Ltd espresso bar is exactly that

January 31, 2013 Anthony 1 Comment

Single Origin Long Black from LTD Espresso Bar

If I made a detailed list today, you’d see most cafes have a strong milk coffee bias. Maybe it’s because they can sell overly sweet flavouring; maybe it’s because it disguises poor beans and worse baristas. Who knows? Entire franchises have been built on the idea of selling milky sugary beverages that at some point might have involved coffee. Cafes that do good black coffee are far less common. Cafes that specialise in black coffee are even rarer.

Ltd espresso bar actually does seem to specialise in high quality black coffee. Located on Brunswick Street near Pie Face and Reverends Fine Coffee, the cafe is very much an espresso bar. There is no food menu and seating does not go far past a few stools. In fact you can say a lot about Ltd espresso bar by listing the things it does not do or have. There is no decaf, no soy milk, and Luke does not charge the same for a long black as he does for a flat white.

Fortunately I visited this cafe for the first time early in the morning, before they got busy, so I got to talk to Luke and found out a little more about the cafe. He runs three grinders, each with a different blend or single origin, with one for black coffee, another for milk and the third for filter. My long black was shortly followed by two more.

One of the things that Luke seems keen to accomplish is to get more people to try black coffee. Unsurprisingly there is a strong preference for milk coffees like a flat white or cappuccino over espresso, long black or americano (with even more people confused as to why there are two names for what is essentially a shot of coffee with some hot water added).

The coffee itself is really very good. Luke explained that he generally aims to time it so he is serving one lot of beans for about five to seven days, while it is at its peak. He alternates between different blends and single origins with each batch.

Ltd espresso bar is exactly what the name implies: an espresso bar. It is a place you go to buy good coffee and then leave, or buy good coffee, drink it reasonably quickly and then leave. And this works. Its emphasis on black coffee is, at least in my experience, fairly unique as well. This cafe is certainly worth going to if you care about coffee. If you are after a nice large breakfast however, you may be disappointed.

TL;DR

Does very good coffee
Rotating selection of single origin beans and blends
Very keen on black coffee
Takes quality seriously

Ltd espresso + brew bar

362 Brunswick st, Fortitude Valley
Brisbane
Queensland

Black coffee, Cafe Review

Matthew Thomas at Sandgate

December 31, 2012 Anthony 2 Comments

Long Black at Matthew Thomas in Sandgate

Not many cafes in Sandgate look out over the ocean. Matthew Thomas does. At least as far as the trees on the other side of Eagle Terrace allow. The cafe itself is in an old house and occupies the ground floor, along with a gift shop and a counter given over to selling fudge. The front of the cafe opens out onto the road and provides a great view of trees and some blue stuff between the branches.

The decor was interesting and seemed to feature a lot of clocks and they use Toby Estate beans and make a reasonable coffee. While not especially awesome Matthew Thomas does a good long black coffee. Their big breakfast however is more remarkable.

Swapping out eggs was not a problem, and the home made baked beans were really very nice. Their service also really stood out, with attentive and cheerful staff taking care of a reasonable late breakfast crowd.

Matthew Thomas is in a good location in Sandgate, with nice decor and a cute gift shop. The coffee is good and the food is better and the fudge is certainly worth trying. Matthew Thomas is certainly worth visiting if you are nearby and in the mood for a light meal.

TL;DR

Great service
Nice coffee
Interesting menu and good food
Kind of overlooking the ocean

Matthew Thomas, Sandgate
Phone: 3869 4807
http://www.matthewthomas.com.au/
50 Eagle Terrace, Sandgate
Brisbane
Queensland

Black coffee, Cafe Review

Reverends Fine Coffee in the Valley

November 26, 2012 Anthony Leave a comment

Fortitude Valley is not much of a destination for cafes currently. If there was one place that could claim that distinction, West End would be it, with honorable mentions going to Teneriffe and a few suburban outliers. The Brunswick Street Mall in Fortitude Valley is certainly a wasteland as far as good coffee goes. Recently though a few new places within easy walking distance of the centre of the Valley have opened up.

Only three weeks old, Reverends Fine Coffee is one of these. The cafe is practically a hole in the wall, with only a narrow street front. However Reverends Fine Coffee uses their space well with the counter at the front and a reasonably sized seating area tucked away in the back. Inside it feels roomier than their small street frontage would lead you to believe.

