Thread: Darwin/NT coffee

/me watches the tumbleweed fly past...cries a little

Roma Bar in Darwin is the only decent coffee in Darwin.

Ricks Bar & Grill in Nhulunbuy is the best in the NT, he has a lovely Izzo Pompeii Lever.

Originally Posted by 76707D647C7068110 link=1304916844/2#2 date=1305143521

Roma Bar in Darwin is the only decent coffee in Darwin.

Ricks Bar & Grill in Nhulunbuy is the best in the NT, he has a lovely Izzo Pompeii Lever.

I agree about the Roma Bar.

I wish Id known known about ricks when I spent 3 weeks in Nhulunbuy.

Thanks, its not quite as desperate as I was led to believe then. Surprisingly neither of those turn up on Beanhunter (which someone else suggested looking at)

Well I tried Roma bar, and I have to say... not impressed.

I didnt see (or hear) the [s]barista[/s] coffee maker grind coffee once in the whole time I was there, and when leaving noticed that the doser on the grinder was almost completely full. Considering they made 3 coffees the entire time i was in there it was probably ground for the rest of the week.

I tried a latte as I dont tend to trust new places with a black coffee first up, and as I needed 3 (I normally take 0) sugars to be able to drink it, I wont be rushing back.

Will be ordering more from greens once I get paid.

Hmmm. too many cafes are hit and miss depending on who is on the machine.

The other thing to try is going to one of the regular markets they have up there in parap, nightcliff and maybe mindle beach. There used to be a place selling decent coffees and brown beans at the markets. The markets are worth a look anyway.

Cheers, road out to the markets this weekend, and saw a guy who was selling roasted beans at Rapid Creek market.
BTW love the markets - Rustys in Cairns could learn a lot about local producers selling local products.

I am in darwin for a few days, agree about the Roma Bar, its gone downhill - you were right about the grinder!

Ok, 4 days in Darwin and all the coffee was crap. Just flew home this morning and pulled a nice latte out of the Izzo Lever and now just roasted a batch of the Mexico Yeni Navan Typica and pulled myself a nice double espresso of Peru Ceja de Selva Estate to confirm my impressions of Darwin - and of course it was nectar of the gods!

So with out a trace of modesty, I confirm the best coffee in the NT is at Ricks Bar & Grill!

Ahh, I see you would be Rick then?
Not had the chance to get to Nhulunbuy but if I do i will give you fair warning.
I am learning that apartment living is not very conducive towards home roasting so am living in a coffee desert for the moment.

I should make it out to Ricks one day... What does it cost for a return ticket? Maybe we could have an NT snobs meet & greet out there? Or maybe it would be cheaper to get galumay in here

linnaen are you still in the NT?

I've moved into the city for work and the coffee is pretty dreadful. Thanks to Andy I brew my own. Four Birds in the Star Village Arcade off the mall is ok. Caffeine Extreme has nice equipment but he wastes it on stale Lavazza or something similar.

When the markets are open, Coffee NT can make some good coffee.

I've ordered a fresh batch from Andy to keep me and my Giotto going over Christmas - I'm taking it with me!

Hi all territorians

Theirs a fantastic new coffee shop just opened up in Parap Village called "all about coffee & tea". Makes the best and more importantly most consistant coffee i've had in the NT. It gets really busy when the Parap markets are on but go any other time and you'll generally have it all to yourself.

I dropped in to coffee & tea a few weeks ago - didn't know they were selling drinks as well otherwise I would have ordered one. The lady I spoke to seemed to know about beans and other stuff but I didn't do the Spanish inquisition I think they sell Isomac? Can't remember. They had some Pullmans in store as well as a bunch of fresh beans. I'll have to go back for another visit...

yes they definitely sell drinks. a few Weeks ago they had the 2012 Australian barista champ up giving advise to customers and training staff at their shop and also finlays joint café, graig simon i think his name was. they both get their beans from Venezianocoffee.com.au my work mates and i quite often go to finlays for coffees and all agree it's pretty good Coffee.

We usually go to the Ducks Nuts for coffee, we've found it to be the best in town. We will definitely be giving the shop in Parap a go, thanks for the info.

I'll have to check out "All About Coffee and Tea"... Saw it the other day in between thinking about the crappy food I'd come across in the 24hrs of being in Darwin and trying not to think about how much I paid for it.

