It’s no secret that Australian coffee is some of the best in the world. It comes from unlikely beginnings – a colonial outpost of the tea-drinking British. But, post-World War 2, Australia began to develop a rich coffee and café culture that has increasingly flourished every decade since. Now the flat white, Australia’s signature coffee, is enjoyed all over the world.
We have Greek and Italian migrants to thank for the great coffee we have today – after the war, they not only brought to Australia their love of coffee but their roasting techniques, and, crucially, their espresso machines. In the 1950s and 60s, espresso bars started popping up – mostly in Sydney and Melbourne at first – but then all over the country. Gone was the heyday of instant coffee. Now, you can find world-class coffee on almost every corner in Australia’s metropolitan cities, and coffee culture is entrenched in Australian identity. Australians are serious coffee drinkers, at 1,939,000 bags annually – a staggering amount considering our relatively small population. This makes us the 20th highest coffee-consuming country in the world.
Many Australians, upon travelling overseas – to the US or France perhaps – get a shock when they have their first cup of coffee, not realising just how spoiled we are with an incredibly high standard of coffee and thriving specialty coffee industry. Historian Andrew May put it best when speaking to the ABC: “The entire island of Manhattan has fewer really good places to get a coffee than Canberra.”
On the note of Canberra: the capital city tends to fall to the wayside when we talk about Australian coffee, with Melbourne often stealing the thunder. Melburnians often refer to their city as the “coffee capital of Australia,” but Canberra can hold its own if you want exceptional flat whites and high-quality espresso, even by Australian standards.
If you’re looking for the best coffee, don’t overlook Canberra. According to a survey from Roy Morgan, Canberrans visit cafes more than any other state capital: 68% of Canberrans visited a cafe for coffee at least once in an average of three months. This brings Canberra ahead of Melbourne’s 63% (don’t act too surprised) and Sydney’s 61%. Our café culture is a huge part of our identity too, and if the stats weren’t enough for you, we have some of the best cafés and local roasters to prove it.
Canberra, Home to Some of the Best Coffee Roasters in Australia
The beloved capital city has given Australia some of the best specialty coffee beans and best coffee producers in the game, with numerous award-winning boutique coffee roasters, with a focus on ethically sourced beans and sustainability.
ONA Coffee
Let’s start with Canberra’s ONA, who have won almost too many awards to mention. When it comes to the best coffee in Australia, ONA should be right at the top of every list. Founder Saša Šestić started the now-renowned coffee roastery out of his garage in 2008, and it’s now one of the best coffee brands in Australia. Šestić won the World Barista Championship in 2015, and three other of ONA’s baristas have snagged the title multiple times each. ONA has its flagship cafe and store in Fyshwick, but you can find their beautifully curated coffee blends at over 40 cafes in Canberra. You can get ONA coffee at cafes in Melbourne and Sydney as well, but they’re proudly Canberran.
Lonsdale Street Roasters
Lonsdale Street Roasters, named after Canberra’s most happening street in Braddon, is not to be underestimated either. They started in 2009 with the goal to put Canberra firmly on the coffee map with meticulously roasted beans using a specialised infrared roasting technique. This allows them to deliver precise, even heat and airflow, allowing them to extract the true flavour and character of every single origin brew or blend. We highly recommend you try the delicious blends on-site and take home a bag of one of their beans too. They also sell their beans online, and, to just show their love of Canberra, have no delivery fee in the ACT.
Cosmorex Coffee
Canberra’s own Cosmorex Coffee has also won its fair share of awards, including Champion Australian Roaster at the Australian International Coffee Awards two years in a row, in 2016 and 2017. Cosmorex, founded by Italian migrant Cosimo Sciannimanica, is Canberra’s longest-established coffee roaster, having been in the business for more than 40 years, consistently paving the way for Canberra coffee excellence. You can try their exceptional coffee and take home a bag of beans at their Fyshwick roastery and cafe.
Cafes That Make A Trip to Canberra Worth It
Canberra has dozens of spots in town if you want a top-of-the-notch daily brew.
Barrio Collective Coffee
Starting off strong is Barrio Collective Coffee, bound to be high up in any list of the best coffee shops in Australia. Also located on the lively Lonsdale Street, they’re well worth a visit to try their range of specialty brews and selection of sweet tasty pastries. The tiny cafe, with only 15 seats, is reminiscent of a traditional Italian espresso bar. All their coffees are made with beans from Central or South America, like Colombia and Brazil. If you’re a cold coffee aficionado they’re worth a visit just for the shaken iced latte: milk and espresso married together in a cocktail shaker.
The Cupping Room
Another one of Australia’s best places to a grab a coffee is The Cupping Room in Canberra’s CBD. They’re best known for being one of three cafes in Canberra owned by ONA, so you can guarantee the coffee experience and service are first-rate. They have an extensive list of coffee blends and single origin on the menu, with new coffee being added regularly, as well as cold drip filter coffee. They also offer beautifully crafted reserve teas and blends, like the unique iced cascara, a tea made from the cherry of the coffee tree.
Baristas will happily run you through the tasting notes of each coffee and tell you about how the coffee is roasted, making it more akin to a wine tasting than the traditional coffee shop experience. Their name itself is a testament to their coffee expertise: cupping, in this context, is the practice of testing coffees side-by-side for flavour and quality control, something the staff do every week.
Did you know Canberra had such an illustrious coffee culture before? If not, we hope you think to include good old Canberra next time you mention Australia’s coffee capitals.