reviewed by: SimonL
Score: 15.5/20

Milk and espresso jostling for attention – all a bit arms and legs, like Dustin Fletcher’s Inspector Gadget routine. It settled on the espresso side with the milk an indignant side-kick. A bit on the too hot side too, but well presented and flavoursome with decent strength. An above average cafe latte.

Coffee: Short Macchiato
Reviewed by: SamW
Score: 15/20

My macchiato was a tad on the bitter side, but without any dryness. The flavour profile was similar to previous visits, which demonstrates some consistency between the two baristas (which we have witnessed over our visits).

Coffee: Doppio Espresso
Reviewed by: SimonL
Score: 14.5/20

Literally double length in size and I’m afraid over-extracted. It would suit a maffia of Italians of older persuasion, dark and gritty like a Scorsese movie. Crema was a little thin here but I’m willing to concede ground with the width of the cup. The bitterness came on a little too strong swamping the nice rich caramel and dark plum character that got up then was bashed down again.

Coffee: Ristretto
Reviewed by: SamW
Score: 16.5/20

This ristretto was delivered with a seemingly better extraction than the macchiato. The crema was thicker, the bitterness was hardly present and a lovely, wishy-washy acidity swirled around my mouth. It was downed with one gulp.

Service 3/5

Ambiance 3/5

Busy 2/5

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