Does anyone know if they sell fresh beans? I was about to pull the trigger on some Espresso WOW until I saw the cost of getting it here...

Where is this coffee place? Must check it out.

Beanbay coffee is still an awesome option (roughly $12.xx postage). Order Sunday night, roasted & posted Monday, arrives Wednesday.

Parap Village.

As I was walking out a kind samaritan put me onto Jay's Coffee Bar in Nightcliff, who apparently has a decent range of fresh-roasted beans.

As for beanbay, I was expecting to be waiting 5+ days for the AustPost option (I usually go startrack next day but HELL NO at NT delivery rates).

Actually, to be fair, the beans aren't bad. Good crema and nicer flavour than I've tasted at non-specialty cafes, out of my Classic/Preciso. A bit bitter for my tastes and definitely not as sweet or tasty as what I've been getting with Decaf WoW/Ceja de Silva/DIY-Mocha-Java in a popper though.

Hi Dragunov, when I went in to Coffee and Tea they had some beans that were roasted within a week, but they also had some imported stuff which looked flash but you wouldn't want to trust it. The cost wasn't great, more expensive than 2kg from Andy including postage, but then I'd never get through 2kg myself in time, which is why I pay a bit more for local redistribution.

Don't bother with startrack, Aus post is just as quick as anyone else. It will be here in 2 days. I used to order 2kg at a time for work and it arrived without fail (except when the QLD floods cut the roads off). If you can find someone to share it with you (work, friend, etc) then stick with what you know and buy it from beanbay!

Ah, didn't have anything with a roast date last I was there. About time I picked up some more though (can't JUST run on decaf wow...)

TBH $14/250g seems about standard for fresh-roasted coffee from most places...

Yeah, startrack next-day doesn't deliver to site so I got it AustPosted to a workmate's PO box. I usually use it though, because I'm impatient and it's only a couple bucks extra (where I live)

Jay's Coffee Bar ,located at the Rapid Creek Markets roasts every Thursday or Friday of each week.

Price is $ 12 for 250 g.

Fairtrade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance as well as single origins.

Gonna have to hit him up; the supermarket coffee is awful and so is my home-roasted 3:

Originally Posted by CaffeinatedAndrew

Hi all territorians

Theirs a fantastic new coffee shop just opened up in Parap Village called "all about coffee & tea". Makes the best and more importantly most consistant coffee i've had in the NT. It gets really busy when the Parap markets are on but go any other time and you'll generally have it all to yourself.

Have been travelling from the rock to the top over the past 2 weeks without finding 1 decent shot along the way. I won't name the organisations that have led to my pain, they need all the encouragement they can get! In Darwin now and have finally found my way to Parap's All about coffee & tea. The day i visited a flavoursome drop from Byron Bay (2 fairly different parts of the country). Not that cheap at 5 bucks a latte but then again nothing is in the never never. Suffice to say I felt like a man with a substance abuse problem having his first fix in 2 weeks. Time I had some home roasted beanbay greens.

Stopped in again at All About Coffee and Tea, grabbed some stuff there and had a chat with the owner. The coffee was really tasty and it looks like they run barista courses, so I'll report back late next month for anyone who might be interested.

Huh. Thought I'd checked back in.

Here's what I've discovered (all in my humble opinion, mind)

Jay's beans, I'm a huge fan of. The coffee, not to my tastes.

There's a cafe/restaurant just next to the deck which I find decent; can't recall the name. Maybe Java-something.

Cafe 21 in the Smith St mall is what I was call good. I enjoy their short blacks and their milk is done reasonably well. Together with AACaT I'd say they're the two "good" places in Darwin.

Speaking of which, I did the barista course at All About Coffee and Tea (in Parap) and got a lot out of it. You don't get the certificate but all the information should be there and they were (at the time of writing) happy for you to come back and practise some more when the shop's quiet, which I think is really awesome.

Can I put in a vote for The Pearl, Victoria Arcade, Smith St.

First thing that you see on walking in is a Kees Van der Westen mirage idrocompresso 3 group lever! Flat white and espresso vastly better than anything else in Darwin, good food too. Run by a couple ex- Adelaide I think and the barista is from Melbourne. So they take the coffee seriously for sure.

Bugger, is that new or something? I never saw it the whole time I was there.

