Coffee in Katoomba area?

[mwatt]

Hey coffeesnobs,

We are heading up to Katoomba over the Easter Weekend, and as my husband says they wont fit in the car with the port-a-cot, stroller, high chair etc., we wont be able to take the Giotto and Mazzer with us  

So, I was wondering if anyone knows any good coffee spots in the area? It is, of course, a matter of utmost importance, so we are not averse to travelling a short way in our hunt for decent coffee...

Michelle

[mattyj]

Re: Coffee in Katoomba area?

I know at least two great cafes in Katoomba. Theyre on the main street that heads down the hill, where all the cafes are.

The first one is called the Elephant Bean; they use danes coffee. The cafe recently changed owners/staff. The milk coffee (cappuccino) wasnt as good as previously, but oddly, the ristretto I had was much better. If you drink espresso or ristretto, youll notice some nice berry flavours coming out.

The second one is called (going from memory here, after playing poker til 2am the night before) the coffee bean box cafe or something like that; its a few doors down the hill from the elephant bean. They use Morgans coffee, roasted by Dean Morgan ... (I confess to not knowing who he is ... ex Tobys Estate???). You only have to notice that on the counter behind the machine, theres five grinders and a small sample roaster. These guys are serious about espresso. It seemed that theyd only just opened when I visited, but again, really nice espresso (cherries this time), milk drink was ok.

Im not sure how they go with managing about 4-5 different blends, keeping groupheads clean/free from cross contamination (in terms of flavour) ... but they seem really serious about coffee.

The biggest let down about both places, I felt was their milk prep. the Elephant bean had a kind of bubbly milk foam, the coffeebeanbox had fairly thin foam ... I guess Im spoilt drinking silky-sweet microfoam from a few cafes in sydney...

...but they both served excellent espresso!

have fun, and if you find anywhere else worth visiting, Ill be up there in a few weeks, so let me know!

cheers,
Matt

[thomas_cho]

Re: Coffee in Katoomba area?

I cant remember the name of the cafe right now (which doesnt help you much), but its on the main street as well. Its on the corner of a small lane which leads to Woolies.

I visited the cafe twice when I was there abt a year ago, it has a roaster on the right of the service counter, behind a plastic(?) wall. On the front there was also a dispenser like looking device, with green beans in it.

The coffee is great, I enjoyed the cafe latte that I had.

I sat there for almost 30 mins, and observed the barista preparing the coffee. What I was impressed by his routine. He rinsed and cleaned the grouphead after each shot. Wiped dry, dosed, and pulled the shot. He didnt just do this when business was slow, even when busy this was his routine.

[mattyj]

Re: Coffee in Katoomba area?

cool, but I would suggest to stay away from those green bean cafes with little roasters. A friend worked at one for a little while: the big bags of green beans were shocking ... take out a handful: bean, bean, twig, stone, robusta bean, stone, twig, bean, stone, stone, dead bug ...

The brew pressure was set to 13 bar, to make the coffee pour quicker, so the staff can make coffee quicker ... but from memory, the one in Katoomba that you mentioned was different.

[p38arover]

Re: Coffee in Katoomba area?

Regrettably, I cant get away from work to try them out so I am restricted to buying coffee from the little stall (Coffee Express?) at the top of the stairs at the railway station.

Dont laugh, they make a reasonable coffee - depending on who is the barista.  Two of the girls arent bad at it.  Ive chatted with one of them and it was obvious she knew more than most coffee shop "baristas" (I use that term loosely with regard to most coffee shops).

Oh, it could be worth a drive to Leura for coffee. I cant make any specific recommendations because, quite frankly , most coffee in the Blue Mountains is appalling.

Ron

[thomas_cho]

Re: Coffee in Katoomba area?

cool, but I would suggest to stay away from those green bean cafes with little roasters. A friend worked at one for a little while: the big bags of green beans were shocking ... take out a handful: bean, bean, twig, stone, robusta bean, stone, twig, bean, stone, stone, dead bug ...

The brew pressure was set to 13 bar, to make the coffee pour quicker, so the staff can make coffee quicker ... but from memory, the one in Katoomba that you mentioned was different.

Thanks to Andy and his sorting team, I think we dont get much of the nasties in our shipment. But every bag of green beans comes with its nasties. I think Andy mentions something like this in his little disclaimers in the emails he sends out?

I didnt think coffee in Katoomba was any worse than coffee in Sydney.

However, if I were to go to Katoomba again, I would just bring my plunger and my own grounds. I cant bear to pay $3 for a cuppa, especially when just 3 cups would buy 1kg of greens!