Australian coffee culture is world-class. Here’s how it’s about to get better

The best cup of coffee you’ve ever had is yet to come. Australia’s world-renowned specialty coffee industry is pioneering new methods of processing, brewing and serving to create the ultimate coffee experience as it seeks to differentiate itself from low-cost competitors during the cost-of-living crisis.

Innovations span the supply line: roasters collaborate with producers to experiment with flavour through fermentation and fruit infusions; cafes use cutting-edge brewing equipment to automate consistency; and an award-winning Australian barista, Simon Gautherin, has developed “seasoning” to highlight different characteristics in coffee, which is changing people’s perceptions.

“Twenty years ago, everybody thought coffee was bitter and harsh, but now we’re all working towards creating a universally liked beverage, with a wider spectrum of flavours, that doesn’t need to have any added syrup, sugar or milk,” he says.

Cafe-goers can now choose the perfect coffee for their palate, whether that’s an espresso made with a bright, experimental blend of Ugandan coffee and passionfruit from Commonfolk (Mornington, Vic) or three types of prized Colombian geisha coffee served as a flight at Headlands (Summer Hill, NSW).

Advances in roasting, brewing and sensory experiences have become essential to the industry’s survival during the economic downturn, when a specialty coffee priced between $5 and $40 a cup becomes harder to justify.

“The crisis is challenging the industry, but it’s also prompting creative adaptations,” says Alicia Feng, coffee consultant and co-owner of Calere Coffee in Melbourne’s Fitzroy.

“Cafes are highlighting the quality and story behind their products, and leveraging innovation to offer a premium experience without drastically increasing prices.”

Five ways your morning coffee is about to get better

Fermentation

“The real opportunity to improve quality is at the origin level, where we’ve seen the most dramatic and rapid increase in quality,” says Commonfolk director and co-founder Sam Keck.

Roasters such as Commonfolk, Zest in Melbourne’s Richmond and Vittoria are partnering with producers from coffee regions in Africa and South America to grow high-quality coffee at fair prices, with greater control over the fermentation process.

“It’s just like any food that’s fermented, like kimchi or pickles – it gives coffee more intensity, more body, more vibrancy,” says Zest origin projects manager Darren Stinson.

There are a million different ways of doing this, says Keck, including putting the coffee beans in tanks and depriving them of oxygen, or “thermoshocking” the beans with hot and cold water to release more aroma.

Vittoria’s latest Lab Release, Blend No. 58, is a blend of four coffees, including a sweet Sidra varietal from Colombia. The producer selects coffee cherries with a higher concentration of sugar, fermenting them with added coffee cherry pulp in “a technique similar to those used by winemakers”, says Vittoria’s third-generation managing director, Rolando Schirato.

“The result is a highly amplified flavour profile … balanced with deep malt and chocolate undertones, hints of honey and maple syrup before a lingering raspberry flavour,” he says.

Try it here

Commonfolk, 16 Progress Street, Mornington, commonfolkcoffee.com.au

Vittoria Coffee, vittoriacoffee.com

Fruit infusions

Coffee producers can add fruit during fermentation to create an “infusion”. It can be controversial to coffee purists, but Terence Kwan at Garage Roasters in Sydney’s Croydon sees it as a revelation.

“[There are some] really technical processing techniques that have driven the flavours of some of the coffees I roast literally off the charts,” Kwan says.

Kwan’s prototype range includes a nitrogen-fermented coffee from Colombia, in which beans are inoculated in a bioreactor with honeydew melon.

“The roasted coffee beans smell and taste of honeydew melon. It’s mind-blowing,” he says.

Commonfolk has worked with growers Zukuka Bora in Uganda to create a series of coffees spiked with passionfruit, jackfruit or pineapple. Keck says the process delivers an unparalleled new world of flavour to the industry.

Try it here

Garage Roasters, online only, garageroasters.com.au

Zest Coffee Tasting Experience Studio, 67 North Street, Richmond, zestcoffee.com.au

Seasoning

Barista and scientist Simon Gautherin took flavour one step further in May when he launched Apax Lab coffee “seasoning” in Sydney.

After studying water chemistry for six years, the 2023 Australian Coffee Championship winner developed a line of mineral concentrates capable of altering the acidity, sweetness or vibrancy in a cup of brewed coffee.

“We use a complex combination of different minerals and little ions … and, instead of acting like an artificial flavouring or syrup, it naturally highlights things already inside your coffee,” Gautherin says.

“People are initially a little bit sceptical, but it’s pretty shocking to see how just a couple of drops can transform your coffee.”

The seasoning became an instant global success when barista Martin Wölfl used a prototype to win the 2024 World Brewers Cup Championship in Chicago in May.

The three 100ml demineralised water seasonings are available in certain cafes, and for home use through Apax Lab’s online store.

Try it here:

Diggy Doo’s, shop 3, 2 Bridge Street, Sydney, instagram.com/diggydooscoffee

Project Zero Coffee, shop 1, 140 King Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/projectzero.coffee

Apax Lab, apaxlab.com

Technology

instagram.com/fbr.cafe/

“At home, people brew for the best possible cup of coffee they can make,” says Sebastien Cincotta, who owns and operates FBR Cafe in Sydney. “But we’re brewing for the best possible cup of coffee we can make twice, and that’s where errors occur.”

Cincotta has developed equipment to retrofit to espresso machine coffee grinders, ensuring the timing required for the barista to make each shot perfect remains consistent. He hopes to launch in February.

Automation is increasingly part of the modern cafe. Programmed milk steamers, coffee grinders, tampers and espresso machines have created greater consistency and precision than ever before, and it’s helping cafes to remain financially afloat, says Feng of Calere Coffee.

“It allows cafes to maintain high-quality coffee during busy periods, reducing waste and improving operational efficiency.

“For cafe owners, this means lower costs and more streamlined operations,” she says. “And for the average coffee consumer, it translates into a consistently great cup every time.”

Try it here

FBR Cafe, shop 9,370 Pitt Street, Sydney, instagram.com/fbr.cafe

Calere Coffee, shop 1, 166 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, calerecoffee.com.au

Experience

“It’s like wine: people are looking for tasting notes and different experiences with their coffee,” says Regan Rona, co-founder of Spro Bros, a Sydney-based community of coffee enthusiasts. Spro Bros hosts regular information nights, community gatherings, and cupping sessions, during which coffee qualities are methodically evaluated, in partnership with Sydney cafes and roasters.

One day, Gautherin hopes, a coffee bar and its barista will offer the same variety and expertise as a wine bar and its sommelier.

Experiences such as a four-cup coffee omakase at Headlands in Summer Hill, a sensory room with coffee-tasting flights at Zest in Richmond, and the Coffee and Music festival at FBR have become more commonplace, catering to an emerging generation of “coffee connoisseurs”.

“We want this to be an opportunity for people to understand the finer details of how to get the very best in a cup,” says Keck, who is developing a curated coffee experience room at Commonfolk in Mornington. “I think that that’s where you build long-term value.”

Try it here

Headlands, Mungo Scott Building, G03/18 Flour Mill Way, Summer Hill, headlandscoffee.com

Zest Coffee Tasting Experience Studio, 67 North Street, Richmond, zestcoffee.com.au