Yep d21, only last 6 months or so apparently. I'm about to leave as well so no doubt more will arrive once I do!

thanks for the heads up, I'm checking them out tomorrow

Originally Posted by Dragunov21

There's a cafe/restaurant just next to the deck which I find decent; can't recall the name. Maybe Java-something.

By "deck" I assume you mean The Deck Bar. Nice atmosphere and fantastic laksa. The cafe next door is called Java Spice. Delicious cakes, and some great aromatics going on in there (take the wife / gf / significant other).

I went to the Pearl the other day. Maybe I had my hopes up at the sight of the lever, but I wasn't entirely impressed. The milk was a bit bubbly, the taste was a bit ... off (like the grounds were passed it, but the grinder was going while I was there). The temp was perfect. I don't know if you have to monitor these lever machines but the barista just let it run until it stopped itself. They were out of sweets by the time I visited (about 3pm). A good (not great) coffee, not worth crossing over town for but I'll probably stop in again if I'm walking by.

Originally Posted by iaindb

By "deck" I assume you mean The Deck Bar. Nice atmosphere and fantastic laksa..

Tried the laksa at the Parap markets?

I'm a confessed (Sarawak) Laksa nut. Used to frequent Austins Kopi Tiam in Mt Hawthorn where I enjoyed the best I have ever tasted - sadly now gone - so I sourced ingredients and made my own paste in an effort to copy the "My Mums Laksa" from their menu and I got/get pretty close (my friends opinion not mine). Would love to find a similar Laksa house here in Perth but haven't managed it yet - any ideas?

Originally Posted by Dragunov21

Tried the laksa at the Parap markets?

I think I've tried everything (edible) from the Parap markets...

Apparently the place on the other side of the deck bar (Cafe Del' Art I think) is pretty good with the coffee (and excellent calamari I heard) but it's a bit far for the daily walk so I'll try it out next time I'm there.

My boss just bought the Breville Oracle for work so I don't think I'll be taking many more coffee walks...

Originally Posted by surgeonsam

Can I put in a vote for The Pearl, Victoria Arcade, Smith St.

First thing that you see on walking in is a Kees Van der Westen mirage idrocompresso 3 group lever! Flat white and espresso vastly better than anything else in Darwin, good food too. Run by a couple ex- Adelaide I think and the barista is from Melbourne. So they take the coffee seriously for sure.

Guys- tried this place this morning expecting something good. Coffee was really bad. They have the right gear but the beans were not fresh. Food was really good albeit over-priced. Give it a miss!

Originally Posted by Gavisconi007

Guys- tried this place this morning expecting something good. Coffee was really bad. They have the right gear but the beans were not fresh. Food was really good albeit over-priced. Give it a miss!

Gav,

Were you visiting darwin , and live in Sydney? Did you try and other coffee joints in Darwin?

Darwin isn't known for its nice coffee.

I offer two plausible reasons for your bad experience.

1) the coffee is actually pretty good, for Darwin. I mean, they used real beans to make it, didn't they? There are lots of worse places.

2) this time of year is the build up. It is a little bit humid. It takes its toll on coffee beans, and human beans too - no one wants to do much. People are busy leaving on holidays, leaving skeleton staff. Not as many tourists around, and less incentive to do your best.

No offence, but I don't like the phrase "pretty good, for xyz" as it only gives an excuse not to be good. I haven't seen a cafe that doesn't use real beans, yes, "even in Darwin".

And regarding the build-up, I visited them in July and wasn't impressed either.

I think the problem is that most people who open cafe's up here don't realise that coffee is more than just grinds + water.

I hope I'm not sounding grumpy like I'm in a bad mood... I look forward to a good cafe here one day.

Fair enough. I'm not trying to defend any coffee joint here or promote. But there is a prevailing attitude up here - it's not right.you get used to it. I was surprised on a recent trip to Melbourne, with quality, lower price, and cheerful attitude.

Keep the reports of the good oil coming!

Any recent updates to this thread? I'm heading to Darwin this weekend and wondering if I should take the Aeropress or not...

Let me know what you find Rebem, I haven't found a good coffee in Darwin for a long time. I'm also out of green beans so even at home I'm disappointed...

The nicest would be both in Parap: Mad about Coffee and Tea, and the Laneway Specialty Coffee. Both near the parap markets.