Like a growing number of cafes they do roast their own beans, and sometimes other cafes, such as Moray, even use them, at least according to their Facebook page. The coffee they do is good, and they offer single origins alongside their own blend. As a black coffee it is very drinkable, and makes it easy to consume multiple cups in quick succession.

Reverend's menu, food to come soon — Reverends menu, food to come soon

Reverends Fine Coffee is not serving food just yet, but getting a license to do so is one of their plans. The cafe is close to the Brunswick Street Mall and is good for early weekday morning catch ups. The seating area out the back is far enough from the street to cut out most of the road noise, and there was even a roaster in one corner, though it didn’t appear to be in use.

TL;DR

Coffee in the Valley is getting better
For now only coffee, with a kitchen coming soon
Their blend is rather nice
They have somewhere you can sit

Reverends Fine Coffee
Facebook Page
@reverendscoffee
372 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley
Brisbane

Black coffee, Cafe Review

Pour Boy Espresso

October 31, 2012 Anthony Leave a comment

Even on the edge of Brisbane’s CBD it is not hard to find a cafe. While not as common as they are further into the CBD, it still seems like there is one in every third office building. Like Pour Boy Espresso.

Pour Boy Espresso is a reasonable place to go, and what you come to expect from a city cafe. They sell food and coffee, and from the look at their set up, they can probably handle the busier parts of the day well. Though I did not get to test this hypothesis, because I was there a little ahead of the lunch rush.

I wasn’t there food, but I did get to try their coffee. Perhaps my expectations were raised by what I’ve heard others say of the place, but I was a little disappointed. The coffee was OK, like a lot of other cafes. For a black coffee it was served a little hot, and the flavour was fairly light, probably more suited for a milk coffee. In theory at least.

Maybe I missed something. A quick search on the cafe’s name online will return a decent number of enthusiastically positive reviews. There is even a Courier Mail article in there too. While I am sure that some people like this cafe a lot, and the food did look interesting, I am not sure that I agree. Pour Boy Espresso was a nice cafe, like so many more.

TL;DR

The coffee was ok, though served a little hot
Very open layout
Reasonable in a city full of reasonable cafes

Pour Boy Espresso
Phone: (07) 3172 1141
www.pourboy.com.au
26 Wharf Street
Brisbane City
Queensland

Black coffee, Cafe Review, Reviews

Coffee from Ripples on the Creek

September 30, 2012 Anthony Leave a comment

40 kilometres outside of Kyogle is a long way to go for a coffee. It is also a very unlikely location for a decent cafe, let alone a restaurant. However there it was, just over the New South Wales and Queensland border by Lions Rd.

“Cafe 100m” painted onto the side of a building was not the most promising first impression. It got better once we got there however. The restaurant is a single storey building with a wrap around veranda set on a rise facing a hill across a few fields. We sat outside on the veranda, with a view of the occasional cow and the faint sound of bellbirds in the distance.

Ripples on the Creek’s menu is interesting, with most of the ingredients sourced locally and the coffee supplied by the Byron Bay Coffee Company. As attractive as the lunch menu was, I settled on a chocolate and mint cheesecake and a long black.

The coffee itself had a light flavour which seemed more fruit than chocolate. The cheesecake was exactly as described. Mint with chocolate base, and with a mint toffee garnish. Unfortunately I could not post any of this to Foursquare or Instagram, as it seems that just north of Kyogle has poor wireless coverage.

I was not expecting to find something like Ripples on the Creek in country New South Wales, or any other state. The quality of the food and coffee that I had was good, and the location picturesque. Just outside of Kyogle is certainly a long way to go for a coffee, but if you are in the area, at least it is there.

TL;DR

Suddenly, Restaurant!
Was not expecting a good coffee in country NSW
Interesting menu, with nice cake
Checking in on Foursquare is problematic

Ripples on the Creek
http://ripplesonthecreek.com.au/
Phone: 02 6636 6234
602 Grady’s Creek Road (also known as the Lions Road Tourist Drive)
Grady’s Creek via Kyogle
New South Wales

Codhunter

Ltd espresso bar is exactly that

Matthew Thomas at Sandgate

Reverends Fine Coffee in the Valley

Pour Boy Espresso

Coffee from Ripples on the Creek

Black coffee, Applications and some other stuff