Tag Archives: Espresso

Aldi Pods and Gym Coffee

The gym's Aldi espresso machine
The gym’s Aldi espresso machine

One of the best things about the Aldi coffee machines is that they are cheap. Cheap and easy to run. So much so that you can leave one in a powerlifting club and not actually care. This one has been with the UQPWC for almost half a year, and in that time has survived a number of competitions and a handful of courses in addition to its normal day-to-day use. Not a bad run for a cheap coffee machine.

The Aldi coffee machines have managed to make a good impression upon many users. It is hard to find a poor review, even if the same cannot be said for the coffee itself, and most owners I have met seem pretty happy with how they perform. There are significant differences between these and more expensive coffee machines, but there isn’t much to match it for under $100.

The cema does not look right...
The cema does not look right…

There are only four buttons to worry about and the coffee comes in pods. I am sure that it can be simplified even further, but I doubt there is a point. For a communual coffee machine this is a major plus. The fewer ways there are for users to interact with it, the less chance they have of breaking it. This also makes it stupidly straightforward to run: you drop the pod in the top, close the lever and press buttons until something resembling coffee comes out. That is it. For advanced users, they can run hot water through the machine prior to making their coffee, and play with shot length using the two buttons available. This attention to detail isn’t essential.

A very metal coffee cup
A very metal coffee cup

While it has a surreal crema, the coffee itself is nothing special. Personally I prefer my coffee beans to be relatively fresh, and hopefully roasted locally, which the grinds in the Aldi pods are really really not. There are refillable pods on the market, but for the hassle and what I use it for, it hardly seems worthwhile. By the time I get to the gym at night, all I am after is something to get me through another set. Especially if I am doing a Sheiko program.

As an alternative to instant coffee the Aldi machine and pods are a great option. If you are after a pod machine that you can leave somewhere and not care a great deal about it certainly can fill that role too. If you want quality coffee though, perhaps there are better options. For that purpose I think I will still keep using the machine that I have at home.

TL;DR

  • A coffee machine so cheap you will let anyone use it
  • The coffee is just there for the caffeine
  • Chinese cast iron tea cups look hardcore and very metal

Grindhouse Coffee

Grindhouse Espresso Coffee
Grindhouse Espresso Coffee

How many cafes would you walk past to get a cup of coffee? With Grindhouse Espresso in Stones Corner, it is about five, depending on how generous you are with the definition of cafe. Grindhouse can be a little hard to find with just the street address. Tucked out of sight just off Logan Road, I walked past it about three times the first time I tried to get to it. Fortunately the cafe explained how to find the place through their Twitter account.

In a small space dominated by the coffee machine with only a few tables and no real menu Grindhouse is almost an espresso bar. It is a good thing they do it well. Grindhouse Espresso roasts their own beans and sells specialty coffee beans as well as by the cup.

Grindhouse Espresso so far is the best, most consistent cafe I have found in the area. While it is not really a lunch or breakfast destination, if you need a coffee and perhaps even somewhere to sit to enjoy it, Grindhouse is a safe bet.

TL;DR

  • One of the best cafes in Stones Corner
  • Can be hard to find
  • Doesn’t really do food
  • Do roast their own beans

Grindhouse Specialty Coffee
http://grindhouseespresso.com.au/
Facebook Page
@GrindhouseSC
Shop 9/360 Logan Road, Stones Corner
Brisbane

Coffee at Espresso Boutique

Long Black at Espresso Boutique
Long Black at Espresso Boutique

Right next to the train station. There are few places as good for a cafe as that, and Espresso Boutique’s location just next to Eagle Junction railway station is pretty spot on. It looks like a hole-in-the-wall cafe at first glance, at least until you go inside, or see the menu.

Espresso Boutique is a cosy cafe, with a large table dominating the space, and a number of smaller ones scattered around it. There is a bookshelf (with borrowable books) and a few small tables up against one wall with the specials board. The cafe also features a decent kitchen, and the lunch and breakfast menus reflect this. The big breakfast was not as full-on as it is at Campos, but the price reflects this as well. There was no trouble swapping out the eggs for extra mushrooms either.

