33 Yarra St, South Yarra 3141
Coffee Brand St Ali
Outpost has a lot going for it, the modern look, cool name and an indoor space that’s as though you walked into mama’s kitchen.
We feel there were some concerning issues here though, with staff knowledge and communication, you never know what you are going to get service-wise. Overall it is hard to dislike the place, in fact it has achieved a high rating because the coffee overall is great, and that is what we, Backseat Baristas, are all about – finding and talking about – great coffee.
Outpost is part of the St Ali group of cafes springing up around Melbourne. This has seemingly happened in the blink of an eye, but we suspect there is a master plan here. Melbourne is on the verge of a new and wonderful experience when it comes to coffee. The introduction of single origin coffee (regional, estate/farms and even specific blocks of land) to the cafe scene is creating a new experience for the consumer and St Ali seems determined to be there when things really get going.
Outpost offers one single origin daily, and their house roast. The single origin (or more accurately the regional origin) every time we have been here has been the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. We are a bit tired of this one now, as good as it is. And we got a little excited on the third visit when something different was on offer, then to be deflated when learning, once we were leaving, that in fact the Yirgacheffe had been back to haunt us!
The skill behind the coffee machine is in little doubt, the short coffees overall being wickedly excellent and freshness has been spot on, really letting the coffee shine. Our impression is that Outpost is not necessarily a dedicated coffee venue, it is a place that revolves around a home-style kitchen pumping out all manner of great looking food while serving specialist coffee that is a cut above many. Remember our scores relate to the coffee only, and it will only take a miniscule improvement in overall coffee consistency for this place to fall into the highly recommended category. We will look forward to our follow up review in around 6 months.
Score Summary.
Macchiato: 15, 18, 15
Espresso: 17, 17, 16
Ristretto: -, 15, 17
Overall Mean Score: 15.92. Recommended
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