Coke Blak - In Australia

I have a great neighbor who is mad! Mad about his kid, wine, photography and anything made with coffee other than coffee. He's been hounding me to do a review on non coffee items that have coffee.. ok ok.. you get it!!

so here it is, Coke Blak. It rocks. Chocolate meets coffee in a very nice way.. so just in time for summer in Oz? Maybe not.. I think its only available in the US food stores... I'll do some hunting.. let me know any additional info.

Articles 1 & 2

Link to coke



Ok.. and me being silly!!

inkr7 (7 Inkerman Street St. Kilda)

INKR7 (7 Inkerman Street)

Positioned next to Karen Martini’s Mr. Wolf restaurant, this gorgeously designed little hide out serves it’s loyal clientele one of the best, if not the best Genovese Super Brazil brews that I’ve come across. They perform perfect extractions from a beautiful 3-group Wega machine. All milk-based coffees have some type of latte art on them, whether it be a rosetta, silver fern or a heart, but what sets these guys apart, is the fact that they haven’t forgotten about the all-important taste of the coffee. The second you walk into this café, you feel as though the owners, Mario and Vincent, are inviting you into their home. You can tell straight away from the art and wall hangings, that these guys have travelled the world, and chosen Melbourne’s St. Kilda as their business’s home (Probably a good choice given the proportion of St Kilda locals that appreciate good coffee). For the tight kitchen space, they provide a surprisingly good variety of food options including pides, breakfasts and a daily specials list of 4 or 5 items. They have a serene and spacious courtyard out the back with a nice little water feature made by Peter Mclisky, who used to own a shop across the road but has now moved to Garden Street in South Yarra, and a secluded back room used for business meetings or families with young kiddies who need their own space. I really enjoyed my stay at inkr7 and will be sure to make it part of my regularly attended café list. I give this café a rating of 2.5 beans…

POD ESPRESSO (305 Bay Street, Brighton)

[Guest poster-Andy Gelman]
This is a small Brighton café that caters for a St. Kilda market. The coffee is served tepid… great for those in the know, but for the majority of Brighton’s clientele, it’s just not hot enough! This is a statement that baristas everywhere have drilled in to their heads on a daily basis, and in general it’s just one or two comments a day, but in Brighton, it’s the norm. The ‘Coffee Supreme’ blend is, for lack of a more descriptive word, bland. The extraction looked good to start with, but soon turned translucent and started to quiver, giving me the impression that the grind was too fine, and the dosage too low. This would result in a group handle full of sludge as opposed to a ‘cake’ after the extraction had completed. This café is a take away coffee dominant business model with a window on the ramp to North Brighton train station. During my stay at Pod, I witnessed multiple coffees being sent back due to temperature issues, and people waiting for take away coffees walk off because their coffee simply took too long. This is not a very spacious café, so if you want to bring a family or kids along, I would hope for one of the few outdoor tables. There is a 3 group La Marzocco beast behind the bar, (I can’t believe they fit it in, but they did) yet during the busy morning take away rush, they still had only one person controlling this beautiful piece of machinery while there was a line of 5 to 10 people at the take away window. Given that coffee seems to be the main revenue stream for this business, one would imagine that something would be done about people walking off because of time related issues, but staff seemed not to care, like it was part of the usual chain of events. The service was almost cold. It felt like they were doing you a favour by making you a coffee. In this industry, that just won’t do. I got a take away café latte as I left, and upon tasting, I believe they should use a double shot, as it tasted like tepid milk. This café is worth a try if you’re in the area, but I wouldn’t make the trip especially. I give Pod Espresso a rating of 1 bean.

Kanteen - 150 Alexandra Parade Sth Yarra. VIC Australia

This recently renovated café has a prime location overlooking the Yarra River. The building originated as a public toilet block. As appealing as that sounds, with the newly done refit, you would never know. This café caters for a young market, while maintaining a kiddy friendly atmosphere. The renovations took into account all weather conditions, with an entire inner wall of sliding doors, allowing a variable environment. This café has only reopened recently and is already a steadily busy location. Imagine what summer will be like. The coffee used is Genovese Super Brazil blend, which has a cult following, due to places like ‘The Wall 280’. Kanteen, unlike ‘the wall’ have chosen not to pour a 40ml shot in 20 seconds, but have decided to discard the first 1 or 2ml of the espresso, taking away that full on, almost sour taste, while adhering to the 30ml in 30 seconds method of proper espresso extraction. This makes for an easy drinking style of coffee, with milk served at a tepid temperature, as stated on the menu. The milk-based coffees don’t look special, as the milk texturing is up and down, depending on the barista on duty. The food menu is over minimalist with a choice of only four or five pides and a few basic breakfast options. Having said all of that I believe that Kanteen is a great café due to its relaxed atmosphere, and secluded location perfect for a 5 minute getaway from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne’s CBD. Give it a shot!





SUBMISSION By: Andy Gelman

Black Gold spills into Melbourne Streets

Last night I attended the first of two showings of Black Gold a provocative film about the coffee industry and the plight of the Ethiopian farmers. It was certainly an eye opener on how massive the industry is and how much the NY Coffee futures market has to play in the lives of the farmers. Futures contracts actually aren’t based on anything real other than a willingness by a buyer and seller to enter into an option at a future date. With say oil, it benefits the oil producers but here it actually works against the farmers. I think that part of the problem is differentiating what is (and yes I bought and tried it) a fantastic product. This is certainly happening thanks to the movie.

I ground up some this morning and was blown away with the unique taste just as a double shot. My home filled with its wonderful aroma. Woven (reviewed herein as Café Icoco) took it upon themselves (go gRLs) to source some of the coffee and sell it at the screening. Its a 3 beaner +.

By the way, Somage and MCR will be undertaking more initiatives, so if you are interested, join us via Podmatcher Black Gold pod.

If you didn’t see it, catch it at ACMI on the 8th Aug.