Espresso Boutique Big Breakfast, minus eggs
Espresso Boutique Big Breakfast, minus eggs

Espresso Boutique serves Schibello coffee and does a respectable long black, and stocks T2 tea served in nifty teapot-cups for those people who like soggy leaves. Appropriately, above the counter there is an espresso menu, listing single shot, doppio and ‘con panna’, espresso served with a dollop of whipped cream.

The specials board looked interesting, with items like zucchini and sweet corn pancakes and a spinach, bacon and goat’s cheese tart. The food in the cabinet looked fresh and seemed to confirm Espresso Boutique’s claim that they sourced their ingredients fresh from the Brisbane and Clayfield markets.

Tea and the awesome cup
Tea and the awesome cup

We did not try the lunch menu, but it did look impressive. From the layout to small touches like bag hooks under each table, Espresso Boutique’s attention to detail was noticeable. It did not appear to be as much of a coffee specialist as some other cafes,  such as the Coffee Guy, but the cafe certainly succeeds as somewhere to grab a light meal on the weekend. I would be surprised if Espresso Boutique isn’t as good when you’re grabbing a coffee on the way to the train as well.

TL;DR

  • Great commuter location
  • Breakfast was good
  • Menu looks great
  • Cosy and attractive interior

Espresso Boutique
www.espressoboutique.com.au/
Shop 6, 260 Junction Road, Clayfield
Brisbane
PH: (07) 3357 6313

The Gloria Jean’s Valley Experience

Black Coffee at Gloria Jeans
Black Coffee at Gloria Jean's

I thought it would be best to start with a joke. An Italian, an American and an Englishman were going to meet in the Valley for a coffee. The Italian could not make it. So they go to Gloria Jean’s instead.

The Gloria Jean’s shop on the mall in Fortitude Valley has nice chairs, a few couches and air conditioning. They also charge $4.25 for a regular long black. The stores are similar to Starbucks: all coffee is served in disposable cups with an ironic ‘Rainforest Alliance’ logo (take that evil trees!), they offer a wide range of syrups and substances to add in, and if you order a black coffee, it usually is not that great.

The coffee smelled burnt in an interestingly worrying way and was too hot, which was almost certainly the cause. It was also one of the more watery long blacks I have had recently. Even the McCafe coffee compared favourably to it.

Like Starbucks, Gloria Jean’s is not really in the business of serving black coffee. Just one quick look around the store and it is obvious that they sell far more milky coffee flavoured beverages than black coffee. With the market they cater for, and the range of syrups and interesting interpretations on the theme of ‘coffee’ on the menu, maybe a sugarless black coffee is not what they had in mind.

TL;DR

  • Nice franchise stores
  • Coffee is not really their thing

Gloria Jean’s Fortitude Valley Mall
Gloriajeans.com
McWhirters Urban Market
Fortitude Valley, 4006

Takeaway Coffee from Little Big Man Espresso

Little Big Man Espresso
Little Big Man Espresso

There is a strong positive correlation between the number of cool suburban cafes in Brisbane and the value of the Australian dollar. This is hardly controversial as any country able to support a growing number of nifty locations serving coffee away from the inner city must have something going for it.

You’ll find one more of these on the corner of Thorrold and Dickson Streets in Wooloowin. Little Big Man Espresso is in a good position for the morning commuters. Dickson Street carries a lot of through traffic, and it is surrounded by houses and near a train station.

Takeaway Coffee From Little Big Man Espresso
Takeaway Coffee From Little Big Man Espresso

Little Big Man Espresso is actually located in a mostly unchanged old corner store. With the counter at the back of the building, there are tables and chairs inside and a number of stools and low tables just outside the door. There was even one solitary drawing on one of the walls, hopefully promising more to come.

The cafe looks very cute and is so new it has no real visibility online just yet. They serve Genovese coffee and do a respectable job with it, and already seem to be attracting the early morning weekend crowd. If you live in Wooloowin, be sure to check it out, a local cafe is not to be ignored.

TL;DR

  • Looks cool
  • Great commuter location
  • Serves decent coffee

Little Big Man Espresso
Facebook Page
86 Dickson Street
Wooloowin